Jonah 3
The Minor Prophets • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The second chance
The second chance
It’s astonishing when we look at chapter three that it seems like we’re starting this story all over again. Lets go back and refresh our memory
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”
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.”
These words are nearly identical. It’s very clear that there was intention here to bring us back in memory to the beginning of this story. After Chapter 2 it’s as if everything has started over. Though Jonah was dead metaphorically, three days and three nights, he was raised up and given new life. After his resurrection he is told again to do the will of God. Jonah is called for God’s purpose. This time, with a new life Jonah responds in obedience.
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 goes to this exceedingly great city. There is actually something interesting here in the text.
So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.
and Jonah riseth, and he goeth unto Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. And Nineveh hath been a great city before God, a journey of three days.
καὶ ἀνέστη Ἰωνᾶς καὶ ἐπορεύθη εἰς Νινευή, καθὰ ἐλάλησεν Κύριος· ἡ δὲ Νινευὴ ἦν πόλις μεγάλη τῷ θεῷ, ὡσεὶ πορείας ὁδοῦ ἡμερῶν τριῶν.
Jonah 3:3 (LXX/MT Parallel)
ו\יקם יונה ו\ילך אל נינוה כ\דבר יהוה ו\נינוה היתה עיר גדולה ל\אלהים מהלך שׁלשׁת seq
The Hebrew uses the word Elohim - anyone know what Elohim in Hebrew means? it means God speaking of The God in the plural, or it means gods little g plural - same word. Here they’ve taken that as an adjective for some reason. I have no idea what reason that is exactly. If this was the only time translators have ever done that I would just say they got this wrong but they use the word for God as a superlative in other verses and other translations about a handful of times. I think we should be a bit more word for word on those so we have some insight into that but maybe there are far better reasons that I just don’t understand because I don’t really know the language that well at all. I do think whether we translate this as the exceedingly great city, a great city to God (meaning it was important to the Lord), or a great city to gods little g plural. There is an emphasis on it’s size in context physically as well as it’s size in terms of population in chapter 4. I think the translation that indicates it was a great city to God - as in important to God makes the most sense to me and in the context of exerting so much effort to make sure they get the message.
The message of Jonah is not a particularly new message. You’re in judgment you messed up! This prophet has the absolute least to say about what God has said! But again we already talked about how this book isn’t really focused on the message of Jonah but on Jonah and his response. This chapter however we are going to focus on it. Especially because we see this amazing response in verse 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.
This is absolutely astonishing. The fact that these people just responded in repentance to a message of doom is tough. Tough for us to hear when we think of how we’ve responded many times. Tough for the people of Jesus’ generation when he tells them.
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.
This also seems to tell me the people of Nineveh in some sense responded in faith and came to faith in God. Not something that sticks for the following generations as we’ll find out in Nahum. But it goes to the top!
The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
Astonishingly even the king repents and then he calls the nation to do the same.
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.
The king even gives us the reason in verse 9.
Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
And lastly the Lord forgives when he saw their repentance.
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.
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