Commentary On Jonah

Copyright © 2003, Alex Peterson, All Rights Reserved

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Table Of Contents

Chapter One - Responding To God's Call (Jonah 1:1 - 2:9)
Chapter Two - Taking God's Message Seriously (Jonah 2:10 - 3:10)
Chapter Three - Understanding God's Compassion (Jonah 4:1 - 11)

Chapter One

Responding To God’s Call

Background Passage: Jonah 1:1 – 2:9

Lesson Passages: Jonah 1:1-12, 17 and 2:1-2

Biblical Truth: God expects His people to follow His Leadership to share His Truth with all people.

Life Impact: To help us follow God’s leadership in helping to share His Truth with people who need to hear it and respond to it.

Introduction:

I must confess I have been guilty of running from God. At some point in all of our Christian lives, most of us would have to be honest and confess that we have been guilty of running from God. Of course, the duration and the severity may have differed in all aspects, but nevertheless, the rebellion occurred.

In our passage today, we see that Jonah’s run from God lasted three days. I have had a run from God that lasted approximately 18 years, or longer. Many of you, were I to ask for a show of hands, could all testify to durations of time of running from God of all differing lengths.

Some of us could point to a certain severity or intensity of our apostasy from God. While I was running from God, I attempted to dabble in all sorts of mysticism and other sorts of occult arts. It wasn’t that I wasn’t a Christian, because deep in my heart, I knew that I was. What I was searching for was a standard that did not approach the Standard of God. I was looking for something that was not Absolute Truth. I was looking for what is known more popularly as “Relative Truth.” You know what kind of truth that is. It can most neatly be summarized as the phrase, “Well, you know, that may be truth for you, but not for me.”

The severity of my backsliding was great. Exactly how great my backsliding was, I will not go into the greatest of detail, because indeed, it is far too colorful to mention.

Some of you could relate some hair-raising stories of your runs from God and how treacherous and horrifying they were. Some of you may even be able to relate that you had a fabulous time while you were running from God. I must here also confess, that at times, I did too. I had used dope as an anesthetic to dull the pain that my run from God was undoubtedly causing.

During this period, most would love to hear of a steadily downward spiraling recess into an abyss of unmitigated horror as a result of my brazen rebellion. I would relate to you, that during at least the beginning portions of my run from God, I was quite successful. I had gone to college, obtained a degree, entered into the Information Technology profession, and was at the top of my game in status, demand, and salary.

To put it bluntly, I had become quite proud of “my accomplishments.” Much the way Nebuchadnezzar bragged upon himself when surveying his kingdom was the way I had become. It wasn’t long after that king’s ruminations that God Saw fit to Humble him as a grazing animal of the field. In like kind, it was not long before God brought me to the end of myself. God had Allowed me to become elevated to a certain high point so that when He Humbled me; I could measure the depth of that humiliation!

Friends, there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not reminded of the depth of that humiliation that God Meted out to me. It was completely deserved, and serves as a daily reminder that God Is On His Throne, and I most certainly am not.

Perhaps you have a story that sounds a great deal like mine. Jonah does too. Everything was great. Jonah was most likely right with God. He most likely had no trials in his life. Probably everything was progressing along in such a way that we measure so-called “progress.” Then, one day, out of the blue, came the Call of Almighty God!

A decision had to be made by Jonah. Maybe you would have all made the correct one. I did not. Perhaps you did not. Certainly, Jonah did not. This is where the story of Jonah commences, there in Jonah 1, at that point of decision when God Calls, and His hearers answer in one way or the other:

Jonah Runs from the Lord

1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: ² “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

³ But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the Lord.

⁴ But as the ship was sailing along, suddenly the Lord flung a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to send them to the bottom. ⁵ Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. And all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. ⁶ So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will have mercy on us and spare our lives.”

⁷ Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, Jonah lost the toss. ⁸ “What have you done to bring this awful storm down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”

⁹ And Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” ¹⁰ Then he told them that he was running away from the Lord.

The sailors were terrified when they heard this. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. ¹¹ And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”

¹² “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. For I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”

¹³ Instead, the sailors tried even harder to row the boat ashore. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. ¹⁴ Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death, because it isn’t our fault. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”

¹⁵ Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! ¹⁶ The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

¹⁷ Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah’s Prayer

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. ² He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the world of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! ³ You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. ⁴ Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. How will I ever again see your holy Temple?’

⁵ “I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. The waters closed in around me, and seaweed wrapped itself around my head. ⁶ I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was locked out of life and imprisoned in the land of the dead. But you, O Lord my God, have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death!

⁷ “When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. ⁸ Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. ⁹ But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

I. Refusing God’s Leadership (Jonah 1:1-3).

The Revelation Of God’s Call Is Particular (vv. 1-2).

1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: ² “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

1) The Revelation of God’s Call is to a particular person (v. 1).

In this case, that call was to Jonah. However, God has called each and every one of us to a Work He Has for us. He Created us to answer this Call. It falls to us to answer, for nobody else can do the work God has created us to do.

2) The Revelation of God’s Call Starts with a particular action (v. 2).

God rarely Lets anyone know the end result of His Call. He told Abraham to get up and leave Ur. Abraham didn’t know where he was going. He told Jonah to “get up.” Jonah knew where he was going. God’s Call starts with us “getting up!”

3) The Revelation of God’s Call is to a particular place (v. 2).

God Called Jonah to Nineveh. The only problem here was that Jonah didn’t like the people of Nineveh! Jonah had a little “holier-than-thou” problem. Jonah had a little “prejudice” problem, much like we all do.

4) The Revelation of God’s Call is for a particular purpose (v. 2).

