Eternal Perspectives

A Pew(ny) Commentary

It was my contention, in a previous post of this series, that Jonah’s prayer to God fell short of biblical repentance. Whether or not you agree with my position has little bearing on the messages of Chapter Three of this remarkable look into the life of a patriotic, petulant prophet sent to preach a message of judgment to a wicked city in an evil country.

Before reading this present chapter, it is important to understand the difference between a missionary and a prophet. Missionaries, both in biblical times and today, were sent to deliver a message of good news and salvation to people in various places. They brought with them hope and the prospect of life.

Not so with the prophets. These mouthpieces for God, usually sent to God’s own people in Israel, Judah, or both, were sent to deliver a message that was unwelcomed by its recipients. Prophetic messages typically announced God’s displeasure and pending judgment on the people and the land. To have a prophet suddenly show up in your city or town was a bad tiding, indeed.

Chapter Three

How much time has transpired since Jonah was – literally – thrown up on some shore of the Mediterranean is not known. There is no reason to conclude that the prophet immediately went northeast to Nineveh; in fact, it is likely that he instead went to Jerusalem to pay the vow he had made upon his deliverance from the storm via the great fish (Jonah 2:9).

1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,
2 ‘Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.’
3 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.
4 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.’”

Jonah is sometimes pointed to as evidence of a “second chance” that God in His grace grants to rebellious children. That may be: it is true that Yahweh does forgive and offer additional opportunties to do the right thing, but it would be presumptuous for any true believer to sin now with the intention of obeying later. God is under no obligation to extend a second chance and frequently chooses someone else if we balk or refuse. Just because Jonah got a second chance does not give us any assurance that we will have a similar chance. To play now and pay later is a risky course of action to pursue.

As alluded to previously, Jonah may have been in Jerusalem when Yahweh commissioned him again and commanded him to go to Nineveh to announce His judgment. I, for one, would like to think that God waited for the prophet to return to the temple and fulfill the promise made while covered in the slime of gastric juices from the belly of a fish.

It is easy to make promises to God when all appears to be lost and there is nowhere to turn – who has not done that when in the belly of the beast? – but quite another thing to keep the vows when we’re back on the beach with the sun in our face and the wind in our hair. Good intentions often yield to procrastination and forgetfulness at such times. Once God saw Jonah keep his commitment, perhaps it was then that He spoke to the prophet again to send him on the long journey from Jerusalem to Assyria.

But even if the prophet was back in Joppa (assuming that’s where he was spat out), Jonah’s destination was still approximately 550 miles away. Given that the caravans that travelled the route covered only 20-25 miles a day, it would have take Jonah a month to reach Nineveh and even longer if he was coming from Jerusalem. It is tempting to imagine what might have transpired during those weeks and days on the trail, as well as what the sailors were doing subsequent to the storm.

Undoubtedly the sailors, having thrown their cargo overboard in attempt to save the ship from the storm, returned to Joppa to explain what had happened and to hopefully secure another shipment. The story of the storm, the rebellious prophet, and the sudden calmness of the sea once Jonah was jettisoned would have spread throughout the town and countryside. Already known in Israel, Jonah’s reputation would have been spreading through the area as one whose presence presented a risk to those around him. At the same time, the people would have recognized that Jonah was an important person to his God and that his God was a powerful, always present reality.

Whether or not any in Jonah’s caravan – or any travelling companions if he did not join a caravan for the long and dangerous trip – had previously heard of the Jonah’s adventure, certainly some would have learned along the way. The prophet himself may have told others about his call, waywardness, and re-commissioning. If so, it is likely that the news of Jonah’s journey to Nineveh would have preceeded his arrival at the city.

If this was the case – and the preceding is admittedly conjecture – then the people would have been keenly aware of and prepared to listen to this Jew who entered the city gates. They would have known who he was by reputation and, more importantly, understood that he was a representative of a god who controlled not only the local area (as most gods at the time supposedly did) but was big enough and powerful enough to control the seas and rescue a man thrown overboard during a storm.

If this episode had transpired in a Clint Eastwood western, then the music and racket would have stopped immediately when Jonah stepped through the swinging doors of the saloon. All would have turned to see him and to wonder what he was going to do or say. He would have been a larger-than-life figure.

5 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.
6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.
7 He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water.
8 “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.”

Many commentators cite various factors that may have contributed to Nineveh’s quick repentance at the preaching of Jonah. The Assyrians were being threatened by small but aggressive tribes on their northern borders and, to the south, Babylon was beginning to grow in size and power. Perhaps the omens at the time had already indicated that their situation was perilous or, being desperate, the people of Nineveh were willing to try anything to escape danger. One source reports:

The Ninevites believed that Jonah’s message was a message from a god who was likely to do as he threatened. That conclusion would have been reached by comparing Jonah’s message to the message of the omens. Omens were observations made in the natural world that were believed to be related to what the gods were doing in the historical realm.

Searching for external factors, while valid, should not diminish the bare fact that the Spirit of God wrought repentance in the hearts of the people from the king on down. The power of the Spirit through God’s word on the lips of a less-than-willing prophet caused the change, not anything else.

It is significant, too, that the king uses the general term for God (Elohim) rather than the personal name (Yahweh). The latter occurs throughout the book but never on the lips of any of the Ninevites or Assyrians. The people did not come to a saving knowledge of Yahweh, it seems, but nevertheless repented of their evil ways and thus were spared His immediate judgment and wrath.

9 “Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

I am surprised (and find it remarkable) that God accepted the partial repentance of this nation of unbelievers and stayed His hand – at least until the days of Nahum. What God did is not really remarkable, of course, since we know that God judges people according to what they know rather than according to an unknown, higher standard (Rom 2:6-16). No, what is remarkable to me is that I was surprised: I know these things about God but sometimes fail to keep them in mind as I read about His interactions with us.

This king, much like Jonah (as we will discover in the next chapter), had hope that the threat would be eliminated by their contrition and change of behavior. It is probable, however, that they were seeking to appease an angry God and not desirous of behaving in a way that was consistent with His character. Angry gods had to be placated and self-denial and self-inflicted punishment was sometimes used to move the gods to action (see, for example, the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel – 1 Kings 18:28-29).

This is a little too familiar for my liking. Like the worshipers of Baal and this Assyrian king, I am prone to pledge good (or better) behavior if only God will relent and either give me what I want or spare me from what I deserve. Everytime we do this, it reflects an underlying belief that God’s mercy and grace are dependent upon our actions rather than being expressions of His character.

God is not any more or less inclined to care or discipline me because I have promised to “be good.” I can – and should – come to Him and ask for His mercy and grace without feeling as though I can merit it somehow. It is my faith in Him and in His character that moves Him, not my trust in my own actions or sincerity. God’s goodness is separate and free from me and anything I do or promise to do. He will be merciful or not based on who He is, not because of who I am.