A Repentant People and a Relenting God
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Jonah 3:1–4:2.
God relents when people repent.
- The God of Second Chances (Repeat)
What is a second chance? Dating. You spend the whole time talking about Star Wars and your highest score in ____ and she’s like no. You realize you made a mistake so you say, hey can I have a second chance. Or maybe your turn in your homework and then you realize you did the wrong thing and you ask your teach, can I have a second chance? It when you know you messed up, and your teacher doesn't have to give you another chance.
God gives second chances to people. And also third, fourth, and forty trillion. We see that right here.
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”
Jonah gets a second chance to prove faithful. This is much different than the first time when the word of the Lord came to him to go to Nineveh, and he ran away in the opposite direction to Joppa, found a boat to take him to Tarshish, and he had to be thrown overboard in order for the crew to be saved. That wasn’t good. One bad decision led to a number of bad decisions. But God has brought Jonah back to him and he gives him a second chance. That is amazing!!
Like Jon Mark in the New Testament. He abandoned Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary trip (Acts 13:13). On the second Barnabas wants to take Mark along but Paul won’t have it. They have such a strong disagreement that these two friends part ways over it. And God ends up using both of them and both of their trips. Later in life Paul will testify that Mark is very important to the mission (2 tim 4:11). Mark was restored.
Jonah gets a second chance. If you have messed up in life you need to know God gives second chances. That is what this passage teaches. It’s also why Jesus died for you. He died to take away your sins. He died to make a way for you to come back to him. Yes, you need his grace and that is what allows you to find salvation. But also know that even if you are a believer you are going to have some mess ups in life. I wish it weren’t so but it is. It may be outright rebellion. It might be that you are trying your best to follow the Lord and you simply don’t see what you don’t see. You don’t see your own immaturity. God is going to show it to you, and it may be painful. Your future is not dependent on how well you have done things in the past. Your future is determined by your pursuit of Christ in the present. Don’t let your pride keep you from humbling yourself, admitting your mistakes, Admit your need for grace! Amazing how many churches are full of people who dont really need God’s grace. LEts not be that way. Let’s admit where we need grace. Self righteousness is the result of pride. Humility the result of grace.
Look back on my parenting. My role as a husband. My pastoring.
People need to hear it. My kids need to hear it. Those that have messed up in life, sexuality, jail, lost all relationships, jobs, etc. They might just find their way into church.
Jonah gets a second chance to obey the word of the Lord. It’s not just about Jonah’s dreams for his life. It is him bringing his life into alignment with God.
Nineveh gets a second chance. Isn’t this amazing. this rebellious, wicked, evil people get a second chance. Amazing. They have done nothing different than Jonah. Jonah strayed from God and so have they. Perhaps made bigger sins, for longer. But it is all a sin. Jonah had a quiet rejection of God. Nineveh a proud rejection of God.
The Assyrians were some bad people. When they conquered people they would rip off their noses, cut off tongues, and sometimes they would skin people alive. Can you believe that a people like this would get a second chance? V8 the king says to turn from evil and violence. God will not let their evil go unpunished. They must square with that.
The greatest miracle of Jonah takes place: the repentance of the whole city. It was a large city. Lots of people. Took three days to walk it and its suburbs. Revival breaks out. Good to know that can happen to entire cities.
God sends Jonah to preach to these Assyrians. And when Jonah shows up he says,
4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
God allows people to turn to him. Why 40 days? Why not just destroy it? He is giving them a chance to turn from their wicked ways and to him. The sailors began worship God when delivered from evil situation and now Nineveh gets a chance.
- God of Grace
Jonah is called to preach to Nineveh so that they might get a second chance. That is grace. Jonah has experienced grace in his own life. He got a second chance. And he ought to extend a second chance to others.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Jonah 4:1-2
Jonah is mad. He is hot that this repentance has happened. It is evil to him! He just experienced the unmerited grace and goodness of God in his own life, and he is reluctant to share it with the Ninevites.
Yas, Water World in Dubai. Mega water park was completed in 2013 and they pulled out all the stops. The park features 43 rides, slides, and attractions. Highlights include the Rush Rider surf simulator and a mega-slide that features a six-person raft that scales the walls of a 65-foot-high funnel. If you like surprises, check out Slither’s Slides, where six unique slides take riders on tubes through wet and wild thrills, all finishing out the mouth of terrifying serpents.
Lets imagine you go there on your 11 birthday. And when you get there you, you find out that you have to be 12 to do the rides. You and all your 11 year old friends are begging to get in. And then they let you in. You get to do all these fun and exciting things. And then a few years later you go back, and you are thirteen, and you see all these 11 year olds asking to get in. You are like no way. You are going to make it too crowded. I want it all to myself.
That is not considerate. Thats wrong. You were shown mercy and grace and now you refuse to show it to others. Jonah is not like God. He is worried about the cost.
Jonah had become obedient, he still lacked a spirit of submission
“It was evil to Jonah with great evil.” There is a play on words here with the root rāʿâ, which can refer to wickedness on the one hand (see 1:2) or to disaster, trouble, or misery as here
Jonah literally hated what God had done. The reason for his anger is how it will make him look. If he preaches destruction and it doesnt come then he may look bad. The criteria for a prophet is that what he says happens. Jonah would rather be right than suffer for the sake of others. He would rather be honored than people find forgiveness.