God didn’t tell Jonah to make the people of Nineveh repent, did he? What was the Call? The Call was simply to announce Judgment! All Jonah had to do was go and say, “yet 40 days and God shall overthrow this city and destroy it!” Remember, Jonah didn’t like the people of Nineveh. See, Jonah wants them to be destroyed. Jonah doesn’t want them to be warned. After all, they may repent, and if they repent, who knows? God might even (gasp!) forgive them!

5) The Revelation of God’s Call Comes for a particular reason (v. 2).

No doubt about it, Jonah was right about them. They were probably loud and noisy. They probably stunk and ran around half-naked. Most likely they crowded up against you in the long lines at Walmart. Probably they drove down the street with rap music blaring and shaking your windows. They were probably foul-mouthed and blasphemed God at every opportunity. They probably had violent, sex-filled shows for their entertainment. Maybe they made you feel unsafe at the local restaurants. Oh yes, Jonah was right about them. Jonah even agreed with God, they were certainly wicked! Jonah wanted them destroyed, and nothing made him happier to hear that God was finally going to dole it out to them! God wanted His Judgment pronounced because they were wicked!

The Refusal Of God’s Call Is Particular (v. 3).

1) The Refusal of God’s Call is particularly deliberate (v. 3a).

When we refuse God’s Call, we know we are doing it. God doesn’t allow us to be confused about such a thing. We know we are in open rebellion when we say “no” to His Call.

2) The Refusal of God’s Call is particularly directional (v. 3b).

Jonah ran in the opposite direction. He ran in the opposite direction from the Will of God because He knew the direction of God’s Will! When we run from God, we know the direction we are headed. We are quite particular about it. We are running away from God!

3) The Refusal of God’s Call is particularly unmistakable (v. 3c).

In those first few hours or days after which we’ve begun our run from God’s Call and Will, there is this Disturbing Pall that hovers over us. We sense impending doom. We know the other shoe is going to drop. It is only later, when it doesn’t happen immediately, that we find the anesthetics to numb the pain of our particular mistake. It is then we begin to mistakably think, “we have gotten away.” But, in the beginning, we know better, don’t we?

II. Experiencing God’s Discipline (Jonah 1:4-12, 17)

A. When God Disciplines, His Children Are The Recipients (vv. 4-9).

⁹ And Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

1) Have you noticed how the ungodly prosper without discipline from God? They seemingly live their lives oblivious to the holiness of God. They never seem to fall under His Heavy Hand of punishment. We can point to politics, Hollywood, and professional sports as the most obvious examples.

2) Why do you think God does not Discipline them? Certainly, their day in Eternity is coming, and they will get their just desserts then. But, then again, so shall we. So, why doesn’t God Discipline the lost here and now?

3) The last time you went shopping, did you discipline someone else’s wayward child? Why not? Of course! They aren’t your children!

4) God always Chastens His wayward children in this life.

Rev. 3:19 – “¹⁹ I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.” [1]

Hebrews 12:6 - “⁶ For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.”[2]

B. When God Disciplines, It Is For A Reason (vv. 10a).

“¹⁰Then he told them that he was running away from the Lord.”

1) I remember relating almost this exact phrase to a famous preacher I once met in the airport at Chicago-O’Hare. We “just happened” to be in this airport at the same time. You see, I was at the point where we find Jonah now.

2) I have to tell you, that when I heard these words come out of my mouth, it was a horrific slap in the face. It was almost revelatory in its impact. The incredulity and stupidity of it all roared in my ears, and yet I ran anyway.

3) When my folks used to spank me, they would always ask me, “Do you know why you are being punished?” They would make me repeat it out loud so that there could be no question as to the justice of my punishment. Here, God shows what has gone awry. He would never Have us to be confused at the Chastening He metes out to us.

C. When God Disciplines His Own, Others Often Suffer (vv. 10b –11).

1) The sailors were terrified. Imagine suffering the Wrath of a Just God because of someone else’s sin!

2) The sailors are amazed. Imagine the ludicrous, incredulous, and illogical action of disobeying a Holy and All-Powerful God Who has Revealed Himself to you! Yet, we cannot be too quick to fault Jonah, at least I cannot. I have done the same thing!

3) We see an interesting question here at the end of verse 11: “What should we do to you to stop this storm?” God will use the devil’s children to bring His Discipline upon you. Friend, when you run from God, you remove yourself from the umbrella of His Protection. He will allow this world, and the people of this world, to do things to YOU!

D. When God Disciplines, It Comes As A Consequence (v. 12).

¹² “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. For I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”

1) Notice that Jonah was in a place where he could not repent. That is, in the classical sense of the word, repentance means to completely turn around and go in the other direction from that which you were previously going. They could not control the ship. They could not turn it around and take Jonah back to Joppa. Only one thing could happen here.

2) Jonah realizes that God is Punishing them all for his sin of rebellion against the Lord. Jonah full well realizes that God is Certainly going to Punish him for his sin, so he advises them to toss him into the sea.

3) Jonah repents to the whole point of which he is able. He cannot go back to Joppa and proceed to Nineveh. See, Jonah doesn’t know that God has a great fish prepared to swallow him. Jonah only knows one thing. He knows that he isn’t going to get out of this alive. So he does the only thing he can do. He confesses his sin and throws himself literally upon the Mercy of God Almighty.

4) We will not always know what responding to God’s Discipline will bring. We cannot see the future. But, we will always know that it is the right thing to do. Some of you who have been down this road know precisely what I am talking about.

E. When God Disciplines, He Makes Arrangements For Us (v. 17).

¹⁷ Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

1) Is Jonah a myth, or is he an actual historical figure?

We can see this In II Kings 14:25 - "He (king Jeroboam II of Israel) restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of His servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet which was by (from) Gath-hepher." (KJV).

