Jonah Fulfills His Mission

Jonah 3:1-10                                                                                                                Lesson 4

Key verse 3: 5                                                                 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 5-17-09

“The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.”

      In this passage, we find Jonah’s obedience to the Lord following his initial
disobedience. However, he was not completely obedient in his attitude; even
though he was in his actions. The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time to go preach in Nineveh. This time, Jonah obeyed God s word. He went only because God commanded him to go. He preached the word God told him to preach. But did not love the people of Nineveh who living there in sin and ignorance. He was not sorry about God’s impending judgment.  But when he obeyed, an amazing thing happened. When the king of Nineveh heard God’s word, he repented. He ordered everyone– people and animals–to repent. The Ninevites believed God. They turned from their evil ways. When God saw the sincerity of their repentance, he had compassion on them and did not destroy the city. Though there may be humanitarian motives for world mission, we will learn that the bottom line is our own personal obedience to the Lord’s command. May God help us to be servants of God who can obey his word whether we feel like it or not.

1. A Reluctant Missionary (1-4) 

Jonah had just spent three days and three nights in the belly of a “great fish”. Think about his condition. His skin was bleached from the whale’s gastric juices. He struggled to get catch every breath. He was sleep deprived and exhausted. He was in complete darkness for 72 hours. He lapsed in and out of consciousness. But his amazingly his spiritual sense was intact. He was thankful for God’s grace even from inside the whale’s belly. (Chpt 2).

When he felt like he could not carry on God ended his hard training. “…The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry ground.” (2:10) Jonah was shaken by the whale’s growling stomach. The stomach walls rumbled and contracted around Jonah. The contractions pushed him into the whale’s throat, then its mouth and across the rows of sharp teeth. And with one final thrust, Jonah was heaved on the sandy beach, the waves lapping at his feet and the vomit dripping off his body. Jonah was dazed. The sunlight blinded his eyes. But one thing was for sure. He was not dead, at the bottom of the sea. He was alive! Alive on a warm beach. After lying for many hours, Jonah got up, stumbled to the edge of the water where he washed himself, the sea salt stinging his many wounds. Clutching the rags that hung off his body, he stumbled towards Nineveh. He needed food.  He needed clothes. He needed his wounds tended to. He needed time to recuperate. One English whaler in the 1800‘s, who was in the belly of a whale for 15 hours, could not speak and required 2 weeks to convalesce. And so God may have led Jonah to a kind and generous Assyrian family who helped him in his time of need.

         We can learn several things about God. First, God never forgot about Jonah. Being in the belly of that great fish for seventy two hours may have made Jonah think that God forgot about him. But God did not forget about Jonah. God was only waiting and watching until the time of Jonah’s divine discipline was over. And the time came.

Second, God wants us submit to him early. How sad it was, that it required a storm, three days in a belly of great fish and maybe two weeks of recovery. This is what was required for Jonah to be brought low and humbled to the point that he would actually obey God. How much more easy would it be for him to obey God directly, from the beginning. Hebrews 10: 30b-31 reads, “^..The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  It is better submit to God, right from the beginning than to wait and eventually receive God’s divine discipline. But for Jonah, the time of God’s training was over. Jonah passed the grueling curriculum. When Jonah grew through God’s divine discipline his heart was wonderfully changed. (Heb 12:5b-6)

Third, God gave his word to his servant. Look at verse 1, “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:” God communicated with Jonah at exactly the right time. What does it mean that God’s word came to Jonah? Jonah had received many truths of God in his heart, during his time in the belly of whale. We studied about these things in chapter 2. But these epiphanies of truth were not God’s word to him. This word of God was different. It happened before in chapter 1:1. When the word of God came to Jonah, Jonah heard God’s personal call to mission. (Though he did not always obey it.) For us, Bible study and the precious truths we learn from them are very important, but they are not the same as God’s personal call to mission. We must grow to the point that we hear God’s personal call to mission. When we do, we can grow mature spiritually and be used by God in our generation.

      Fourth, God gives second chances. Look at verse 1, “…Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:” God could have easily allowed Jonah to drown in the kelp beds to eventually stand before God’s judgment seat, choosing another prophet to carry the message of salvation to Nineveh. But he did not. God intervened in a miraculous way…saved Jonah’s life and gave him another chance. We may have felt that we have failed God in one way or another. In regards to ministry, we may feel that we have failed in our mission to deliver the life giving Gospel to the hearts of NIU students. We may feel that we have failed in our calling in some way. But God, in his abundant grace, does not forget about us. He is patiently waiting and watching. He is preparing our hearts and is eager to give us a second chance. Let’s hear God’s voice and step into that second chance, so graciously offered. Praise God for second chances!

