Scripture
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.”
JONAH 3:1-5
Context
A quick catchup.
To this point God had already instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh once before… But this first time Jonah refused and went the opposite way for nearly 200 miles to Tarshish to try to flee the presence of the Lord (good luck). He did this because he didn’t like the Ninevites and perhaps was afraid of them as well.
When Jonah was on his way to Tarshish, God sent a great wind to his ship. He was sailing with a number of other men – so they cast lots to see who was responsible for what they saw as a storm that was judgment from God. Jonah of course drew the short straw, was thrown overboard and was swallowed by a great fish.
Inside the fish, Jonah then prays, acknowledges that he deserves death (I’m sure whale stomach bile has a special way of humbling someone) and God provides deliverance to him. He is spat up onto dry land, covered in fish guts I am sure and in desperate need for a tan. And that leads us to the beginning of this passage.
That being said, reading Jonah 3:1-5 leads me to ask a number of questions…
- How in the world did a lackluster message from a perhaps unenthusiastic Jonah work so well with the Ninevites?
- It takes 3 days just to walk the city… How did Jonah get the job done in just one day?
- Why were the Ninevites so immediate in their repentance/acceptance? Was it the last day of VBS? What exactly was going on here?
Application
A few very fun facts that changed this entire story for me and some accompanying applications to take with this passage.
Fun Fact #1
Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. And the word “Nineveh”, pronounced Nin-oo-ah in the native language can be translated to “House of Fish” or “Place of Fish.” Now that is interesting isn’t it… The name of the city that Jonah is spat translated to “House of Fish.” Why is that? Scholars think it is quite possible that is the case because the people of Nineveh worshiped the false god, Dagon, the “fish god.”
Pretty neat right? We will be coming back to that…
Fun Fact #2
Assyrian scholars also believe that the years immediately preceding Jonah’s arrival were riddled with the following events in the region:
- A total eclipse of the sun
- An earthquake
- A period of famine due to poor crop production
All of which events, especially the total eclipse of the sun, were viewed by the Ninevites as acts of judgment from god.
Also wild.
That being said, let’s take away some applications from the passage first and then our fun facts accompanying the passage.
God does the saving
Jonah’s words were not exactly moving here. “You will be overthrown.” And I am not sure he really put a lot of effort into it either (3 days of work done in 1 day? Sounds like he might’ve cut some corners/not given his best effort.) But neither of those things matter. Because God does the saving work in salvation, not me or you.
So know today that your shortcomings/bad attitude are not going to impede God moving in your life or other’s lives. Perhaps all God needs is some obedience.
There’s alot at stake
Another reason Jonah’s message might’ve been so effective is because it was a bit dire. “You have 40 days or it’s all over for you.” That’s rather strong. The takeaway? The Ninevites’ lives were in fact at stake.
Hard truths are often times effective and sometimes necessary if someone is in danger. If you see someone that is living in a way that is leading to destruction/death, the best thing you might be able to lovingly tell them is “This is not going to end well for you if you continue in this direction.”
Now for applications from our fun facts.
God can use Pain as a Platform
How do you think Jonah felt about lying to God, acting like He didn’t exist, forcefullying confronting his errs in a really humiliating way, getting swallowed and spat out by a fish and then sharing a message of deliverance to a group of people he hates? Probably not great. Do you think he wanted to talk about it in his testimony?
How do you feel about the times you have ignored God in your life? Or your mistakes that have led to broken relationships? Or that time you lied to feel accepted/comfortable? Probably not so great, either.
God sent Jonah to a group of people who happened to disproportionately LOVE fish. His mode of transportation to do so? His great source of shame. The reminder that he disobeyed God entirely. A… fish.
You think these people who worshiped fish might’ve been excited to hear what a guy had to say who just got spat out by a fish in the middle of the ocean?
God uniquely equips imperfect messengers (Jonah, me, you) for his kingdom work, often using pain and shame as a platform to connect in a way we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
You have no idea where God is already moving
The Ninevites were an exceptionally arrogant group of people. Jonah wasn’t excited about sharing a message with them from God. And he likely thought it wasn’t going to go well.
But what he didn’t know is that God very possibly was already moving in the Ninevites’ hearts long before he had arrived. “My gosh, earthquakes, the sun is gone, now no food?? What have I done to deserve this? What do I need to repent from?” These events could have already been priming the pump for the Ninevites hearts.
The assumption from Jonah was that God was not already moving in the hearts of the Ninevites. And if we are being completely honest, that is the assumption you and I have of non-believers as well.
You have no idea where God is already moving. Trust in him and be faithful, even when the environment doesn’t look promising in your eyes.
Something to Chew On:
- Do you believe that God is moving outside of what you can see around you? Do you act like you believe God is moving outside of what you can see around you?
- What pain in your life can you allow God to use as a platform to reach others? What is something from your story that gives you credibility/a source of connection with a certain person/group of non-believers?
Great Value Proverb:
Assume that God is Always Moving