2) Is the Whale a myth or is it historical?

In the Daily Mail of December 14th, 1928, Mr. G. H. Henn, a resident of Birmingham, England recounted the following story:

“My own experience . . . about twenty-five years ago, when the carcass of a whale was displayed for a week on vacant land in Navigation Street, outside New Street station . . . I was one of twelve men, who went into its mouth, passed through its throat, and moved about in what was equivalent to a fair-sized room. It's throat was large enough to serve as a door. Obviously it would be quite easy for a whale of this kind to swallow a man." [3]

I believe the whale could be plausible in spite of what some of my professors said in college. Of course, the Greek word here could easily have been translated sea-monster, while the book of Jonah only refers to the creature as a “great fish.”

But, there are several more modern-day accounts that say it is entirely possible for a sperm whale to ingest and even keep alive while ingested an entire human being. At the time that many learned people were saying such a thing was impossible; we did not have the modern biological information we now have about sperm whales. The jury is still out on this one, but it does not in any way amount to a contradiction in Scripture, since Scripture does not absolutely require, in its original languages, that the creature be a whale.

I felt it was necessary to address these two issues lest anyone think I was trying to avoid acknowledging them.

3) God Arranged for the fish. Your rebellion, my rebellion, nor Jonah’s rebellion took God by surprise. Our God doesn’t Get Surprised. He Delights in Surprising us, however! Jonah paid for a ticket to rebel against God; God provided him with an all-expense paid trip back to where he was supposed to be.

4) Three Days and Three Nights in the belly of a great fish must indeed have been a meditative place to think about the consequences of running from God’s Call and Purpose.

5) God Arranged for me to lose my career and to live in a much more humble way. The message was clear to me. This may have happened to you too. The things of this world are not important, but to love the Lord my God with all my heart, mind, and soul, and to love my neighbor as myself, is the all-consuming purpose and glory of God in my life. It is the only thing that truly matters. Even Jesus said that the abundance of a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses. God makes arrangements for lessons to be learned. May we not have to relearn them!

III. Submitting To God (Jonah 2:1-2)

A. Submission Comes When Our Efforts Have Failed (v. 2:1).

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish.

1) When did Jonah pray? Of course! It was after he was inside the fish!

2) When Jonah saw the fish, do you imagine he thought, “Oh, there is a Great Fish, I think I will jump inside its mouth and see how that works out!” What? You don’t think it went that way? I can also imagine that when Jonah saw that great gaping maw of a mouth coming toward him, if he could swim, he was swimming for all he was worth, can’t you?

3) Sometimes, when I’m reading the Bible and I come across an incident such as this, I want to name the unnamed characters. Remember the Rooster that crowed at Peter’s denial? I named him Bart. Here, I find this urge within me to name this great fish, or this whale, “Herb.”

4) Was Herb thinking something along the lines of, “There’s Jonah who is running from God. I think I will swallow him and then upchuck him in a few days on the beach of where he was supposed to go in the first place!”? Do you really think Herb was thinking like this?

5) Nah. Herb was thinking about groceries. Herb was thinking something like, “YEAH! DINNER BABY!”

6) This just goes to show us that when God Gives us consequences for our rebellion against Him, He will not always give us a calm, quiet, unperturbed feeling about it. I’m sure God let Jonah feel the full fury and terror of being eaten by a sea monster for something as inconsequential as lunch! Why, even Herb thought he was lunch! Do you see the picture now? Jonah has this picture in his mind now. Jonah thinks something like, “I was to be the Prophet of God for a Great Purpose. Now I am some anonymous, meaningless fish’s lunch. All because of my rebellion!”

7) After the Big Gulp (no affiliation with 7-Eleven by the way), I imagine Jonah tried to climb back out of the fish’s throat and get away, don’t you?

8) But Jonah couldn’t get away. He was about to die. He had no choices. God had Left him no choices. Jonah was about to submit to God. After all, it made perfect sense, did it not?

B. Submission Comes When We Realize We Are In Trouble (v. 2:2).

² He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the world of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!

1) I would ask some of the scholars here this question. If you are inside the belly of a whale, what do you realize? You folks are smart! You realize you are in deep, dark trouble. Some of us have been inside the bellies of our own particular Great Fish that God sent our way.

2) Once we are at this point, you know, the point at which we absolutely must have the Mercy of God or die, we will stop rebelling.

3) Submission comes when we finally come to the end of ourselves and realize we cannot go our own way. We are bought with a Price. We are His Possession, Created Only for the Purposes of A Holy God!

Conclusion:

Today, if you would, I would ask you to read through the book of Jonah. It isn’t a very long book. You can most likely read it completely through in just 10 or 15 minutes without even hurrying too much.

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you can identify those points in Jonah’s life as having occurred in your own.

Ask yourself some questions, such as:

1) What did God want Jonah to do?

2) What did Jonah do?

3) What happened to Jonah as a result?

4) How can I recognize when I’m starting off into a bad “Jonah” direction in my life?

5) Does God still Use people who have fouled up and then repented? If so, how many times?

Jonah is rich. It is an account of history. It actually happened. This should not stop you from drawing some analogies from the book of Jonah, however. There is much here we can all learn.

We don’t have to relive Jonah’s rebellion and mistakes.

God has Called us to our Nineveh. We may not like the people. We may detest them. Oh yes, we want to see justice done!

But justice isn’t what God gave us, is it?

God has Called us to our Nineveh. We must answer. It is His Call, not our choice. We are His and not our own. Who may we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with today? Are they from that nasty city of Nineveh? Are they those despicable ingrates that we abhor and detest?

Yet, God has Called us to our Nineveh. Shall we answer?

