Wednesday
Then
the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go
to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I
tell you.” 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. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s
journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown!” - Jonah 3:1-4
We
should stand and give Jonah a round of applause at this point, because
it’s the only time in the story that Jonah gets things right. Everything
else gets mixed up in his disobedience, his running away, and his
stubborn pride. But here, in this brief moment, Jonah finally obeys.
Now I want to pause and reflect on this for just a moment, because I
know that we all get stuff wrong a lot of the time. Like Paul says in
Romans 7, we do the things we don’t want to do and we don’t do the
things God wants us to do.
But
amidst our struggles and failures, there are moments... moments when we
get things right. Moments when you resist the temptation to talk
negatively about that person. Moments when you feel frustrated with your
spouse, but you hold back your sharp tongue. Moments when you might
act lustfully or impulsively... and you resist. It is important to know
that in those moments, when we obey, even if it seems small (even if
it’s just one verse in the whole book of Jonah) it pleases God. We need to know that our obedience matters... because it does.
If Jonah didn’t obey God, if he didn’t go, we wouldn’t see what we are
about to see happen in Nineveh. So Jonah obeyed God and went to
Nineveh.
But
just because we obey God doesn’t mean the circumstances are going to be
any less daunting. As soon as Jonah arrives in Nineveh, the reality of
this situation sets in...Jonah travels one third of the way into town
and stops (remember that the text says it would take 3 days to travel
through the entire city). He’s probably already frustrated; he’s
probably seen more sin and evil than he can stand. And so he stops and
gives what may be the shortest sermon in human history. It’s 8 words
long—only 6 if you read it in the original Hebrew. A six word sermon!?
And
Jonah’s message is incredibly vague. It lacks all the characteristic
features of Old Testament prophecy. There is no word from the Lord,
there is no naming of sins, there is no appeal for the victims of
injustice. And most importantly, there is no mention of God. What
happened to “Go and proclaim the message I give you?” What’s going on
here?
Several
Biblical scholars scholars think that even though Jonah obeys, he still
has a prideful and stubborn heart, and he is unable to see any possible
good coming out of this situation. But as we have seen throughout this
story, whenever we think things are heading down, God is up to
something great! (even in places like Nineveh) After Jonah’s one day
march and six word sermon, the text says, “And the people of Nineveh believed God.” - Jonah 3:5a
The
people farthest away from God. The people least likely to believe come
to believe in God. And not just some of the people, it’s all of the
people, even though Jonah is only 1/3 of the way through town. And
they didn’t just believe in God...
“They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.” - Jonah 3:5b
Sackcloth
was an abrasive covering made of goat hair that was worn in public as a
sign of repentance. Does that sound like something a respectable person
would do? Is that something you would do? Well here, even the people
of privilege and power are doing this. Think of Donald Trump publicly
fasting. Think Paris Hilton putting on sackcloth. These are public acts
of conversion made by all the people of Nineveh.
“The
word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed
his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” - Jonah 3:6
The king of Nineveh, of whom the prophet Nahum wrote,
“Nothing can heal you; your wound is fatal. All who hear the news about you clap their hands at your fall.”
And
here this brutal dictator gets off his throne, takes off his royal
robes, and falls to his knees before the mercy of God. Now you might be
thinking, “Okay, this is getting a little ridiculous.” But God is just
getting started. God didn’t just reach the people, the nobles, and the
king, God reached the very laws of the land.
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, 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. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce
anger, so that we may not perish.” - Jonah 3:7-9
The point? - Never underestimate what God can do with one simple act of obedience!
Jeff Frazier
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