Jonah trusts God, or Jonah Sees The Light

In chapter 3 of the Book of Jonah, we see that the prophet has come to his senses and has decided to do what God sent him to do.

PART 3 – JONAH SEES THE LIGHT

Well, here we go with the third lesson in the book of Jonah, and yes, he does see the light both literally and figuratively.  When we last left Jonah, he had repented and had been vomited onto the shore by a great fish.  Nineveh was about 500 miles from where he had been so it was no quick trip.  He had plenty of time to pray and get right with God.  

     Historians say that Nineveh was about 60 miles in circumference.  If someone was walking at a brisk pace with few stops it would have taken 3 days.  That’s about twenty miles a day to get to almost every point in the city.  That person had to be in good shape in order to do that.  We’d have to train for a marathon or something to do that, but in ancient times the only way to get around on certain terrain was to walk.  Well, if Jonah had to preach along the way, it was gong to take a longer time to get around the city.  

     Scripture tells us that Jonah warned the people of Nineveh that in 40 days they would be overthrown.  Well, when the king heard this he commanded every citizen to repent and sit in sack cloth and ashes.  The king also sat in sack cloth and ashes and repented.  Finally, he even commanded that all people and even their animals fast from food and water and wear sack cloth in repentance.   Scripture tells us that the people were told to earnestly seek God and to repent of their sins and of any violence that had been committed.   The king believed the word of the Hebrew's God and he believed that God’s anger could be turned if they earnestly repented.  True to His nature, God did hold back the judgment.   God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart (Jeremiah 13:10), so he was aware that the repentance in Nineveh was genuine.  

What have we learned in chapter 3? 

1.     God means what he says

2.      God’s will cannot be changed by man.  Jonah had to go to Nineveh to give them a second chance.

3.      God gives us chances and choices to get our lives right.  Nineveh received the call to repent, but was not forced to do it, they chose to do it.

4.      God warns us that we are in trouble of facing His wrath before he does anything. 

5.      God can withhold punishment if we earnestly repent.