The best response to God’s Call is immediate and unquestioning. The best response to God’s call is that response that the Prophet Samuel gave to God’s call in I Samuel 3:10:

¹⁰And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. [4]

Let’s all answer God’s Call in the same way. Let’s simply answer him with, “Speak Lord, for your servant hears.”

Chapter Two

Taking God’s Message Seriously

Background Passage: Jonah 2:10 - 3:10.

Biblical Truth: God Expects people to take His Message of Judgment seriously and to respond to it with repentance and faith.

Introduction:

In the last chapter, we discovered that disobeying and rebelling against God has some consequences. We also learn that God is the God of Second Chances, and Third and Fourth, etc. We see that God will use an imperfect vessel to accomplish His Will. While we should all strive to be the fine china and the porcelain vase, often we will find ourselves filling more of the role of a paper plate or a cracked pot. Well, there’s good news! God Uses paper plates and cracked pots too! I didn’t say “crackpots,” I said “Cracked Pots.”

We should keep in mind that God could have Made this history turn out any way He Wanted. The account could have gone that God Called Jonah to go, and Jonah went the first time he was Called. God could have Made us miss Jonah’s rebellion and the whole whale story. After all, plenty have obeyed God’s Call the first time. This could have been another of those accounts, right?

While Jonah wasn’t the exquisite role model for answering God’s Call, we are still left with the message that God wants us to have, Responding to God’s Call eventually is better than Responding to God’s Call never.

And, with that observation, we get into today’s text, which is about Taking God’s Word Seriously.

Jonah 2:10 – 3:10:

¹⁰ Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit up Jonah on the beach, and it did.

3 Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: ² “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you.”

³ This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. ⁴ On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” ⁵ The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they decided to go without food and wear sackcloth to show their sorrow.

⁶ When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in sackcloth and sat on a heap of ashes. ⁷ Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: “No one, not even the animals, may eat or drink anything at all. ⁸ Everyone is required to wear sackcloth and pray earnestly to God. Everyone must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. ⁹ Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will have pity on us and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”

¹⁰ When God saw that they had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and didn’t carry out the destruction he had threatened.[5]

I. Hearing God’s Word (Jonah 2:10 – 3:4).

A. A Number Of Beings Hear God’s Word And Obey (v. 10)

¹⁰ Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit up Jonah on the beach, and it did.

1) Bart the Rooster (The one who crowed at Peter’s denial of the Lord).

2) Balaam’s Donkey (The one who saw and minded God). I haven’t named her yet; perhaps you will help me? Yes, Numbers 22:33 calls the donkey “her.”

3) Herb the Whale (The one who chauffeured Jonah around for awhile but eventually got sick of him, really sick).

B. This Time Jonah Hears (And Obeys) God’s Word (vv. 3:1-4a).

3 Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: ² “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you.”

³ This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. ⁴ On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds:

1) Jonah heard.

He is now wise about the stupidity of not listening to God. Now he gladly listens to God. The alternative just isn’t acceptable anymore.

2) Jonah obeyed.

Jonah obeys because of three things, He loves God, He repented of his rebellion. Some of you may have thought it was so he would not be punished again. I have to say, that would be a strong motivation, would it not? God does Use the potential for Punishment as a motivation, which we shall soon see.

3) Jonah moved.

Jonah doesn’t try to do God’s will by remote control. He doesn’t tell his kids to go do this for him. He doesn’t hire a gospel “hit man” to go to the task. God told him to do something. To do it, Jonah had to move.

4) Jonah shouted.

Jonah is taking no chances. He shouts God’s Judgment of Doom on the city of Nineveh. He could have gone to what passed for the local newspaper, and tried that avenue of approach. He did not, however. God Told JONAH to preach His Judgment and Doom. God Raised up Jonah for this very purpose. There is something God has Called us to do. Only you, and only I, can properly respond to God’s Calling on OUR lives. Nobody else can do it.

C. Jonah Delivers Only God’s Word And Nothing Else (v. 4b).

“Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!”

1) Jonah could have speculated that God would be Merciful.

2) Jonah could have written a memo, appealed to the local news sources, and gotten a petition signed. It would have been more culturally appropriate, right?

3) Jonah could have added to the message, but Jonah could have also subtracted from the message. He could have left out that nasty old “judgment” word, and just said “God is going to Deal with this in 40 days!” After all, “judgment” and “destroy” aren’t the kind of things they want to hear about at the city council meeting.

4) Jonah delivered the Pure, Undiluted Word of God, “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” What does this mean? Well, it means:

a) You have forty days to repent and get right with God.

b) Nineveh is the place in question. The message God Gave the folks in Nineveh is not figurative in the least. They knew God Meant Business!

c) Destroyed means Annihilated, Obliterated, Destroyed! Jonah could have made the vernacular more “proper” with “In a little over a month’s time, mind you no hurry, but God is going to place Nineveh in a bit of disarray, and I really do apologize for the inconvenience. It will probably be very bad though. I’m really sorry about all this. Dreadful, isn’t it?”

d) Jonah had a right to be fearful! They could have treacherously tortured and killed him for his message and the mode of delivery. He didn’t know that the Ninevites were going to receive God’s Word and repent. For all he knew, he was going to be the nights entertainment at the expense of his own life.

II. Heeding God’s Word (Jonah 3:5 – 9).

They Heard And Believed(v. 5a).

⁵ The people of Nineveh believed God’s message

I bring up this point because they could have done what so many in our culture do. They could have said, “Nah, not interested.” Or, they could have said, “We have plenty of that today, thank you for calling.” Or, they could have said, “We’re Catholic,” (which for some reason solves a lot of disputes).

But, that isn’t what they did. They knew God was Talking to them, and they heard and believed. It’s an important and necessary step. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17.

