Setting – Nineveh repents after Jonah proclaims pending overthrow
Content – God again told Jonah to go to Nineveh (v. 2 ESV) “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” Nineveh was a massive city (v. 3b ESV) “an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth”. God’s message to Nineveh (v. 4 ESV) “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” The people responded (v. 5 ESV) “And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them”, even to the king (v. 6 ESV) “The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes” The king decreed (v. 7b-8 ESV) “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.” He was hoping (v. 9 ESV) “God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish”
God saved Nineveh from being overthrown in 40 days (v. 10 ESV) “God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it”
Application – Jonah obeyed God this time. But we see in the next chapter he did still didn’t want to do this (Jonah 4:1 ESV) “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.” But through Jonah’s obedience Nineveh was saved. God worked through Jonah’s obedience, even if Jonah’s heart wasn’t fully in it. Again we see that God wanted to use His creation for His work. God could have written His message on the walls of the city (like He did in Daniel). Gods will is still able to be accomplished if we obey His directives.
Nineveh responded quickly and correctly to God’s warning.
Content – God again told Jonah to go to Nineveh (v. 2 ESV) “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” Nineveh was a massive city (v. 3b ESV) “an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth”. God’s message to Nineveh (v. 4 ESV) “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” The people responded (v. 5 ESV) “And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them”, even to the king (v. 6 ESV) “The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes” The king decreed (v. 7b-8 ESV) “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.” He was hoping (v. 9 ESV) “God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish”
God saved Nineveh from being overthrown in 40 days (v. 10 ESV) “God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it”
Application – Jonah obeyed God this time. But we see in the next chapter he did still didn’t want to do this (Jonah 4:1 ESV) “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.” But through Jonah’s obedience Nineveh was saved. God worked through Jonah’s obedience, even if Jonah’s heart wasn’t fully in it. Again we see that God wanted to use His creation for His work. God could have written His message on the walls of the city (like He did in Daniel). Gods will is still able to be accomplished if we obey His directives.
Nineveh responded quickly and correctly to God’s warning.
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