Lesson 4 – Having a Heart of Repentance

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:

2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."

1. (verses 1-2) Why did God repeat his instruction to Jonah? Share about a time when God had to repeat his instructions to you.

These verses don’t say that Jonah hesitated to go to Nineveh again, but it shows us God’s patience that he should repeat his command to Jonah. It is like God is saying, Yes Jonah, you have been disobedient and rebellious, but I still love you and you still are my minister which I have chosen. Sometimes God must repeat his instructions to us because we don’t listen the first time, and this can certainly be said of Jonah. However, other times God repeats his instruction to us to assure us that he really wants to use us. This could also apply to Jonah.

John Calvin writes, "There is here set before us a remarkable proof of God’s grace, – that he was pleased to bestow on Jonah his former dignity and honor. He was indeed unworthy of the common light, but God not only restored him to life, but favored him again with the office and honor of a prophet."

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city – a visit required three days.

2. (verse 3) What do you think is the main reason Jonah obeyed the Lord this time? What is the main reason you obey the Lord? What do you think the phrase "a visit required three days (KJV - "three days’ journey") means?

There could have been many reasons for Jonah to obey this time – fear of retribution, desire to keep his vow, or maybe he had finally learned his lesson. But another possibility is that Jonah realized how much God cared for him by sparing his life, and this time he was willing to be used out of gratitude.

4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned."

3. (verse 4) How much of the city would Jonah have reached in the first day? Why would God send this message?

If Nineveh took three days to traverse, Jonah’s first day would be limited to the first portion of the city or perhaps one of the outlying villages. He did not reach the whole city the first day. The message Jonah preached is that in forty days Nineveh would be overturned. I’m sure there was more to Jonah’s sermon than this, but this is what he emphasized. Perhaps he also related his own story of rebellion and being thrown overboard. He probably explained to the Ninevites about the Lord he served. No doubt he pointed out their sinfulness and wicked behavior. But whatever the message, God was sending the message to Nineveh, not to destroy the city, but to give the people a chance to repent. This is a marvelous example of God’s mercy to even the Gentiles in the Old Testament. There are many other times that the Gentiles are mentioned in promises of Old Testament scripture. And there are many Gentiles who were recipients of God’s mercy in the Old Testament. God is not a respector of persons. He loves all people the same. He cared as much about the Ninevites as he did about the Hebrews.

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

4. (verse 5) Why do you think they were so ready to receive Jonah’s message? What does putting on sackcloth indicate? What things in our city or our lives should cause us to put on sackcloth and repent?

Many explanations have been given why the Ninevites may have been receptive to receive Jonah’s message. But the main reason they received the message was God touched their hearts and revealed himself to the people. Jonah had been sent there because God was ready to do a work in the lives of these heathen. He cared for them that much. God will do a work in our lives even though we may not be serving him. He loves us that much.

The Believer’s Bible Commentary points out that before Jonah was sent to the city in the reign of Semiramis, there had been a swing to monotheism. Hanah suggests that Jonah arrived during the reign of Ashur-dan III and immediately before his arrival there had been two famines and a total solar eclipse all within the space of six years! This may have caused the Ninevites to consider these events as omens of bad things to come. MacDonald suggests that one of the reasons the Ninevites were receptive to Jonah’s message is that Jonah proclaimed to them about the great fish which deposited him on dry ground. According to MacDonald the Nivevites worshipped Dagon, the fish god, and so would be willing to listen to his message. But once they heard his message, they repented to the one true God. God could use all these events to help prepare the hearts of the Ninevites to hear Jonah’s message, but it was the Holy Spirit that convicted them of their sin and led them to true repentance.

The people of the city were so moved by Jonah’s message that they called for a fast and put on sackcloth. This was a course material which sacks were made of. It usually was worn during a time of mourning, but often in scripture it is put on to mourn for sin or coming judgement as in Joel 1:13-15. The people of Nineveh put on the sackcloth as a sign of their sorrow for their sin and their repentance before God.

6 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.

5. (verse 6) What does this verse tell us about the king’s concern for the people? What did sitting down in the dust (KJV - "ashes") indicate? How do you need to be more humble and contrite before God?

Apparently, by the second day the news of Jonah’s message reached the king. He heard of the coming doom and about his people’s repentance. It seems that he cared for his people greatly. He immediately sat down in the dust, which was a sign of humility. He realized that much of the sin and wickedness of the city was his responsibility. I’m sure God had already been working on his heart. Perhaps there were captive Hebrew slaves who had been witnessing to the king and his court about God’s judgements in time past. Perhaps some had even entreated the king against some of the abuses and violence practiced in the city. Whatever the reason, the king identified with his people and was willing to join them in repentance. He was willing to sit in the dust – to humble himself and be contrite before God. Are we as willing? Let us be like the Ninevites and turn from our sinfulness and our apathy to serve the living God with all of our heart. Let us humble ourselves before him and allow God to renew our spirits.

7 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.

6. (verses 7-8) After the king’s time of contrition, what did he do? How can we call on our city to call urgently to God? How can we get our city to give up their evil ways and their violence?

The king called on the whole city to pray. And the whole city responded. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone could call our whole city to prayer – and the whole city would respond? The king accepted his role as leader of his people. Let us pray that our political, business, and religious leaders will accept their leadership role and lead our cities, our regions, and our nation in prayer.

Pusey points out, "The cry or proclamation of the king corresponded with the cry of Jonah. Where the Prophet’s cry, calling to repentance, had reached, the proclamation of the king followed, obeying."

9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish."

7. (verse 9) Where do you think the king gained this understanding of God’s mercy? How has God been merciful to you?

Do you understand God’s mercy? Do you realize that the Lord wants to forgive you and restore you? He calls on us to repent with a contrite heart, and he will show us his mercy.

William Cowper in the late 1700’s wrote this poem:

Light Shining out of Darkness

God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill

He treasures up His bright designs,

And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning Providence

He hides a smiling face.

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.

8. (verse 10) Did God change his mind? Why do you think God would do this for one of Israel’s enemies?

Some might think that God changed his mind. After all, didn’t he promise that Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days? But I believe that this is exactly what God had planned all along. He knew that these people would be open to receive his message. He wanted to spare the city and bless the people.

Pusey remarks, "It was no common repentance. It was the penitence, which our Lord sets forth as the pattern of true repentance before His Coming. ‘The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold a greater than Jonah is here.’ They believed in the One God, before unknown to them; they humbled themselves; they were not ashamed to repent publicly; they used great strictness with themselves; but, what Scripture chiefly dwells upon, their repentance was not only in profession, in belief, in outward act, but in the fruit of genuine works of repentance, a changed life out of a changed heart."

The amazing thing when we think about it is that God showed his mercy to one of Israel’s hated enemies. This is why Jonah had been so reluctant to go to Nineveh. But God loves all people, even the ones whom we may despise or look down upon. I’m sure the early church despised Saul who was ruthlessly persecuting the church. But God loved him. And just as the warning to Nineveh was given by Jonah, so the warning to Saul was given on the road to Damascus. And just as Nineveh repented, so did Saul. Who are your enemies? Who do you despise? God loves them so much that he might even send you to bring the message of repentance!