They Decided (v. 5b).

and from the greatest to the least, they decided to go without food and wear sackcloth

When you realize you are hearing God, really hearing God, you will decide to humble yourself; you will bow the knee! For the culture of this day, that’s exactly what dressing in sackcloth and ashes connotes. The nobility, including the king, took off their royal robes. The only King that would be acknowledged today would be The King of Kings, Almighty God.

They Were Sorry (v. 5c).

to show their sorrow.

Some folks want to hear good preaching, as long as it makes them feel good about themselves and builds up their self-esteem. I don’t suppose there is anything wrong with that provided it isn’t the only kind of preaching you hear. Do you realize that one of the reasons that folks like to read the New Testament more than the Old Testament is because the New Testament has fewer depictions of the Judgment of God? Nobody ever wants to feel sorry for his or her sin by being reminded of it. If you go home this afternoon and turn on your television and tune to almost any Christian channel you care to, you’ll come to realize that it just isn’t cool to tell people about their sin too much. It just isn’t cool for people to be sorry for their sin. You would think what passes for “The Gospel According To Television” amounts to having a positive attitude and acquiring wealth. We must always remember that asking God to save our souls requires that we are to be sorry for our sin against a Holy and Righteous God! We cannot afford to forget it. It isn’t a popularity contest, or a vote by democracy. God Does exactly what He Wants. If you cannot be sorry for your sins before a Holy God, you cannot be saved.

They Humbled Themselves (v. 6).

⁶ When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in sackcloth and sat on a heap of ashes.

Those who were lofty became lowly. Those who were partying became somber. Those who were proud became ashamed. Those who were depending on their own resilience to get themselves through life became honest with themselves and realized they couldn’t control very much. They humbled themselves. They came to realize that before God, they were bugs. They came to the realization that He could justly annihilate them without breaking a sweat. They understood they were dealing with an Awesome Power from Whom they had no retreat. Oh yes, they humbled themselves.

They Fasted And Repented (v. 7-8).

⁷ Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: “No one, not even the animals, may eat or drink anything at all. ⁸ Everyone is required to wear sackcloth and pray earnestly to God. Everyone must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence.

They got serious with God. These are a doomed people. They have no appeal but that which God has not even Voiced. His Mercy is not yet an Offered Option. They hope for His Kindness, for without That Kindness, they are dust.

They Prayed For God’s Mercy (v. 9).

⁹ Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will have pity on us and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”

After Hearing, they repented. After Repenting, they Prayed for God’s Mercy. God Gave them the Grace to pray for His Mercy. Mercy had not been Offered, or even Hinted at. What was God’s Message to the Ninevites? The message was, “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” Yet, without the Offer of Mercy, they nevertheless prayed for it.

III. Experiencing God’s Mercy (Jonah 3:10).

We must not confuse the order of events here to our peril (for there are many who would):

A. God Sees Repentance (v. 10a).

¹⁰ When God saw that they had put a stop to their evil ways,

1) There is a movement called Universalism, which you will see couched in a number of Gnostic heresies, such as the New Age Movement. It basically says we are all saved; we are all children of God. It basically states there is no “lost” condition to mankind.

2) These are the kinds of philosophies you would see portrayed in books like, “The Celestine Prophecy,” and “Messages From Michael, “ which, even in their best light on a good day can only be characterized as occult.

3) These kinds of publications, movies, radio shows always want to portray us as the “I’m ok, you’re ok” ilk of human being.

4) These kinds of views see us all as “Children of God,” and that as long as we are “sincere” we are all headed to the “same place.”

5) These kinds of views see no need for repentance, or for that matter humility before an All-Powerful Creator, God!

6) To these folks, God is their “Buddy,” Who overlooks all their shortcomings and may even give them 500 chances in something called reincarnation.

7) Make no mistake. God is the Author of Salvation. If you are going to get saved, you are going to get saved His Way. His Way of Salvation is contained in His Word, The Bible. The Bible is the Historical Account of God’s identification of our Fall from His Fellowship, and His Provision to remedy that Fall.

8) God Sees us as sinful, fallen creatures because that is what we are. There will be no fellowship with Him without following His Rules. These Rules state:

a) First, there must be the acknowledgement of the Just Judgment of God. How do we get the message of that Judgment? He gives it to us! His Judgment is that we are headed for Hell. His Judgment is that we deserve Hell. His Judgment is that we cannot fellowship with Him without a Remedy to this situation. The first step is to Admit upon hearing it, that His Judgment is Deserved and Correct. Judgment and Consequence is the Message God Gave Jonah to deliver. It is this message that produces Repentance and Faith and no other. We must acknowledge that God has the Right to Judge us and we are to shut up, stop with our prevarications and excuses, and listen. That is the First Requirement of Salvation, hearing God’s Judgment.

b) Secondly, Repentance must follow the acknowledgement of God’s Righteous Judgment in order for Salvation to occur. See the point is, I’m not ok, and you’re not ok. We are lost. We acknowledge God’s Judgment, and we repent with God’s help. Jesus Said, “By their fruits you shall know them.” He was Talking about repentance. Fruit that does not grow from seed may look authentic, but it is as plastic as the coffee table settings at home. Folks, repentance is an appeal to the Mercy of God. You can’t repent by working to get saved, you repent in humility in acknowledgement of God’s Assessment of your condition, and in the best way you can see, turn away from your old life of sin. The only way you can do this is to claim God’s Provision for the Payment of the penalty of your sin. See, sin costs. Sin has wages. The wages of sin is death. All of us have the price of sin, in that one day, all of us will die if the Lord Tarries The problem with our paying the price of sin is that after we die, we continue to pay the price of sin for eternity; it’s too late and we cannot then repent. The main problem with our paying for our own sins is that after 10,000 Eternities have rolled on, there are yet an infinite number more, and we still will have not paid in full. There is no repentance on the other side of death. Therefore, if we pay the price of sin ourselves, our fellowship with God will remain eternally broken. This is where God’s Provision to Pay for our sin and thus Restore fellowship with Him comes in. He KNOWS we cannot pay the price AND fellowship with Him. There was nobody that could, either. There was Only One Who could Pay that price. God, who is Jesus Christ, became a human being. He Who Knew no sin, Imputed our sins, or reckoned our sins, to Himself, that WE might become , have reckoned to us, the Righteousness of God in Him. Because Jesus Had the Price of sin, He fully satisfied the wages sin demanded, death. Because Jesus was able to Pay in Full, He Defeated death by Walking out of the tomb. Jesus, with His Atonement, both made us Righteous and Defeated Death. Therefore, we can now have and enjoy fellowship with God if we repent and claim God’s Provision for our Eternity.

