Jonah 3
Notes
Transcript
Going to Nineveh
Going to Nineveh
Good morning my friends!
I hope you’ve had a good week.
Well, here we are at the first Sunday of February! And yesterday my friends we had the first Upward game of year 19. Wow!
How awesome it was to see this ministry continue. I really appreciate all that many have done, but I want to really brag and say thank you to Nathan and Morgan for jumping on this and taking so much one with work and family life. We surely appreciate them..
I would ask you to pray for Nathan and Morgan each day and the ministry they do. They need your prayers for them and their children each day.
Today we come back to the book of Jonah, and we are going to look at chapter 3 today, the story of Jonah making his way to the great city of Nineveh and the message he proclaimed to them.
Now remember what we have talked about thus far.. Nineveh is a massive city, it was founded by Nimrod the great hunter who was the son of Cush, the grandson of Ham and the great grandson of Noah.
This is now the nation of Assyria and the people of Nineveh are a particularly wicked people. They were constantly raiding into Israel and they were known for skinning their prisoners alive at times.
So their was no lost love between Israel and the Ninevehites. But God has seen their sin and how evil they are, and this I think goes way beyond the idea of their actions against Israel. This is the moral and ethical issues of the people who lived there, from the King all the way down to the lowliest person who lived there.
And God is aware and is about to destroy them if they do not change… and so He called Jonah to carry the message to them.
But he was a reluctant prophet, he didn’t want to serve the Lord… and before you think to harsh of him, consider how we act at times..
There are times when God calls us and we a reluctant as well. We run away from God, we run away from what he is calling us to do..
Jonah ran and ended up overboard, cast over by the crew in order that the ship might be saved.. And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow him. a
And in this judgment, Jonah has a change of heart, He responds correctly to the Lord and the Fish ( at the Lord’s command) finally throws him up on the shore, close to where he boarded the ship.
And this is where we begin today… here is my first thought today...
1. Jonah is Obedient....
Jonah has picked himself up, after being spat up on upon the beach there, most likely close to Joppa.
We say that because that area would have been a safe place, it would be a place where he could easily travel on the main routes toward Nineveh. A place to get food and water, etc...
The blessings is that as Jonah called upon the name of the Lord and surrendered to Him, the Lord delivered him from this unique place of learning.
And as Jonah arrives on dry land, we know the Lord speaks to him.
Look with me at verses 1 and 2 here in chapter 3.
Jonah 3:1–2 (ESV)
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”
So we see here that the Lord speaks to Jonah. This is indeed special, it reminds us that the Lord desires to use those who follow Him to help impact this world for God’s glory.
And the Scriptures tells us that He spoke to him a second time. We have been talking about first time, the first time He was disobedient, he tired to get away from God’s calling.
But now after all Jonah has been through, the word of the Lord came to him a second time.
And Jonah listens… Oh that’s important. We must listen to the voice of our heavenly Father...
Now here is something important....
Jonah isn’t the same person he was before, he has learned some lessons, some the hard way. Jonah is a work in progress you might say. He has been redeemed and saved by the Lord…
And so we see God spoke to Jonah a second time. And the Lord repeats His command to Jonah. Now there is something we need to point out here. The Lord has extended a second chance to Jonah. He is giving him the opportunity to serve Him again.
The Lord desired to use Jonah, His plans involved Jonah and by His mercy Jonah gets that opportunity again..
Let me give you a warning here:
Do not put off serving God saying you can later, that is dangerous. He may not give you a second chance and I would hate to miss the will of God in my life.
That is not to say that God is done with a person, but that particular opportunity may be closed. And we don’t know what that would have held for us…
The best things my friends, is simply to trust the Lord and follow Him… no matter what, no matter when.. God’s ways and will are perfect for us.
The command is simple for Jonah, Arise, go to that great city, Nineveh and call out against it declaring God’s message to them.
The phrase “call out,” means to proclaim. God wanted Jonah to go and preach to them the message He would tell Jonah.
The message is to call them to abandon sin and repent while there was still time, and if they do not, He will destroy them.
And so the beginning of verse 3 tells us something great. Look there with me at the first part of verse 3
Jonah 3:3A...
Verse 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.
Jonah wasted no time, he was obedient to the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a 500 mile journey from Israel.
My friends there are two questions we must ask our selves on a daily basis. Are we living and obedient life and are we willing to go where He leads?
Are you obedient?
Are you willing to go?
It is a terrible thing to be content to do nothing and say I am alright before God.
Now this leads me to a second thought....
2. Jonah Comes to Nineveh...
So Jonah sets off on his journey to the great city of Nineveh as the Lord had commanded him.
Look at Jonah 3:3
3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.
Now thinking that the particular mode of traffic for lang journey would have been donkey or camel, it would take at least a month to reach that great city.
And this city was important. it was a city filled with people and without at doubt we know that God cares for humanity, it was a city that was important to Him.
And consider with me the last part of that verse, Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days journey in breadth.
So a question is poised here.... What does it mean that the city was days journey in breadth?
Does it mean it took three days to go from one side to the other. That is very possible for the number of inhabitants at the time.
Others say that it took Jonah. three days days to preach in very part of the city, to ensure all heard the message God had for them.
Looking at different translations of this verse, it seems that the city was so large, it does take Jonah three days to ensure he visited every area of the city.
