how long did nineveh repentance last

Jonah had compassion for a plant which existed for a day. “But they deserve to die,” you protest. The question is, “What is it that we are to feel uncomfortable about?” The third and fourth chapters expose a very serious sin in Jonah, which is just as common today. The response was unanimous, from the lower to the upper classes. Nineveh was a ‘three-day-visit city’. Nineveh, the oldest and most-populous city of the ancient Assyrian empire, situated on the east bank of the Tigris River and encircled by the modern city of Mosul, Iraq. It says they believed God, thus revealing the genuine nature of their faith. The problem was not one of evidence at all, a problem which would be solved by some compelling sign. Is there any historical evidence for the repentance of Nineveh? The outer city circumscribed 60 miles. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”. John 7:49). in 1971. Jonah’s prophecy to the nation Israel, as recorded in 2 Kings, was the promise of prosperity, in spite of the nation’s sins. 4 comments. When I read the third and fourth chapters of the book of Jonah, I get that same feeling that I had when I observed our cat stalking HeHaw. Amos. Jonah’s major grievance with God was His grace. Jonah was headed in the opposite direction! Jonah is not hesitant to explain, and so he prays this prayer of protest: “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? This is the reason for my subtitle for this message: “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” In chapters 1 & 2, Jonah’s sin is apparent, but it is still somewhat subtle and passive. It is by faith in Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven and we are declared righteous in God’s sight. Apart from his saving grace, we are all sinners, who deserve God’s wrath and should be cast out of the presence of a holy and righteous God. It is the “sign” of Jonah’s three day entombment in the great fish, from which he is released, alive. 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. Imagine, for example, that God called you to devote your life to finding a cure for AIDS, or to give your life in ministry to the victims of AIDS. At that time, Nineveh was the largest city in the world and the capital of Assyria.This all came to an abrupt end when Nabopolassar, the Chaldean king of Babylonia and a … And by this standard, all Ninevites should perish, according to the prodigal prophet.) 53 And they did not receive Him, because He was journeying with His face toward Jerusalem. Grace, because it is unmerited, and is bestowed upon those who are unworthy, has no one who can claim it. Either way, the prophecy of Jonah 3:4 would have been completely and literally fulfilled, because He once again begged God to die. In chapter 2, Jonah prayed that God would save his life, but in chapter 4, Jonah prayed that God would take his life. So revival was delayed for a long time while he fled to Tarshish (cf. He knew that only the undeserving received grace, and he and his people were not in need of divine handouts. The recipients of grace, those to whom grace is bestowed, are those who are undeserving and unworthy. There was yet another lesson which the book of Jonah had for the Israelites of Jesus’ day. The “passing” of a plant has no real significance; the death of the people of Nineveh was the outpouring of divine wrath. With one swift kick, the cat was launched into an orbit that sent it flying, landing a fair distance away. (5) The Means of Grace. vv. These were considered signs of divine anger and may help explain why the Ninevites responded so readily to Jonah’s message, around 759.” John Hannah, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), Vol. It was located at the intersection of important trade routes and its proximity to the Tigris added to the value of the fertile lands in the district. Dispensationalists (among whom I would include myself) must be very careful to avoid giving the impression that God deals with men today by means of grace, and dealt with people in the Old Testament by some other means. Likewise, because grace is sovereignly bestowed, God can provide a plant for Jonah, and then take it away. God did answer Jonah’s prayer that He would save him from drowning, but not with the most plush and pleasurable means possible. We once had a Siamese cat that didn’t have the sense to back away from danger. It says they believed God, thus revealing the genuine nature of their faith. Send via email. 1, Old Testament, p. 1462. Even Christian Jews drug their feet in the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles (cf. Now Jonah reveals why he actually ran from God in the first place. The very nature of grace made it repulsive to Jonah. The Matthew text certainly seems to square with the Book of Jonah. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and the Assyrian empire had only grown more mighty and more wicked since the time of Jonah. Jonah is angry with God again, now in regard to the plant and the worm. 10:3; 1 Chron. (1) Jonah was angry with God. And should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” (4:10-11). Library Home > Things New and Old > Things New and Old: Volume 23 > Nineveh's Repentance. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and the Assyrian empire had only grown more mighty and more wicked since the time of Jonah. Q. The inevitable happened, the cat transgressed the boundary established by the burro. These are not the only elements necessary for revival, but they are essential: Revival requires those who will go and who will warn the lost of the impending wrath of God on sinners. 