ILLUSTRATION:

Most of you have flown at one point or another. You all know that when you get on your plane, that you and your baggage board the plane through different entrances (hopefully). Also, you all know that when you exit the plane, you walk out of the plane on this cozy little thing called a “jetway,” and your baggage goes to a place called “Baggage Claim” (again, hopefully).

Can anyone tell me in one short sentence why we carry baggage on a plane? Do I hear so that we might have clothes to dress in, deodorant so we don’t smell, and things we might need?

Let’s consider this scenario then. You are flying to participate in a friend’s wedding. You have already been fitted with your Tuxedo or your Bridesmaid’s gown. Arrangements have been made for these things to fly with you to your destination.

The plane lands, and your numerous friends meet you. You all hug and are laughing, and are somewhat excited about seeing each other. You get very busy with the other people who are also arriving for the Wedding Event. You all decide to go to a restaurant nearby to have a bit of lunch. It’s wonderful! Then you all go to the hotel you will be staying in.

The desk clerk asks, “Sir, Madam, will there be any luggage to take with you to your room?” To which a more dim-witted person could answer with, “Oh no! I’ve left my baggage at the airport. Oh well, I don’t need it right now, I’ll take care of it later.”

So, you take yourself to your room in your blue jeans and polo shirt, or whatever passes for casual dress in your life.

The next day is the wedding. You still haven’t gone to the airport to claim your tuxedo or gown, and the clothes you wore yesterday are filthy, you’ve been in them for 2 days now. They just aren’t good wedding clothes, especially if you are supposed to be a participant in the Event.

In a weak moment, you decide to attend the wedding naked. Maybe you didn’t have any good friends close by to tell you it wasn’t a good idea. Maybe they did, but you just blew them off. After all, your clothes are dirty, and it’s too much trouble to go to the airport and get your baggage, and who are these people to tell you how you ought to dress?

You show up. People are appalled. Nobody could believe you would do such a thing! Someone calls the police! You are hauled off in a squad car with furniture packing blankets wrapped around you.

You were UNACCEPTABLE for the Wedding! Yes, Provision had been MADE for you to wear ACCEPTABLE clothes to the Wedding, but you rejected that Provision. You decided you could go to the Wedding your own way and that it would be ok, but then found out you could not.

Folks, you absolutely, positively, without a doubt, no exceptions, GO CLAIM THE PROVISION GOD MADE FOR YOU! If you don’t, you will not be Accepted by Him. This is God’s Law. Even He will Not Break It.

B. God Has Mercy On The Repentant (v. 10b).

¹⁰ When God saw that they had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and didn’t carry out the destruction he had threatened.

Now that we have acknowledged God’s Ultimate Claim on our life, and His judgment of it; now that we have repented and agreed with Him about our sins; now that we have appealed to His Mercy, God has Mercy on us.

Why does God have Mercy on us? The standard answer to this is, “I don’t understand God’s Grace to a sinner like me.” It’s a good answer as far as understanding God’s Grace. His Grace is far above what we can understand or anticipate or even logically assess. But we aren’t talking about Grace. The question is, “Why does God have Mercy on us?”

We must know the answer to this question, or we are forever lost.

God has Mercy on us because we Listened to His Judgment of us, Obeyed in humility to Him, Repented of our sins, and Called Upon God for His Mercy based upon the Provision He MADE for us!

We have to agree to His Terms and claim His Provision.

Without claiming His Provision, we are as naked as that Wedding attendee with the perception problem. Without claiming His Provision for our condition, we will suffer the consequences, which like Nineveh’s fate, is Destruction.

C. God Spares The Repentant From His Righteous, Just Wrath. (v. 10c).

Right now, God Will Save anyone who calls upon Him. We will first agree with Him about our sin and our condition, repent of that sin and condition, and rely upon His Provision to Give Mercy to us.

1) Without Repentance there are consequences. For Nineveh, it was Destruction. For you and I, it is a countless multitude of eternities in punishment, hell, and separation from God.

2) With Repentance, God Makes it possible for us to be Forgiven and to Fellowship with Him. Jesus Himself said in Luke 6:37, “³⁷All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” [6]

Conclusion:

Again, God’s Word never leaves us with a nifty little story to simply recount to show off our knowledge of His Word. The question God’s Word always asks is, “What will I do with it today?”

Jesus said of a wicked and perverse generation of His time, “⁴¹ The people of Nineveh will rise up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And now someone greater than Jonah is here—and you refuse to repent.” [7] (Matthew 12:41 NLT).

If the generation in which Jesus Lived Incarnate on Earth was wicked, then by comparison, our culture is of all cultures of the Earth and History, most miserable. We live in an age of great wickedness and complacency to God.

