The Repentance of Ninevah

Jonah Series: Wrestling With Obedience

Message #5

Jonah 3:5-10.

ETS: The Ninevites believed God, repented of their sins, and turned to God.

ESS: We should respond to God’s message through believing, repenting, and turning from our sin towards God.

OSS: [Devotional] {I want the hearers to respond to God in belief and repentance.}

PQ:

What actions are involved in repenting?

UW: Actions

Definition of Repentance:

Change of mind; to regret or to feel remorse; change of attitude.

In Hebrew, most commonly it refers to “a change of mind or purposes, or sometimes, being sorry…to turn or return…In the NT repentance is usually signified by the word metanoia, “change of mind” and its related verb… “to change attitude” (J. Oliver Buswell, “Repentance,” ed. Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard F. Vos, and John Rea, The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (Moody Press, 1975)

In Hebrew, “CHANGE ONE’S MIND, THINK BETTER… also TURN (BACK, AWAY), LEARN ONE’S LESSON, COME BACK…also BE SORRY, CHANGE ONE’S MIND, BE SEIZED WITH REMORSE. “Repent” in contemporary English means either (1) to regret (a thought, attitude, or act), or, (2) much more frequently, to regret and change from one attitude or allegiance to another...” (E. W. Smith and B. H. Dement, “Repent,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 135.)

What actions are involved in Nineveh’s repentance?

TS: Let us examine now a few actions present in the repentance of the Ninevites:

Firstly, there is belief in God. [v. 5a]

The importance of these verses is to communicate the immediacy of action by the Ninevites.

For what it is worth, the name for God used here is not Yahweh, His personal name; rather, it is the general name of God, Elohim.

Some suggest that they believed the message of the prophet Jonah. This is obviously true.

Some suggest they believed the God of the message of the prophet Jonah. This is also obviously true.

The question lingering, is did they believe in the personal God, Yahweh, personally?

Personally, I am not inclined to think that Nineveh believed in Yahweh. Rather, as they were not a monotheistic people, they likely acknowledged the power of God— Yahweh, the God of Jonah— as a powerful deity. Such is appropriate with the name Elohim meaning powerful God. Additionally, the fact that roughly one century after this account, Nineveh was destroyed as prophesied by the Prophet Nahum— this is because of their brutality, pride, and cruel treatment of God’s people and others alike. They were prideful and pagan.

Mk. 1:14-15 “14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!””

Secondly, there is sorrow. [vv. 5b-8a]

This is demonstrated through the proclamation of the fast as well as the wearing of sackcloths by both the people and the king. Specifically, the king evidenced this by sitting in ashes.

Thirdly, there is turning from sin. [vv. 8b-10]

Used four times in verses 8-10.

Study and reference Jas. 4:4-10.

Response questions:

[1] As we began the service today, Romans 2:4 was read— “4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” This is a verse to help us have right understanding of God’s purpose for His kindness toward us— to lead us to repentance.

Is repentance an active part of your life?

Are you sorrowed over your sin?

Do you have a changed attitude about your sin?

[2] Part of repentance is identifying sin in your life through the help of the Holy Spirit and then turning from that sin in order to turn to God.

Is there any sin(s) in your life that you can identify that you need to let go of, turn away from, and turn towards God?