"God's Mercy to do the Right Thing"

jonah 3:1-10

Sunday School 5/4/25

Notes

Information concerning the Assyrian army. Nineveh was the capitial city of Assyria. Which is what this may be some important information as to why Jonah said No to God about their salvation. Jonah(isreal) and Nineveh(sworn enemy) didnt want God to saved them, and probably didnt understand why God would even consider saving them.

Question - Why would God even consider saving some people???

Here is some history concering Assyria and the things they did....

The Assyrians created the world's first great army and the world's first great empire. This was held together by two factors: their superior abilities in siege warfare and their reliance on sheer, unadulterated terror. It was Assyrian policy always to demand that examples be made of those who resisted them; this included deportations of entire peoples and horrific physical punishments. One inscription from a temple in the city of Nimrod records the fate of the leaders of the city of Suru on the Euphrates River, who rebelled from, and were reconquered by, King Ashurbanipal:

I built a pillar at the city gate and I flayed all the chief men who had revolted and I covered the pillar with their skins; some I walled up inside the pillar, some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes." Such punishments were not uncommon. Furthermore, inscriptions recording these vicious acts of retribution were displayed throughout the empire to serve as a warning. Yet this officially sanctioned cruelty seems to have had the opposite effect: though the Assyrians and their army were respected and feared, they were most of all hated and the subjects of their empire were in an almost constant state of rebellion. (185-186)

The Sermon Notebook: Old Testament A Matter of Perspective (Jonah 3:10–4:11)

Ill. Why Jonah hated them so much.

• Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians were a fierce, warlike people.

• The Ninevites were idol worshipers.

• The Ninevites were not Jewish. Jonah was probably a racist.

• The Ninevites were known for their cruelty to the people they attacked and defeated. For instance, they were know to skin their victims alive and then impale their bodies on sharpened stakes and leave them there to die. They often forced parents to watch their children being burned alive, just before the parents themselves were killed. The Ninevites were also known to bury their victims up to their necks in the sand and leave them to die of hunger, thirst or wild animal attack. Whole cities had been known to commit suicide rather than fall into the hands of the Ninevites.

• The Ninevites had focused their attention on Israel. It was common knowledge that the Assyrians were coming and that they intended to destroy the people of God.

(Note: Before we get too hard on old Jonah, maybe we need to look at our own lives and examine how we have responded to the Lord working out His will in your life and mine! How many times have we reacted with anger when God did something that went against our plans? Perhaps we need to remember the counsel of the Bible,

Purpose of the book of Jonah

Missionary Purpose - God shows concern for the gentile people. God is compassion about all souls. The love of God was supposed to be shown through Isreal(in our case through the christians)

Sovereignty of God - the love wasnt shown through isreal , God was faithful and setting things up so that his word/love would be proclaimed. Inspite of human weakness and imperfections God gets the job done.

Ninevehs repentance - Showed up the Isrealites or the Christians. Shows how religon made us insensitive to the lost and the spirit(God)

Disobedience - is not only from unbelievers. God is gentle on both and not partial. Sometimes we think as believers we dont need a repentance heart.

Repent -

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised Repent

REPENT [Heb. niphal of nāḥam (hithpael in

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised Repent

also TURN (BACK, AWAY), LEARN ONE’S LESSON, COME BACK, etc.;

v.1-2 :

The Lord came to Jonah a second time -

Question - What happened when the Lord approached Jonah the 1st time?

Question - What does this say about God approaching Jonah(human, man) a second time?

J. D. Greear Sermon Archive The Making of a Witness: Jonah 3:1–10

Jonah is what stood in the way of Nineveh’s forgiveness. Their sin wasn’t the obstacle. Jonah’s failure to get them the word of God was.

🔥 Opening Hook (Historical/Cultural Moment – 5 min)

Say something like:

“Let me paint a quick picture for y’all. Imagine you’re called by God to go preach forgiveness to a group of people who killed your family, skinned your cousins, and mocked everything you believed in. That’s what God asked Jonah to do. Nineveh wasn’t just another city—it was the capital of Israel’s worst nightmare.”

Then unpack some of the details from your notes:

The Assyrians’ brutality: flaying, impalement, forced child-killings, torture.

Their reputation: terrorists of the ancient world.

And now—God wants Jonah to preach to them? To offer mercy?

