Jonah 3:1-10 KJV And
the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 2 Arise, go unto
Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid
thee. 3 So Jonah arose, and went unto
Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great
city of three days' journey. 4 And Jonah
began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty
days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 5
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. 6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and
he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with
sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and
published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let
neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor
drink water: 8 But let man and beast be covered with
sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his
evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent,
and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 10 And God saw their works, that they turned
from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he
would do unto them; and he did it not.
The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 KJV
1. HE KEEPS ON
GIVING US CHANCES!
Jonah
gets a second chance to obey Yahweh and do his duty! God is long suffering and
willing to preserve, not willing that any should perish. He’s the God of second
chances and third and so on!
Over
and over again because of His mercy and patience we are given another chance to
do the right thing, to walk the right path, to align ourselves to His will. When
storms descend on you and circumstances rise up with gaping jaws to swallow you
then you should first ask yourself if you are in His will.
When the winds
are contrary
And the waves
become scary
And everyone's
pointing at you asking why
When conditions
are critical
And the solution
seems terminal
And it seem as
though it's your time to die
It's time to
remember
Yahweh's got
your number
And stands ready
to give you another try!
For He's the God
of the second chance
And your life He
wants to enhance
To remold the
shapeless blob you've become
And redirect you
to a new outcome
As you yield to
His will
He'll say Peace,
be still
And He'll help
you to overcome!
The
wicked need to be warned! Maybe the Ninevites were not aware that they were
doing wrong. Maybe their concept of right and wrong was skewed in relation to
the Righteousness of God. They had to be warned that they would die if they did
not repent.
Jonah's
message was simple and single "Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be
destroyed" No talk of repentance, No offering of hope. Just a bare warning
of impending doom! Is it that Jonah it appears, still
did not want to give the Ninevites a promise of hope lest it gives them a
chance to repent?
2. HIS SIGNS ARE
PLAIN IF WE CARE TO SEE!
Luke 11:29-32 KJV And when the people were gathered
thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign;
and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the
Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The
queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this
generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is
here. 32 The men of Nineve shall rise up
in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented
at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Jonah's
ministry was fully endorsed by Jesus.
Jonah
was endorsed as a prophet
Jonah
was endorsed as a sign to the Ninevites
Jonah
was endorsed as having a successful mission.
How
was Jonah a sign to the Ninevites?
Why
did they repent en masse at Jonah's preaching? What made him so effective?
What
is the physical appearance of a man who spent three days and nights in a fish's
belly?
Did
the testimony of the sailors have anything to do with Jonah's effectiveness?
Was
there any such testimony that reached Nineveh before Jonah arrived?
1 Corinthians 1:18-24 KJV 18 For the preaching of
the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is
the power of God. 19 For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent. 20 Where
is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not
God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For
the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But
we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
IF WE WOULD HEAR GOD’S VOICE WE MUST FIRST GIVE HIM
AN EAR!!!
3. SINCERE
SUPPLICATION SECURES SALVATION!
The
Ninevites not only believed God! They acted on it!
We
see a very striking response to Jonah’s message of judgment and impending doom
from no less a person than the king himself! Nineveh was facing a national
crisis of doomsday proportions! The king not only heard the warning but he also
believed the warning! He responded based on the warning and he staked
everything on Yahweh's mercy. He had heard of Yahweh. What he heard caused him
to respond accordingly.
Repent, humble
yourself and pray!
Did this king read God's Word to Solomon? If my people, which are called by my name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked
ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV Whether
he did or not he precisely followed Yahweh's instructions and brought to his
city respite and deliverance!
And
they were not even God’s people!!! Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a
truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he
that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Acts
10:34-35 KJV
God
honors the faith of the king and his people! The king's faith came from hearing
and believing God and His Word. He was not ashamed or embarrassed to throw
himself on Yahweh's mercy. He was courageous enough to take righteous steps. As
a result he saved his city from destruction in his lifetime.
Here's
a king who was not too proud to acknowledge Yahweh and His warning. And this
was not even a "Christian nation"! What does his response tell us
about this king?
Oh
the possibilities and potential when a nation's leader turn from efforts to
please everyone heathen and call his nation to mandatory humbling, repentance
and prayer before Yahweh! What a promise of release and revival and blessing
awaits the one bold enough to ignore popular trends in favor of God!
God
is indeed the God of a second chance! The God of patience and mercy!
How
eager the Father must have been to take hold of the temple veil and rip it
asunder from top to bottom at the instant His Beloved Son gave up his life to
take away the sin of the world. No more waiting on ceremonies! No more going
through the motions of ritualistic religion! No more hopeless despair and
fatalistic resignation!
For we have not an high priest which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16 KJV
We
can now move pass the mercy seat to the throne of grace for the Blood has been
sprinkled and will not fade away! The
price has been paid forever! We can approach with confidence that His Blood is
eternally effective to gain us entrance into the heavenly atmosphere of His
grace!
We
can wrap ourselves around in His grace! We can glory in His loving embrace!
But God, who is rich in
mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace
in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7 KJV
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