God of Mercy

Last week we saw a repentant and thankful Jonah calling out to God in the belly of a fish. He would have rather died than go preach to the Ninevites, sworn enemies of Israel. Not long before this story, Israel won a great battle against the Assyrian armies. Their borders were expanded and much prosperity came from the control of trade routes in the region. Israel was living the high life. Back in Nineveh, Assyria was a mess. They were dealing with inner turmoil. The Assyrians were facing internal dissension. One might think that this would be the perfect opportunity to preach judgment on the Assyrians. The message in chapter three is “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” One might think, “Why not kick the enemy while he is down?” This is not what God had in mind.

Jonah knew who God was. He knew his character. He knew God would have compassion on the Ninevites and not destroy them. This is why Jonah ran. Chapter four reveals this to us. This is his motivation for running and this is why he ends up in the belly of a fish. God’s intent was not to destroy Nineveh, but offer salvation to it. But Jonah learned his lesson. He knew what he had to do. So as he was vomited out of the fish and onto dry land, the word of the Lord came again to Jonah.

Jonah 3:1–3 NASB95

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk.

This command is almost identical to the command in chapter one, but here God says to proclaim the proclamation I am going to tell you. In other words, tell Nineveh what I’m going to tell you. This looks like classical parenting. The parent gives a command, the command is ignored by the child, the child is disciplined, agrees to obey, and then the parent reissues the command. Jonah has just said that he will fulfill that which he has vowed. God reissues the command so that Jonah can now act on his promise to fulfill that which he has vowed. As a prophet, he vowed faithful service to the Lord. He rejected that calling when he ran, and now he is committing himself to fulfill his calling. So this time Jonah gets up and heads to Nineveh.

Nineveh is described as a great city, about a three days’ journey. This provides some interpretive challenges and the solution is not very clear. Some suggest the three days’ journey refers to the time it took for Jonah to travel to Nineveh. The problem I see with this interpretation is that, best case scenario, the closest you are to Nineveh from the Mediterranean coast is about 450 miles. There is no way Jonah makes it there in three days. This has led others to consider the three days a reference to the size of the city measured in time it would take to walk the entire city. Ancient records describe the city’s dimensions, and after converting cubits into a length of measure we can understand, the city’s circumference was about 7.5 miles. That would give us an area of about 4.75 square miles. By today’s standards, this wasn’t a big place. By ancient standards, this place was huge. The other option is that the three days’ journey is the length of time it took Jonah to complete his mission. Whatever the true understanding is, it looks like the intent is to help the reader understand that this assignment was a big undertaking.

And then the work began.

Jonah 3:4–9 NASB95

Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. “Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

If the mission was a three day mission, it seemed like it only took one. On the first day, Jonah began prophesying the destruction of Nineveh and the people respond with turning to God through repentance. Repentance is the turning away from a lifestyle of ungodliness and walking in a lifestyle of righteousness. It means that you stop doing the things that offend God and begin to do the things that honor him. Nineveh got word that they would be overthrown if they did not turn to God. The surprise in the story for the original audience is that they did! The fasting and wearing of sackcloth were commonly understood expressions of confession of sin. God, through Jonah, is painting a picture for the reader showing that not only did Nineveh hear the message, they responded! This is humbling to the Jewish audience as it serves as a reminder of the greater purpose God called them to: be a light to the nations.

Nineveh was in trouble. They were suffering from military defeat to internal divisions. Then a prophet from the nation that just beat them shows up to tell them in forty days their city is going to be overthrown? Given their weakened state, they believed him! Maybe they thought Israel’s armies were on their way to finish them off and since they didn’t have their stuff together, they were vulnerable. Verse five says, “Then the people of Nineveh believed in God.” Everything here points to genuine repentance. Then word gets to the king and he responds as well. Response from the top down is taking place. God is moving. There is almost hyperbole in the king’s response because it’s not just the people who are fasting and wearing sackcloth. The animals are doing it too! It is as if the king of Nineveh is saying to God, “I’m sorry, we’re sorry, and even our animals are sorry!” The hope is that God will turn away from his anger and he does.

Jonah 3:10 NASB95

When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

When we respond to God’s revelation with repentance, God responds with mercy.

The Bible is the most powerful book on the face of the earth. It is so because it is the word of God. It is his written revelation of himself through the ages through human authors. When we read the pages of scripture, we read the words of God. Therefore, the Bible has authority and power because of whose voice speaks as we engage the text and seek to understand its meaning. As much as we examine the Bible, the Bible examines us. It shows us what we truly are. It shows us the reality of our fallen state, our rebellious nature, our guilt before God, and the solution for a restored relationship with Him. Divine revelation seeks to bring about conviction in the sinner leading to repentance, leading to a transformed life. Remember that repentance is a turning away from anything ungodly and embracing the thing that is godly. It means putting to death old habits and mindsets. It means committing to changing the way you think, adjusting expectations, and following biblical principles.

Our gospel message is not complete unless we are calling people to repentance in response to God’s revelation. If we present a Jesus who does not call sinners to repentance, to turn from their wickedness and follow what God has said in his word, we have presented a false Jesus. You cannot follow Jesus and remain in a lifestyle that he is saving you from. You can’t follow Jesus and be an alcoholic. You can’t follow Jesus and be a substance abuser. You can’t follow Jesus and abuse your spouse or your children. You can’t be a follower of Jesus and give yourself over to slavery to the same old pattern of sin. The Christian life is the putting to death the old ways in us that try desperately to hold on to life.

The statement the king of Assyria makes is often the way we might think about God. “Well maybe if I do this, God will do that.” You never have to worry about whether God will have mercy on you when you call out to him. This is who he is. God is a merciful God who holds his creatures accountable, but responds in mercy when we respond to him with repentance. Repentance is agreeing with God that something in our lifestyle does not match his revelation, his values, or his standards, and agreeing to change them. The more in sync we are with God, the more satisfying our lives are.

What is out of alignment in your life? What is it going to take to bring that part of your life into alignment with God? Are you willing to work on it until it is in proper alignment?