      Let’s think about God’s message to Jonah. Verse 2 reads, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah was to preach only what God told him. The message was a message of judgment to one of the most powerful cities in the world. This was not the most desirable assignment, but it was a very necessary one for the salvation of the souls of the Ninevites. As Christians we are called to preach God’s message without compromising it, even if it is the message of repentance and judgment. Such a message is unpopular nowadays. But we should never give into the social consensus, or try to please people, but deliver the message that God wants us to deliver. (Gal 1:10) Then we can stand as servants of Christ.

What is the message God wants us to accept and preach? Paul says in 1 Cor 15:3-4, “ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”  The Gospel message is all about Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. Through his death on the cross Jesus has brought us the forgiveness of sins. Through his resurrection he has brought us eternal life. And anyone who repents of their sins and believes in Jesus as the ransom sacrifice for their sins, will receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. They will become children of God and servants of Christ. They will bear the fruit of life in this world and enter into a rich inheritance in Christ. All of this is given through repentance and faith in Jesus. It is achieved through hearing and believing the message that God has given to us to preach. What a precious gift! What a fantastic message of salvation! What a vital mission!

       God is very serious about sticking to the Gospel message. Why? It is because God wants all people to come to repentance and salvation. The Gospel message is the only message that can tear the idols from peoples’ hearts and help them to accept the wonderful grace of Jesus. The Gospel message is the only message that can bring the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The Gospel message is the only message that can reveal the light of Jesus to a world in lost in the darkness. If we don’t stick the Gospel then we have believed in vain. (1  Cor 15:2) God wants us to stick to it. Listen to how serious God is.  Revelation 22:18-19 reads; “ ¹⁸I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. ¹⁹And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” and, Galatians 1:8-9, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! ⁹As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” Let us hold tenaciously to the Gospel message and proclaim it to the students of NIU and all of America. When you do you will become a podiatrist’s dream…For “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7)

Nineveh was a very large and prosperous city. (3b) The walls were about eight miles in circumference, accommodating a population of about 175,000 persons, and the administrative district of Nineveh that was about 30-60 miles across. A ‘very important city,’ Nineveh took three days to just to visit.  The city might have been like downtown. Chicago. Such a city might intimidate us and fear might stop us to open our mouths to initiate the work of God. Look at Verse 4a, “On the first day, Jonah started into the city.” In doing the work of God, we must never be intimidated, but dig our feet in and begin from where we are. May we embrace the summer ministry at NIU without any fear or intimidation in our hearts!

The fact that it took three days reveals that there was also a certain protocol involved in visiting an important city such as Nineveh. It was customary in the ancient Near East for an emissary from another city-state to take three days for an official visit. He would spend the first day meeting and enjoying the hospitality of his host; the second day discussing the primary purpose of his visit; and the third saying his farewells. If Jonah was indeed an emissary of a kingdom. He was God’s ambassador, a representative of the Kingdom of God. May we have the same identity as we live as ambassadors of Christ. (2 Cor 5:20)

Jonah obeyed God but not willingly. Verse 4 reads, “On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” His obedience to God was good but was not perfect because of his reluctance. He wished that he could have been somewhere else doing something else. But he had no where to go. He knew how hard it was to receive God’s divine discipline and he didn’t want that again. God is not just looking for our obedience, he also wants our willingness. Peter says in 1 Peter 5:2, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;” God wants willing volunteers among is people. Such people will stand out as princess and princesses among his people. (Judges 5:9) That is why we pray for 12 willing and eager and faith Sunday attendants this summer. What hinders our willingness? It has to do with what is in our hearts. 1 Peter 2:11 reads, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” Yes, it is the sinful desires and the idols we harbor in our hearts, that wage war on our souls, that keep us from being willing servants of God. May God give us new hearts to love and serve him this summer.

This willingness does not always come naturally. In fact it rarely does. If we want to live naturally, would we actually follow Jesus? Listen to Jesus’ own words in Luke 9:23, “Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” These are words of life to those who volunteer to serve Jesus.

