Jonah 3:1-5, 10
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!” 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.
Welcome to Getting ready for Sunday, a podcast of first Lutheran Church. Each week I introduced the readings for the upcoming Sunday with some notes and explanation so you can be ready for worship when you arrive. I look at the Old Testament, song, epistle and Gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday and offer a few notes and explanation.
The Old Testament reading for Sunday, January 21, comes from Jonah chapter three, verses one through five and verse 10.
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 rose, and went to Nineveh, according to the Word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days journey in breath, Jonah began to go into the city going a day's journey, and he called out yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
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.
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. He did not do it. Here, hence the reading.
The story of Jonah is rather famous, because it is pretty amazing. God comes to Jonah early in the book, and he says, go to Nineveh and tell them the message that they will be overthrown. And Jonah says, No, thank you. And he goes as far away from Nineveh as he can. He heads out of the city and goes to tries to get on a boat to go to Tarshish.
While he's on the boat, a great storm comes up, and they figure out that the storm is Jonah's fault. And he goes, Yes, it's me. And they throw him into the water and the storm stops.
While Jonah is in the water, giant fish comes up and eats him.
And then eventually, Jonah is spit out on land. And we get to this, this part where it says, The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time. That covers up a lot of plot, doesn't it? A lot of story is happening between, in those words, the second time.
So Jonah is back out, out of the fish alive and well. And the Word of God to him comes again. This time, he goes and goes to Nineveh, and says exactly what God would do. He says, yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
The message is a message of judgment. God is going to punish Nineveh, an evil city, a city filled with violence and terrible things.
What's amazing, though, is in response to this judgment, the city reacts in repentance. It says, they called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them, to the least of them. Now our reading skips over the details of that story. What happens in between verses five and verse 10, is this. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne removed his robe, covered himself in sackcloth and sat in ashes. 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 in 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.
Now, this makes us realize that the proclamation that Jonah gave was not just simply those words, yet 40 days and none of us shall be overthrown, but a lot longer saying that is about what God would do and what he calls on them to do. There was a repent and believe kind of aspect of this. And so they all respond from the greatest to the least it goes all the way up to the king of the Nineveh who makes a law that everyone has to fast no food or water.
When God sees their repentance, he turns away from his disaster. he relented from the disaster that he said he would do to them, and he did not do.
The proclamation that Jonah had, is a proclamation
that leads towards God's grace. It doesn't look like it though right? You see, yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. The funny thing is that looks just like judgment when the people heard it, though. They heard it as an offer for forgiveness, that if we turn and repent, we can receive it. And that's the funny thing about what Jonah says in Jonah chapter four. Now, when Jonah sees that the city is not destroyed, he gets kind of angry. He praised the Lord. He says, oh, 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 knew that the proclamation of judgment from God was not a condemnation, but an invitation to repentance.
Jonah's mission wasn't go to Nineveh and tell them they're all about to die. Jonah's mission was go to Nineveh and tell them that there's judgment unless they repent, and the people turned.
That's an interesting way of looking at this preaching of repentance is that it's not just look how evil those people are. What it is, is, God wants to save you from yourself. Repent and turn and believe the gospel.
That's all I have for today. We'll see you on Sunday. Bye
Transcribed by https://otter.ai