We have comforted ourselves with false messages of God overlooking our mistreatment of His Holy Son. We have deceived ourselves with the compromise of self-talk that says we should at all times, and at all costs, be happy, no matter what that means we have to do, and to whom. No matter what that means we have to neglect. No matter what that means we have to pretend doesn’t exist.

The question for you and me today, is, “When I hear God’s Word, will I take it seriously enough to act on it?”

If we will today take God’s Word seriously, we will first hear it, then heed it, and then and only then, we will experience God’s Mercy.

Taking God’s Message Seriously will change us much the way it changed the people of Nineveh. That is how we know we are the genuine articles and not fakes.

Chapter Three

Understanding God’s Compassion

Background Passage: Jonah 4:1-11

Major Theme: God Wants His people to reflect His Compassion by being involved in His Redemptive Work with all people.

Introduction:

The Book of Jonah is a great book of the Bible. There are few books where you can get so much of the Character of God in about three leaves of paper.

Where has the story taken us thus far?

We saw God call Jonah to a mission in the first chapter.

We saw that Jonah rejected God’s Call, endangered those around him through his rebellion, and was ultimately swallowed by a great fish.

We saw Jonah have a change of heart in the belly of the fish and God had the fish spit him up on the beach.

We saw Jonah get his second chance, and fulfill the work God Called him to do in the first place.

We saw the people of Nineveh humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes and repent before God.

We saw these people pray for mercy.

We saw God Show Compassion to the people of Nineveh, and spared their city because they decided to repent and worship Him.

And that brings up to the fourth chapter.

In these eleven verses in Jonah chapter 4, we will see Jonah introduced to God’s Compassion. Jonah was something of a Pharisee, I guess. I don’t think that sect existed then, but if they had, Jonah would have made a great Pharisee.

Jonah knew all about God’s Law, and he knew all about God’s Judgment. He eagerly wished it upon the wicked people of Nineveh. Jonah was at the least a zealot. He wanted to see God Exact Justice from these folks.

What Jonah overlooked was that God Is Compassionate. Now he knew God is Compassionate, he just overlooked it. Jonah was actually upset by God’s Mercy! Jonah had an atrocious belief that God was somehow Bound to Live down to his expectations! Does this sound familiar?

Does that sound ludicrous to us? Yes, it does. But, we must not be too awfully quick to torment Jonah. For, in a lot of ways, many are the times I have done the same types of things as Jonah has done here.

Is there a message in the Book of Jonah for the modern Christian? God is about Second Chances and Compassion, yes that is true. But, let’s not forget that God is also all about that very First Chance. The First Chance we get to obey Him.

So, with that in mind, let’s read the passage:

4 This change of plans upset Jonah, and he became very angry. ² So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people. ³ Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive because nothing I predicted is going to happen.”

⁴ The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”

⁵ Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see if anything would happen to the city. ⁶ And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased some of his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

⁷ But God also prepared a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant, so that it soon died and withered away. ⁸ And as the sun grew hot, God sent a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than this!” he exclaimed.

⁹ Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”

“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”

¹⁰ Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant is only, at best, short lived. ¹¹ But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”[8]

I. God’s Character (Jonah 4:1-4).

A. Jonah Is Perturbed With God’s Character (v. 1).

¹This change of plans upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

1. Jonah imagines a level of importance he does not possess.

2. Jonah’s anger stems from a set of unreasonable expectations.

3. Jonah imagines that God is bound by his own expectations.

4. This all happens because God has Mercy upon the people of Nineveh because they repented back in the closing verses of chapter 3.

5. The people of Nineveh understood God’s Character better than Jonah. They did not presume upon God’s Will in that they thought they could FORCE Him to Forgive them. They threw themselves on His Mercy and Hoped for His Forgiveness.

6. Notice that Jonah was angered at God’s Character while the people of Nineveh prayed in accordance with it.

7. God’s Character is His Compassion that balances against His Justice.

B. Jonah Is Pouting Against God’s Character (v. 2).

1. Jonah complains to God about His Grace and Mercy.

² So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish!

2. Jonah knew about God’s Grace, Longsuffering, and Love.

I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

3. Jonah knew that God Wants to Save!

I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people.

4. Jonah pouts because God doesn’t Bother to Consult him on His Next Move! Jonah makes the mistake of believing he is in a democracy with God, or at least in an advisory capacity, and that they each get a vote. Jonah may even think that he is God’s Personal Consultant. He may think, like so many, that he doesn’t need to pray to God, but give advice to God on how He Ought to Do things. He did not realize that God is The Authority, and that His Every Desire is to be, not only conceded, but also joyfully accommodated.

C. Jonah’s Pride Against God’s Character (v. 3).

Jonah is worried about his precious reputation rather than the Joy of the Awesome Mercy of God.

³ Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive because nothing I predicted is going to happen.”

D. Jonah’s Problem With God’s Character (v. 4).

⁴ The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”

Since GOD is the One offended by sin, He Gently Reminds Jonah Who Has the Right to be either Forgiving or Angry. God is telling Jonah, “These are a people that are either Mine to Save or Mine to Kill, what right do you claim to these people that you may question My Judgment against them?”

E. Jonah knew God to Be Compassionate in his head, but he totally missed it in his heart. Jonah misjudged God’s Character.

II. Petty Concerns (Jonah 4:5-9).

A. Jonah’s “Name It, Claim It” Problem (v. 5).

Jonah was still hoping that the “formula” would work. Here he is, dealing face-to-Face with God Himself, and He still relies on what he believes to be the formula for success.

⁵ Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see if anything would happen to the city.

