“Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” Jonah 3:8b-9 NIV
These words were uttered by the king of Nineveh after learning, through the preaching of Jonah, that God was planning to judge the city in 40 days. Nineveh was a very violent, wicked city! It was certainly not a place you would expect to see people seeking God in fasting and prayer, yet when they heard the preaching of Jonah, they responded exactly the way God desired.
The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. Jonah 3:35 NIV
When the people of Nineveh were confronted with the truth, they believed it. They humbled themselves, fasted and put on sackcloth, a sign of mourning and repentance. Sin is a universal problem; we all sin. What differentiates us from one another is how we respond when God confronts us with the truth about our sin. Do we humble ourselves and repent? Do we believe God and take the time to fast and pray?
Notice that the least to the greatest responded the same way. All wanted to seek God’s forgiveness, even the king.
When Jonah’s warning 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. Jonah 3:6 NIV
The king removed his royal robes. Those robes represented his authority and power. Funny how sin has a way of leveling all men. We all battle the same enemy, the one intent on destroying us and separating us from God. Our human “authority” carries no weight in the spiritual realm. The king of Nineveh had to humble himself and repent of his sin just like the poor pauper on the street. Imagine the king of such an important city removing his robes and sitting on the ground in the dust. What a great visual of what sin does to each on of us. It strips us of our power and renders us helpless. Any authority or good standing we have is surrendered when we give in to temptation and sin against our God!
Yet herein lies our hope:
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. Jonah 3:10 NIV
Think about the story of Jonah. His sin was no better than the evil committed by the people living in Nineveh. He rebelled against God and went his own way. Yet God had mercy on Jonah too.
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” Jonah 2:1-2 NIV
Sin may not land you in the belly of a great fish, but it will always lead you into a place of distress. It always takes you deep into the realm of the dead, because sin sucks the very life out of us! But God, as Jonah understood, is gracious, compassionate and forgiving! When Jonah called to God for help, God listened to his cry. When the people of Nineveh humbled themselves and turned from their sin, God forgave them and did not send the punishment they deserved. His mercy and grace are available to you and I as well. If you find yourself in a difficult place because of sinful choices you have made, call out to God, make the necessary changes, and accept the fresh start He offers you. Don’t wait another day, the cost of sin is just too high!