The People of Nineveh Believe

Topic: Repentance
Passage: Jonah 3:5–10

December 5, 2021

Commentary

In these verses we see the consequence of obedience.

  1. Repentance (vv. 5-9) – These verses record the response that Jonah’s message received. The people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth. When the message came to the king’s attention he even took off his robe and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the ashes. Also, he caused it to be proclaimed throughout Nineveh that every man and beast was to be covered with sackcloth, and cry unto God. The response of the city was immediate. Two outward signs of repentance were demonstrated by the Ninevites; fasting and putting on sackcloth. The young and the old, the famous and the insignificant all believed God and demonstrated their repentance with these outward signs. The King’s order to put sackcloth on the animals (v. 8) showed how intense the King’s desire for total repentance was. Some people today are upset by “hellfire and brimstone” preaching and claim that it does great harm. They say that it creates fear and feelings of guilt. It is true that this may be the product of judgment preaching, but who is to say whether this is all bad.
  2. Deliverance (v. 10) – Certainly the scriptures teach that the citizens of Nineveh repented. God did not change His intentions toward the Ninevites. Rather, they changed in their attitude toward Him. As a result God could deal with them in grace, rather than in judgment. Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."  Luke 5:32

Application

Despite the wickedness of the Ninevites they were open to God’s message and repented. If I simply proclaim what I know about God, I may be surprised at how many people will listen and what He will do in their hearts and lives.

Jonah 3:5– 10 (NET)

5 The people of Nineveh believed in God, and they declared a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes. 7 He issued a proclamation and said, “In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles: No human or animal, cattle or sheep, is to taste anything; they must not eat and they must not drink water. 8 Every person and animal must put on sackcloth and must cry earnestly to God, and everyone must turn from their evil way of living and from the violence that they do. 9 Who knows? Perhaps God might be willing to change his mind and relent and turn from his fierce anger so that we might not die.” 10 When God saw their actions—that they turned from their evil way of living. —God relented concerning the judgment he had threatened them with and did not destroy them.