B. God Teaches A Lesson Of Life (v. 6).

1. The plant was God’s Idea.

⁶ And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there,

2. The plant was God’s Provision for Jonah.

and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head

3. The plant God Gave Benefited Jonah.

shading him from the sun. This eased some of his discomfort,

4. Jonah was grateful for the plant.

and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

5. In the words of Job, “The Lord Gave…” Job 1:21

C. God Teaches A Lesson Of Death (v. 7 – 8).

1. The worm was God’s Idea.

⁷ But God also prepared a worm!

2. The worm killed the plant removing the Provision.

The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant, so that it soon died and withered away.

3. Even the Scorching Wind and Sun was a lesson, what was it?

⁸ And as the sun grew hot, God sent a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah.

4. Jonah complained about the plant’s death.

The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than this!” he exclaimed.

5. But, also in the words of Job, in Job 1:21, “The Lord Taketh Away.”

6. What is the great lesson of Jonah’s expectation, along with God’s Provision of the plant and God’s Taking away of the plant? It’s that Blessing is God’s to proffer or withhold. We are not entitled, yet we may receive. The summation of all things, whether they be provided or withheld, should be the words of Job, “The Lord Gave, the Lord Taketh away, Blessed be the Name of the Lord,” whether in fat times, or in lean. It is HIS BUSINESS and not ours. He Knows what He is Doing. HE is on His Throne, not I.

D. God Is Sovereign (v. 9).

⁹ Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”

“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”

1. The Creation of the plant was God’s Idea.

2. The Death of the plant was God’s idea.

3. The Destruction of Nineveh was God’s Idea.

4. The Redemption of Nineveh was God’s Idea.

5. God is Sovereign over His Creation; He may Do with it as He Wishes.

6. God Wants Jonah to see the futility of his desires over God’s Will. The Truth is that all of Creation, including its people, are ultimately God’s Responsibility, to Save, or to Condemn. His Judgment is Just and Righteous and Holy because He IS God!

III. Divine Compassion (Jonah 4:10-11).

A. God Identifies The Warped Perspective Of Jonah (v. 10).

¹⁰ Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant is only, at best, short lived.

1. It appears Jonah is more concerned about a plant than people. Jonah loved a plant and hated a people!

2. Jonah shows concern for the plant, but he did not labor for it. He actually has no rights to it, other than that he enjoyed its benefit while it lived.

3. Jonah shows anger for a plant’s death when a plant will only live a short while anyhow.

B. God Reveals His Compassionate Perspective To Jonah (v. 11).

¹¹ But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”

1. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that in a city this size, 120,000, you could reasonably expect how many to die per day? Probably 50, maybe even 100 people would die a day in that age since the advances of medicine were few.

2. In this passage, we see Jonah showing no compassion for a people he hates, and has practically adoration for a mere plant which gives him benefit.

3. Also, in this passage, we see God Showing Mercy and Compassion to a people whose sin He Hated, but whose souls He Loved.

4. An honest question ensues here: If we see Jonah as selfish, and God as Compassionate, which certainly is apparent here, how many people could have heard the message of judgment and repented had Jonah minded God the first time he was called? It could be anywhere from 200 to 400 people, right? So, in essence, you could theoretically say that as many as 400 people did not hear the Message of God due to Jonah’s sinful disobedience, correct?

5. Most of us can see that the Book of Jonah is about God being a God of Second Chances. He Gave Jonah a Second Chance. He Gave the people of Nineveh a Second Chance. We can see that He extends His Hand of Mercy and Compassion in His Great Patience with us.

6. But, I have another question for you: While God is Merciful with the Second Chances He Gives, what is His preference?

a) God does Want us to take advantage of the Second Chance.

b) However, God certainly would Prefer that we answer His Call the first time we hear it.

Conclusion:

Essentially, Second Chances are given for three reasons.

First of all, God is Compassionate. He is Merciful, Longsuffering, Patient, and Kind. He isn’t Willing that ANY should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Secondly, there is the benefit of getting to serve in that Second Chance after we have neglected or failed the First Chance, right? It is just another Manifestation of God’s Unfailing Compassion.

But, there is a third reason we are Given Second Chances by God. Sometimes we focus on the Compassion of God so much, and we focus on the Second Chances of God so much, that we miss one little detail. We are Given those Second Chances so that we might become sensitized to that time when another First Chance rolls around! Because, in this life, “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over!”

Yes, you and I can look back through our Christian lives and see all the times God had to Bring us along because we were a stiff-necked people; we may have been belligerent or stubborn.

However, an instance can exist in which God Calls and we simply answer.

We are going to have regrets. They are inevitable. Any single one of us can point back to a time when we handled something horribly. This is why God Gives Second Chances in the first place.

One day though, one golden moment, you and I will realize that we have grown enough that we recognize God’s Voice when we hear it, obey His Command when He Gives It, and ultimately, accomplish what He Has Given us to do, the very First Time He Calls.

This is God’s Compassion. This is God’s School. This is God’s Patience with us. Second chances are called second chances for a reason.

One is so that we will take full advantage of that Second Chance.

But the other is that we will remember to always recognize and take the First Chance that God Gives.

I’ve said it before, and I fear you may tire of hearing it, but:

God has Called us to our Nineveh.

All we have to do is look around us: out in the mall, in the restaurants in which we eat, and at the department stores, and we will realize that God has Brought our Nineveh to us. You’ve seen the people of our Nineveh. They came from lands near and far searching in our country for the good life. They thought they were coming here to enjoy prosperity. But God Brought them here so we would tell them about the Message of His Judgment.

Our Ninevites are right on the next grocery aisle. They work next to us. They are our friends. They are where we play.

Yes, God has Called us to our Nineveh.

And so I have to ask all of us; and I have to ask myself a question. It’s the only answered question that will matter 10,000 years from now.

WILL WE GO?

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[1]Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

[2]Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

[4]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[5]Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

[6]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[7]Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

[8]Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.