Seeking for the truth
© 2004 -
The message of Jonah:
Both the books of Jonah and Nahum had Nineveh, the Assyrian city, as there focal point.
In Jonah we see the mercy of God reaching out to this city.
They didn't deserve His mercy.
But God sent the prophet Jonah to Nineveh to preach to them.
The only thing we are told about this message, was that he said:
"Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." Jonah 3:4 (NIV)
But it had the desired effect, because the people turned away from their sin, and turned to God.
And the king said:
"Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger
so that we will not perish." Jonah 3:9 (NIV)
We can see God's motive by looking at what Jonah said later:
Jonah 4:2 (NIV) "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
a God who relents from sending calamity."
We see more of these motives when we hear what God said in Jonah 4:11
"But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people
who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well.
Should I not be concerned about that great city?"
Basically the Lord had issued a warning, which went something like this:
"Stop doing wrong and evil things, and turn to God, because if you don't, condemnation and judgement will follow."
It was a harsh word to them, but the people listened, and turned from their wicked ways.
So Jonah's message was good news to them -
Do we see the preaching of the gospel -
This is the good news:
God in His mercy is reaching out to people now.
He is warning them to stop living their self centred, greedy lives, and to lay aside their idols.
He is telling them to turn to Him, for the Lord Jesus Christ has shown the way to heaven.
And perhaps this is the bit we don`t like, if people don't turn to Him they are condemned to eternal misery.
Whale image: thanks to Serif ART Gallery CD
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