Part ll: Nineveh Repents (5-10)

      When Jonah simply obeyed, a miracle happened. Let’s read verse 5, “The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth” The people repented, apparently after only one day of preaching. Who would have believed that such a miracle could have happened! The people of Nineveh only needed to hear God’s message once. Young and old repented and turned to God in humility of heart. Young boys and girls repented of fighting with their brothers and sisters. Old men repented of having no vision in their hearts for their young people or for the kingdom of God. God honored their response. Jesus said that at the judgment, the men of Nineveh will stand up to condemn the Israelites for their failure to repent (Matt 12:39-41). We are tempted to think that nobody would listen to our message. But we may be wrong. If we simply proclaim what we know about God, we may be surprised at how many people will listen. Nobody thought the state of Kentucky could be changed from a bandits’ hideout into gospel centered state almost overnight, but it was. Nowadays people think that students are not interested in the gospel. But they can not see things the way Jesus does. In John 4:35 Jesus says, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” Let us open our eyes and see that students of our schools as ripe and ready for an immediate harvest when the gospel message is preach. Ask great things of God and expect great things from God.

       The king of Nineveah was a true leader for his people. Verse 6 reads, “ When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.” He did not hesitate. He was not offended. He responded immediately, setting a great example. He got his royal officials to repent and he ordered all the people of his realm to repent also. Listen to his proclamation in Verses 7-9, ““Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. ⁹ Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” May God raise up leaders among us who can lead the populace to repentance through their own example.

     What is repentance? It is a strong word. But it is not so scary. Repentance is essentially a change in one’s thinking. It involves a change in one’s hope and life direction. The king put on sackcloth. (6) Fasting (7) and wearing sackcloth were signs of self-affliction that reflected an attitude of humility in the ancient Near East (cf. 2 Sam. 3:31, 35; 1  Kings 21:27; Neh. 9:1-2; Isa. 15:3; 58:5; Dan. 9:3; Joel 1:13-14).  Sackcloth was what the poor and the slaves wore. Wearing it depicted that the entire population viewed themselves as in need of God’s mercy. The people were called to fast and pray. Fasting is a good when we really want deeply repent of something. But fasting is more than just depriving yourself of food. Is 59: 6-8 reads, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:  to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—  when you see the naked, to clothe him,  and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? ⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness ^[a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.” Repenting people humble themselves before God and commit themselves to living by the truth.
This pagan king knew something about the God of the Bible. Look at Verse 9, “Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” Though he was pagan, he was wise. In a nutshell he was saying, “We have everything to gain and nothing to loose if we repent and come to the God of the Jews, in humility of heart.” This reminds us Pascal’s Wager. Dr John Armstrong states of Pascal’s wager, “If you place your confidence in God then you ultimately lose nothing but if you do not, and God is in fact who Scripture reveals him to be, then you have lost everything. “Let us assess the two cases; if you win, you win everything; if you lose, you lose nothing.” (John Armstrong blog January 19, 2009)

God’s heart was moved by their repentance. Look at Verse 10, “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.”God responded in mercy by cancelling his threatened punishment. God has said that any nation on which he had pronounced judgment would be saved if they repented. (Jeremiah 18:7-8). Jeremiah 18:7-8, “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, ⁸ and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.” God is always willing to show compassion to anyone willing to seek him.”

Through this passage we discover that God is a God of second chances. He is a God who gives those he loves, divine discipline until they can become his willing servants. We learn that we need to stick to the Gospel message, for this is the only message that brings the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. But most of all we learn that God responds to our personal repentance and humility and sheds his mercy on us. Let us come to God, in humility of heart receive his mercy and grace today!

1. A Reluctant Missionary (1-4)

1.   Think about Jonah’s condition physically, emotionally and spiritually. What was God about

to do? What does it mean that the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time? (1) How is

this different than receiving epiphanies of truth like he had in his prayer?

2.   What was God’s direction to Jonah? (2) What was the message Jonah was supposed to

deliver? (2) Why is it important that we speak the message that God gives us to speak? (Rev

22:18-19; 1 Cor 15:1-12)

3.    What kind of city was Nineveh? What was his message to them? (4, Matt 12:39-40) How

did Jonah respond? (3a)

4.    How did he feel about this? (1 Peter 5:2, Judges 5:9, 1 Peter 2:11) Think about what it is

required to begin to obey God’s direction and to preach such a message. (Matt 26:39; Luke

9:23) Why are we tempted to preach something other than the gospel of Jesus?

Part ll: Nineveh Repents (5-10)

5.    How did the Ninevites respond? (5) How did the king of Nineveh exhibit true leadership?

(6)  Examine his proclamation in verses 7-9. What is repentance? What is involved in their

repentance? (7-8) What does fasting and sackcloth mean? (Isaiah 58:3-8) What did the king

believe about God? (9)

6.   How did God respond to their repentance? (10) What does this teach us about God? How

would God use their example of sincere Repentance, in his gospel history? (Matt 12:39-41)