1:9; 2:1; Titus 2:11). Who assisted in the attacked against the Philistines and Arabians. The population of the city of Nineveh, perhaps including its “suburbs,” was exceedingly large (cf. When the king of Nineveh heard this news, he arose from his throne, took off his robe, dressed himself in sackcloth and sat in ashes. Library Home > Things New and Old > Things New and Old: Volume 23 > Nineveh's Repentance. It should have called Jonah’s attention to the utter sinfulness of being angry with God in the first place. Last week we covered a little on Nineveh and why Jonah would not have wanted to go. Around 631 B.C., the Assyrians dominated many kingdoms that were located in the Middle… If God intended to destroy Nineveh, why would He announce to them that He was going to do so? The Ninevites immediately repented at the preaching of Jonah, even though there was far less evidence than that which the Israelites of Jesus’ day had witnessed. Have you ever wondered how much time you spend on LoL ? A deep conviction of sin and the motivation to be saved is rooted in the proclamation of the fact that men are sinners, destined to face the wrath of God. Furthermore, the book of Jonah confronts us with what is perhaps the foremost enemy of evangelism and revival—a smug self-righteousness which detests the grace of God, and which expects and demands God’s blessings for us, but not for others. His happiness was short-lived, however, for on the following day a divinely appointed worm came to do its work, which resulted in the destruction of the plant. God cared for that which He had made, so much so that He purposed to bless men through the offspring of Abraham, so much so that He would send His Son to die for men. Define Repentance. The reason is simple, I believe. Therefore, in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that Thou art a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; 10 but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face” (Deut 7:6-10, emphasis mine). Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. (4) God had compassion on the innocent; Jonah did not. The problem of the scribes and Pharisees was the same as Jonah’s, and thus no evidence could change their willful rejection. What many people today, call "Jonah's fast", can also be called "Nineveh's fast" because we don't commemorate only Jonah in the belly of the whale, but we also commemorate the repentance of the people of Nineveh.The Holy Bible does not tell us exactly how many days the people of Nineveh fasted. << Jonah 3: The Repentance of Nineveh >> 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." The reason for the sacking of Israel by the Assyrians is now obvious. Jonah had compassion on the plant, but not on people or their cattle. But in what way? Here is Jonah in Nineveh alone against the world. They even put sackcloth on their animals (verse 8). They prayed frequently and fervently; Jonah did not. Grace is not given to make us happy, to make us feel good, to give us pleasure, but to bring us into fellowship with Himself. The contrast between the Master and the servant in the book of Jonah is very wonderful. He had not made it, nor had he contributed to its growth. God is not committed to our pleasure, but to our piety. 4:16). The grace of God has been revealed to men in the person of Jesus Christ, who promises all who will believe the gracious gift of eternal life. Many of us are just like Jonah. They were self-righteous. This thread is archived. Nineveh’s Sudden Repentance (vv. Surely those who have become the recipients of God’s grace should be the first to seek to show and to share that grace to others. Leonard Ravenhill wrote a good book titled, Why Revival Tarries (Bethany House Publishers, 1988 edition of the 1959 original). Along with the worm, which brought the demise of the plant, God sent a scorching wind, which caused Jonah great discomfort. The book does not leave us with a warm fuzzy feeling, like we might wish it did. Let us never view God’s past dealings with men as anything less than gracious. Acts 22:19-23). 3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” 4 And the LORD said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”, 5 Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. E. Wigram, "we have many a mile to travel before we are really clear of the site of ancient Nineveh, for the space comprised within its walls was only its inner nucleus; and without was a great garden city of mansions and parks and orchards. Because of their repentance and turning from wicked ways, God did not deliver the calamity He had planned for Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-10). 7 And 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. When we serve, we serve by grace (Eph. On this day, 2,632 years ago, the ancient metropolis of Nineveh fell. The inner city was surrounded by walls 8 miles long. Notice what happened when Jonah preached: The Ninevites believed God (v. 5). It may have been that the sailors preceded Jonah, and gave a report of the miracle which had taken place. sorrow for doing wrong and tuning from wrong doing. Thus, He often uses painful means to bring us to holiness. What did the Son of God mean when He said, “The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here”? In chapter 1, Jonah simply sought to withdraw from God’s service, but in chapter 4, Jonah attacks God, persisting that it is his right to be angry with Him. Is divine healing a gift of God’s grace? Jonah 3:5-9 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth… So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them, etc. Whenever God takes away some blessing from us, which we think He has no right to remove. 