Jonah did want serving God to cost him anything. He wanted prestige as a prophet. If you save your life you lose it. If you lose your life you gain it. God shows us the way to life is through sacrifice.
Thomas a Kempis. “Jesus has many who love his heavenly kingdom, few who are willing to bear the cross.”
Have you experienced God’s grace? Are you quick to show that to others? Its easy to shake your head at others and ask whats wrong with you. It another to go towards them and say let me tell you what happened to me. God clearly calls us to it but it may be uncomfortable. It may causes some uncomfortable situations. This devout Israelite is having to hangout with the pagan Assyrians. Might be uncomfortable small talk in between messages. You may have to hang out with people that hurt your reputation. May not be as cool, may not be as wealthy, may not be as …. If you understand grace you will want to move toward people. People of the other political party. People of the other race. People of the others side of the tracks, neighborhood. Might move to other nation to share the gospel. Might join a different ministry. Might have to do ministry differently than you have done it all your life. God’s went to great lengths to bring Jonah back. He went to great lengths for you. Will you do the same for others?
- God Responds to his People
The people turn to God. God hears them. **The people repented and God relented.** That is grace. He doesn't have to but he does because he is gracious and compassionate. He is not indifferent or aloof. He has mercy. He responds.
9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. Jonah 3:9-10
The meaning “repent” or “change one’s mind” is an appropriate translation when the subject is humans (cf. Job 42:6; Jer 31:19). But when it refers to God’s decision to change an announced course of action in response to human repentance, prayer, or some other circumstances. the translation “relent” is preferable (see Amos 7:3 and comments in this volume). In this chapter God decided that in light of Nineveh’s turning, he would save them rather than follow through on his previous announcement to destroy them.” Billy K. Smith and Franklin S. Page, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, vol. 19B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 268.
they turned (šûb) from their ways of evil (rāʿâ)
and God relented (nḥm) concerning the “evil” (rāʿâ)
The Ninevites’ “turning” from “evil” led to God’s “turning” from “evil.”
We need to understand the nature of prophecy. There are times that prophecy is predictive and unconditional. God says what he is going to do. God promised to Abraham that he will make him a great nation, a great name and bless all other peoples on earth through him. Abraham doesn’t have to do anything. God is going to do it.
Some Scripture is like that. But often the prophetic literature is meant to be more exhortative than predictive. It allows for and even calls for…
Intervening Historical Contingency. (Repeat). Contingent: not guaranteed. If you get all A’s I will buy you a Cyber Truck. Historical: Meaning something that happens in history. You getting A’s will be a historical event. It happened. It was done. Intervening: The foul ball was coming right for your head, but your friend intervened and grabbed the ball. The situation was altered because some one acted on your behalf. This is a key part of understanding some biblical prophecy. Not all but some.
Deut 30. And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, 2 and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.
The prophets spoke God’s word to the people, but largely they functioned almost like lawyers telling the people that if they did not turn back to God then God would do all the things he said he would do in the covenants he made with his people.
“At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; 8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Jer 18:7–8.
9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. Jonah 3:9-10
God is seeking to draw his people back. That is his desire and goal. He is sending the prophets to interpret the events of the time.
They repent after just one short sermon. Jesus commends them. They are not like the hardened religious community Jesus spoke to. The Ninevites are an example of repentance.
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. Luke 11:32.
Jesus holds them up as a model of repentance. v. 6 describes the response of the king. He rose from his throne, the seat of his royal power, and humbled himself with the common people. He laid aside his robe, which was a large and beautifully embroidered mantle. In the robes place the king put on sackcloth as a sign of mourning, and he sat in ashes, a sign of deep humiliation. The radical nature of his repentance is stressed by the literary structure of the clauses.” NAC.
6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God.
Jonah 3:6
he rose from his throne,
took off his royal robes,
covered himself with sackcloth
and sat down in the dust.
He removes all comforts. He shows great remorse. Acknowledges that he has done wrong. He admits to evil and violence and calls others to repent as well. Makes it clear to others he has led poorly. His mistakes were a big deal. Much different than today where people wont admit done anything that bad. Put off making a decision to follow Christ. Want to stay same in eyes of others. Don't really want to break from previous patterns. They don't really repent. Dont really change.
Repentance means you see the things you previously did as wrong. It means a commitment to a new way. New way of treating people, nations, customers. New way of dating. A new way of thinking and speaking to others. It means you admit doing wrong.
God says if they would turn to me then he would heal them. But you have to turn. You have to repent. You have to confess.
Perhaps God will relent. They lived with an uncertainty of God’s blessing. This is a very different time that we live in. Because God sent his son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Note a condition in that, it is conditional upon belief. That is our one requirement. We repent and believe. We turn from our evil and we trust in him. We believe him and turn to him. We turn from other things. And we find certainty because the blood of his Son guarantees our forgiveness. It is an anchor for the soul. God will not let evil go unpunished.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16–17.