And that is important, God wanted His message proclaimed to all the people, not just a few. All needed to hear the message God had for them.
The same is true today!
God wants his children to proclaim His word to every nation and people, that all might have the opportunity to believe and be saved.
Now lets move forward and look at verses 4-5
4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 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.
So Jonah comes to the city, and most likely he being a stranger did not just wander into the city and began preaching to them.
His clothing was different, his appearance and speech most likely sounded a little different and some really do wonder if Jonah still bore any witness on his physical appearance of being in the belly of the whale.
We are not certain about that, but most likely he meet with some of the city officials before he began proclaiming the word of the Lord being a stranger in their city.
But regardless, he proclaims God’s message.
And look at the Lord’s message that Jonah proclaims.. “Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown...”
The message doesn’t seem like a lot, but Jonah is telling them that God’s judgment is close and destruction is coming to the city, it is certain.
But it is also the message that while judgement isn’t far off, there could be hope depending on your response to God’s warning message. Repent or fall, the choice is yours...
God is always looking for repentance my friends… Let me share with you Jer 18:7-8
7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.
God is always looking for people to change their hearts and look toward him by faith.
And in response to Jonah’s message, we see three things that happen because of God’s word given to them… Verses 5-7
5 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.
6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water,
Did you see those 3 things: 1.) The people believed, 2.)Te King believed and 3.) The King issued a proclamation for all who resided in that city...
Wow, the people took God’s message completely to heart my friends, the word of God says they (the people of Nineveh) believed God. They not only believed the message but looking at the language it self, it says they believed in God.
They understood the seriousness of their actions and God’s warning to them. They were an extremely wicked and violent city, and now they know, their lifestyle has not escaped God’s attention.
This is an extremely important thought my friends. God is indeed aware of everything that happens in this world. I believe he knows every thought, every intention of our heart and of course action.
With that being said, don’t be fooled by the evil one and say, well, God hasn’t spoken to me, God hasn’t chastised me so my words or actions must be ok.... No! Don’t believe it. God will hold us accountable, make no mistake about it.
God will hold every person accountable for the way they have lived in this life.
One theologian said once… “In every age, God recognizes and condemns what is unholy and unjust.”
In response to the message God’s man delivered… So the Ninevites believed God. It is like revival broke out there in the land.
How do we know so? The Scriptures declare that the people declared a fast, from the least to the greatest.. and they put on sackcloth. It is a miracle if you will, they repented of their sin, they were genuinely sorry and they repented.
Now we know this is true, why? Well look at Jesus words in Luke 11:32
32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
They heard without a miracle and believed, those in Jesus day saw miracles and heard and yet did not believe. Jesus says the people of Nineveh will rise up in judgement against these who had such a great witness.
So they fasted and put on sackcloth, a sackcloth is a very course, goat hair type fabric, like burlap., it was an outward sign of mourning. And not only did the people believe, we see the King of Nineveh also believed.
And look at his response, verse 6 says that he took off His royal robes and also dressed in sackcloth and sat in ashes. The king even going as far to publish an official declaration in response to God’s message.
Look with me at verses 7-9 Jonah 3:7-9
7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 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. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
Wow, the king calls for a fast all across this great city, no man and not even the animals were to eat or drink. Instead they were to mourn, repent over their actions and they ways both personally and corporately.
They are sorry for their actions and they are asking that God have mercy upon them.
They didn’t deserve it, but they mourned and sought the Lord’s help in this time of brokenness.
Jonah came to Nineveh and the city responds to the word of the Lord… and we see in their responses, they were broken, sorrowful and had a contrite heart.
Their response was appropriate...
My friends, when you hear the Word of God or sense the Lord speak to you, how do you respond?
When He convicts of sin; what do you do? Do you justify it or turn from it?
Our actions speak volumes as to what is really in our heart. Our heart will either be full of self or the will be full of God.
When he speaks and leads you, do you listen or do you run away?
Nineveh repented of their sin, no one would have expected them to, But they believed God and in God when they heard his word spoken from the prophet Jonah.
Now just one last little thought as we wrap up this message
3. God didn’t destroy Nineveh
As they turned from their sin, we see that God also responded to their actions..
Look at verse 10 in our text today. Jonah 3:10
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
When I look at this verse, I can honestly rejoice at this my friends.
God saw… I love that.. He is keenly aware of us, our ways before Him.
The Ninevehites recognized their condition, their sin, and it was demonstrated in two ways. The mourned, lamented as seen in wearing sackcloth and sitting in ash. And physically they turned from those evil deeds
Nineveh repented. And God turned aside from His wrath.
This is perfectly consistent with his justice, righteousness and mercy. He spared Nineveh.
What does it tell us?
God is compassionate toward sinners when they cry out in their condition, repenting and seeking mercy. It is here we see the heart of God, and his incredible love.
God does not wish for the destruction of a sinner but instead he desires that sinners be redeemed and reconciled to Him.
For Nineveh, they listen… God does not destroy them right now…
(I saw right now, later one we know they will fall into sin and God will have the prophet Nahum prophesy because of their sin and they will be utterly destroyed.)
Jonah was obedient,
Jonah preached to the city
God does not destroy them..
It all changed when they repented of their sin and sought the Lord.
Friends, the same is true of us today. If there is sin, something that is not right in our life, in our heart, confess it.
Do not settle and allow it to remain there, experience the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy and be whole today, full of life.
Lets pray...