19:3. The goal of grace, the purpose for which it is given, is holiness, not happiness. Instead of traveling to the northeast, Jonah went down to the seaport of Joppa, where he boarded a ship headed to Tarshish, apparently on the coast of Spain. Had Jonah been any other prophet in the history of Israel, he would have been overjoyed with the results of his ministry, the repentance of the great city of Nineveh. He, like the worm, seemed to find greater fulfillment in the destruction of God’s creations than in bringing pleasure, as the plant brought shade and enjoyment to Jonah. So revival was delayed for a long time while he fled to Tarshish (cf. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. It is particularly interesting to note that there was apparently no need for the people to be told what their wicked ways were. (1) Jonah had compassion on a plant; God had compassion on people. Salvation is God’s grace to sinful men, the forgiveness of sins and the provision of eternal life (cf. On the other hand, God cared for people, people who had greatly sinned and who had offended Him. Not only did Jonah typify the spiritual state of Israel in his own day, he also prototyped the self-righteousness of many Israelites, especially the religious leaders, at the time of the first coming of Christ. But their repentance was primarily inward. He did not want to preach judgment to the people of Nineveh. Previous cities like Asshur and Calah were ancient capitals of Assyria, but NINEVEH became most famous in the seventh century BC. If this first chapter revealed anything, it dramatically contrasted Jonah with the heathen sailors. 1:1-2, emphasis mine). what was the capital city of Assyria. a. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. Jonah cared for something that cost him nothing. But in the final analysis, it is self-righteous. Just as God is gracious to us, so we must be gracious to others, especially to the undeserving: the cruel and those who are our enemies, who would persecute and despitefully use us. … 17 Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ 18 But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:11-14, 17-18, emphasis mine). Only after God thwarted their diligent efforts to get Jonah to shore did the sailors consent to do as Jonah had instructed them. God warned the Israelites that when they entered the land of Canaan and began to experience His material blessings, the blessings of His grace, that they would be tempted to take credit for their prosperity: 11 “Beware lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12 lest, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, 14 then your heart becomes proud, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. FAITH AND REPENTANCE; OR, GOD'S MESSAGE AND NINEVEH'S RESPONSE. Download RTF (editable) Print. Our landlord kept a burro named HeHaw in a pasture next to our house. Jonah 1:2). Scholars have long noted the … It was founded by an eponymous Ninnus. Let me simply point out that Jonah expected God to do so (4:2), and the Ninevites at least hoped He would do so (3:9). God now presses His point, to show the self-centered nature of Jonah’s “compassion,” especially when contrasted with His compassion of the people of Nineveh. The religious leaders felt that they were worthy of Jesus’ time and presence, and that the “sinners” deserved nothing but the wrath of God (cp. He was disobedient to the command of God; they obeyed what God told them to do through Jonah. Jonah was also the recipient of the grace of God, and yet it is for being gracious that Jonah protests against Him, even to the point of preferring death to life. 1 But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. 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. Then God is free to give it to whomever He chooses, to a believer or an unbeliever, and He is also free to withhold it from one who asks for it, or claims it in faith. Says one Anglican clergyman who ministered in the district for the major part of his life during the last years of the 19th century, Rev. All sinners deserve to die (the wages of sin is death), which includes every one of us. The plant which God gave to Jonah made him “extremely happy,” we are told (4:6), but it did nothing to make him holy. What do we know about the city of Nineveh from the book of Jonah itself (cf. As we dig into the first chapter of Jonah we see he did turn away from God’s calling and fled the opposite direction and got on a boat towards Tarshish. Share on Twitter. We are eternally secure in the grace of God (Romans 5:12). What was Nineveh wickedness? The Repentance of Nineveh. Jonah 3 – Jonah Preaches Repentance in Nineveh, the City Repents A. Jonah’s ministry in Nineveh. WEB: The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. In the final analysis Jonah was not angry with himself, or with men, but with the holy, righteous, perfect God. It isn't for another 150 years (think the time between now and the American Civil War) that Nahum is writing. HeHaw was pregnant, which made her even more cantankerous than ever. (Remember, it would be the descendants of this generation of Ninevites which would take Israel captive.) Only by believing that God’s blessing must be merited. At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it, if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. When Jonah entered the great city of Nineveh, he called the whole city to repentance. One would think that they