The Book of Jonah: When God’s Purpose Isn’t in Your Plansనమూనా

When most people think of the miracle in the book of Jonah, they immediately think of Jonah surviving in the belly of a fish in Chapter Two. This is obviously miraculous. But I would argue that even more miraculous is what happens in Chapter Three. Today’s passage records one of the greatest revivals—if not the greatest revival—in the history of the world.

The first five words of the Chapter are the exact same as the first five words of Chapter One: “The word of the Lord came to Jonah.” The only part of the verse that’s different: it came “the second time.” Jonah has a second chance. This is the story we see over and over again in the Bible—the God who gives second chances. There is not one person in Scripture, apart from Jesus, who doesn’t need a second chance at some point. Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul . . . you, me. God is a God of second chances. He graciously and lovingly pursues His people, even when we are disobedient to Him.

That’s what we see play out in Chapter Three, not just with Jonah but with the people of Nineveh as well. As Jonah arrives in the City and proclaims the message God gives him—just an eight-word sermon—we see God extending a second chance. And the people believe! They repent. From the greatest to the least, from the king to the livestock, the whole city turns to God, fasts for their sins, and pleads for God’s mercy. This was an all-out, all-encompassing, national revival.

What are we to take away from this miraculous turn of events and God’s response to them?

• God relents when we repent. God hates sin and evil. God also hates the consequences of sin and evil. He was set to bring judgment upon the City of Nineveh . . . until they repented. Then, He relented. To be clear, this is not God changing His mind. His will was settled: Nineveh was going to be destroyed because of their sin. Yet in His mercy, He sent a mediator—Jonah—to offer them a second chance. Isn’t this the gospel? In our sin, you and I stand under the judgment of God, deserving the consequences of our sin. But praise God, He sent a mediator—not named Jonah, but named Jesus. When you and I repent and believe, God relents of the eternal wrath that we deserve. So repent! Turn from your sin today, right now. It will lead you downward to calamity and destruction. Turn from it, either for the first time or in a fresh way today. Do what the king of Nineveh did. Believe and trust that God knows better than you what is best for your life. Repent and God will relent.
• We are called to call others to repent. Saved from the belly of the fish, Jonah uses his second chance to urge the people of Nineveh to turn to God. Years later, we see the same thing happen within the early church. Once saved, they proclaim the message from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth: repent! Repent and be saved! This is the message we have been given to proclaim in our cities, on our school campuses, within our workplaces, and throughout our neighborhoods. Three billion people in the world haven’t heard this message. Let’s change that. Let’s preach the gospel. Let’s see nations, peoples, tribes, cities, communities, campuses, families, men, women, boys, and girls transformed by the Word of God, the love of God, and the power of God. Let’s see the nations repent and God relent in ways that resound to their eternal good and His eternal glory. When we repent and receive God’s mercy, we are then called to call others to do the same.