Ask the class:

“Let’s be honest—if God asked you to do that, how would you respond?”

📖 Text Walkthrough & Discussion (30 min)

Break down Jonah 3:1–10 in 3 natural sections with pauses for reflection and discussion.

1. Verses 1–2: God’s Second Chance to Jonah

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time…”

Jonah gets another shot after running.

Ask:

“Why do you think God didn’t just choose someone else?”

That's a powerful question, and here's how I'd answer it in your voice—real, honest, and full of depth:

“I think God didn’t just choose someone else because the lesson wasn’t just for Nineveh—it was for Jonah too. God was after Nineveh’s repentance, yes—but He was also after Jonah’s heart. Sometimes the assignment isn’t just about the people we’re sent to—it’s about what God wants to do in us while we’re doing it. God could’ve picked someone more willing, more obedient, more compassionate—but He didn’t. He picked the stubborn prophet on purpose, because Jonah needed mercy just as much as Nineveh did. And that hits, because sometimes we think we’re the messenger, but really—we’re the mission.”

This would land especially strong if you followed it with:

“Have you ever gone to help somebody else, and God ended up showing you something instead?”

🔁 Luke 15 – Older Brother in the Prodigal Son Story

Everyone talks about the prodigal son repenting—but Jesus was also telling the story to confront the Pharisees’ lack of mercy.

The older brother wouldn’t celebrate his brother's return. He was bitter, even though he’d been close to the Father the whole time.

✅ Sometimes the “righteous” are the ones who need their hearts adjusted the most.

“What does it tell us about God's patience—not just with Nineveh, but with Jonah?”

Tie in your “Disobedience isn’t just for unbelievers” point here.

2. Verses 3–4: Jonah’s Message

Simple sermon: “Forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

No grace, no hope—just judgment. Jonah is doing the bare minimum.

Ask:

“What do you notice about how Jonah preached?” “Do you think he wanted them to repent?”

Right after unpacking that Jonah gives a bare-minimum, 5-word sermon and clearly didn’t want them to repent, you say:

“Now here’s something that messed me up: ‘Jonah is what stood in the way of Nineveh’s forgiveness. Their sin wasn’t the obstacle. Jonah’s failure to get them the word of God was.’

In other words, it wasn’t the wickedness of Nineveh holding up revival—it was the attitude of the man with the message. That quote made me stop and ask:

Is my bitterness blocking somebody else’s breakthrough?

That’s real, right? Some of us are holding back grace because of how we feel—not because God hasn’t already said go.”

Then immediately ask:

“What would’ve happened if Jonah just… never went? Or kept dragging his feet?”

This moment turns the spotlight from Nineveh’s sins to ours as Christians who sometimes don’t want to see certain people blessed, changed, or forgiven. It hits the central theme of your lesson beautifully: don’t act like Jonah. “Have you ever done something for God out of obedience, but your heart wasn’t really in it?”

This is where you could bring up the idea: “It’s easy to be Jonah. Especially when we’re hurt.”

3. Verses 5–10: Nineveh’s Repentance & God’s Mercy

From the king to the cows—everybody repents.

God relents. He pulls back from the judgment.

Key idea: God was more eager to forgive than Jonah was to preach.

Ask:

“What shocks you more? That Nineveh repented… or that God forgave them?” “How do you respond when God shows mercy to people you don’t think deserve it?”

⚠️ Challenge: Don’t Be Jonah (5 min)

Jonah knew God was “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger… abounding in love.” That’s why he ran.

Jonah didn’t want mercy for “them.”

Racism, prejudice, bitterness—these aren’t new issues. But they’re very real. Even prophets struggled.

Ask:

“Who’s your Nineveh?” “Is there anyone you’ve written off as unworthy of grace?” “Do we reflect God’s mercy… or do we just receive it and hold it back from others?”

🙌🏾 Wrap-Up Application (5 min)

Main point to drive home:

“God’s mercy is too big to be limited to the people we like. He gives us mercy so we can give it away—even to our enemies. The call is to love people we may not even like.”

🧠 Bonus Thought-Starters for You:

If you want to open with a more modern analogy to connect it even deeper, you could say something like:

“Imagine God calling you to go preach forgiveness to a terrorist group. Or someone who hurt your family. Would you go? Would you want them to be saved?”