might be inclined to act in accordance with the expression, “Eat, drink, and make merry, for tomorrow (or 40 days) we may die.” Nineveh’s motivation for putting off the wickedness of the city is described in verse 9: “Who knows, God may turn and relent, and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish?” (3:9). As Stephen put the matter, “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?” (Acts 7:52a). Shamash Gate; Eastern city wall and Shamash Gate. Only by supposing that he deserved the plant, by thinking that God owed him the comfort of the plant. “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. Failure, suffering, and adversity are often the result of God’s grace, for when these things come into the life of the Christian they are for the purpose of displaying the grace of God, to us, to others, and even to the heavenly host. If the Ninevites could repent with so little evidence, then surely the problem with the Jewish leaders, the scribes and Pharisees, was not a lack of evidence. (5) Jonah had compassion on himself; God had compassion for others. He then proclaimed that no one in the city would be allowed to taste anything, and that no sheep, oxen or any other livestock would be allowed to graze or drink water. What I wish to vehemently reject is the contention that God must heal, if we but have the faith to claim it. Likewise, I believe that it is our self-righteousness, pride, and selfishness which hinders us from telling the lost of the salvation which God offers all who repent and who believe on His Son for salvation. 72% Upvoted. The eternal judgment and damnation of people is vastly more important than the withering of a plant. In no uncertain terms, Jonah reiterated his right to be angry with his God: “I have good reason to be angry, even to death” (4:9). The text of Nahum provides additional clues regarding God’s anger with the Ninevites. The burro looked threateningly at the cat, but neither Jeannette nor I had any intention of getting around the backside of that burrow to retrieve our cat, so w… For the same reason that Jonah was angry with God. Long before Jesus gave His life for our salvation, there was a need for repentance, and even Gentile nations were offered a chance to repent. In chapter 3 we see the whole city of Nineveh repenting (the sackcloth and ashes included the animals). This is no surprise to the reader, but it was a great disappointment to Jonah. God caused a plant to grow, the shade of which gave Jonah great comfort (4:6). This revival seems to have begun from “the bottom up,” rather than being imposed from “the top down.” The people, we are told, believed in God. Jonah was willing for the entire city to perish in great pain, even though there would be many innocent victims, including 120,000 people and many cattle. The king then made a proclamation which required all of Nineveh to fast, and to abstain from drinking water (3:7). Let us remember, too, that God’s grace does not always come in the form which we might choose or prefer. It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Ninevites, from the supreme king to his subjects, all fasted, wore sackcloth, forsook the violence in their hands and turned away from their evil ways, and strived together in their repentance and confession before Jehovah God and no longer sinned or resisted God. In theology and emphasis, however, Jonah’s psalm falls far short of the biblical pattern and ideal. Just like the seamen of chapter 1, the people of Nineveh took these words of imminent divine judgment seriously. Send via email. 19 “Before Jonah arrived at this seemingly inpregnable fortress-city, two plagues had erupted there (in 765 and 759 B.C.) Blaikie . Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. In that book Ravenhill cried out, Oh! The Repentance of Nineveh’s King Wins Jehovah God’s Commendation. When Jonah declared to the people of Nineveh that God was going to destroy them for their wickedness, everyone from the king on down responded with repentance, fasting, and sackcloth and ashes (Jonah 3:5–7). 4:7ff. (1) The Nature and the Origin of Grace. Our Lord’s reference to the repentance of the Ninevites is particularly informative, and confirms our observations: Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Worse yet, the cat began to stalk the burro. hide. An average player has spent 832 hours on League of Legends and 8.468.557 players took the test. 6When 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. Indeed, more so, for while the Ninevites had repented, Jonah had not. At the same time, they were casting all the cargo overboard. Nineveh continued to lead nations into idolatry (Nah 3:4). The actions of Nineveh's last defenders could be seen in the hastily built mudbrick construction which narrowed the passageway from 4 to 2 metres (13 to 7 ft). ; 1 Peter 4:10), and we live by the standards of grace (Ephesians 4:29; Colossians 4:6). Take careful note of the term “lovingkindness” which is found in verse 9 above, for this is the basis for God’s kindness to Israel, just as it was the basis for God’s kindness to the Ninevites (Jon. Only when I read these words today did I come to understand that these superficial behaviors actually did not represent sincere repentance, and for this reason, I often failed to gain God’s mercy. E. Wigram, "we have many a mile to travel before we are really clear of the site of ancient Nineveh, for the space comprised within its walls was only its inner nucleus; and without was a great garden city of mansions and parks and orchards.

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