The people of Nineveh believed in God, and they declared a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
Into the Text
How many times have you said or thought of someone you know, “They’ll never change. What’s the point?” It can be exhausting to hope for something different in a person when they’ve never shown any sign of a desire to change. Jonah felt this strongly when he finally made it to Nineveh.
Even though Jonah just had this incredible experience of salvation from God, we see that his attitude toward the people of Nineveh hasn’t changed at all. We read in verse four that Jonah proclaimed a message of repentance to the Ninevhites. In Hebrew, the message was only five words. As we’ll see tomorrow, Jonah secretly hoped that God would not be merciful with this wicked nation.
Here’s the thing. When we proclaim the gospel, it is not about us. It’s not about how eloquent, winsome, or persuasive we can be. It’s not about how long our message is. It’s about God and the Holy Spirit’s movement in a person’s heart. God can use anyone and any moment to open a person’s eyes to the truth of the gospel. After all, Jonah’s message was quite short. Yet, God, in His kindness, still chose to use Jonah’s words to transform the entire city.
In Jonah’s eyes, there was absolutely no hope or no reason to expect the Ninevites to change, but God is greater. No one is ever too far gone. As Jonah just experienced, God can rescue anyone, even from the darkest depths.
God has called all believers to be part of His rescue mission through Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity to proclaim the good news of the gospel to all those around us whether they are far or near to God.
Prayer
God, thank you that you are a merciful God. You rescued me from sin, and you can rescue anyone, no matter what they’ve done. Help me to faithfully proclaim your gospel wherever I go. Amen.