JONAH 3:7-10 - THE NINEVITES REPENTED AND GOD RELENTED

JONAH 3:7-10

THE NINEVITES REPENTED

AND GOD RELENTED

Jonah 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

Susie: When the news of Jonah’s prophecy reached the ears of the king, he not only replaced his own robe with sackcloth, but made an official decree that all of Nineveh repent as well.

Susan: The king and his nobles declared no water or food of any measure was to be eaten by any individual or even given to their animals. The intended duration of this extreme fast is not recorded in scripture.

Susie: Fasting as a sign of repentance and intense prayer was common among many people groups, but imposing a fast on the animals was a drastic measure. It became a custom in Persia to include domestic animals in mourning and repentance rituals. In this instance it showed the sincere seriousness of the king’s repentance.

Jonah 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

Susan: The inhabitants of Nineveh covered themselves with sackcloth and ashes right down to their livestock. The king commanded the people to cry out to the God of Jonah, the one, true God.

Susie: Their intense prayer was not only for deliverance but was to be a confession and repentance of their sin. The king specifically mentioned repenting of “violence” which was the most well-known and prevalent sin of Ninevites as a people group.

Jonah 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

Susan: The king’s reasoning was that if the people truly, sincerely repented, Jonah’s God might relent and spare the city and its residents.

Susie: As noted above, there is no recorded message of Jonah even insinuating that there was a chance for mercy. However, the king may have been familiar with the God of the Jews, to know that He was merciful. Also, most pagan religions had deities that could be appeased to prevent them from harming the people. The king surmised that it couldn’t hurt and certainly might help if they changed their evil ways.

Susan: Appeasement was a religious paradigm the Ninevites would have understood.

Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Susie: God, who sees all and knows all, knew the repentance of the Ninevites was sincere and that they were truly committed to doing a complete turn-around, ceasing to be violent and do evil.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Susan: I am not fond of the King James Version’s use of the word “repent” in Jonah 3:10. God cannot sin, and therefore, has no need to repent. Other translations use the word “relent” which is better. We liked the Amplified Classic Version:

Jonah 3:10 (AMPC)    And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God revoked His [sentence of] evil that He had said that He would do to them and He did not do it [for He was comforted and eased concerning them].

Susie: Our belief in a sovereign Lord who has complete control over His creation makes it difficult to comprehend that He could change His mind. We felt the explanation below satisfied our question about God’s sovereignty versus His change of heart after Nineveh’s repentance:

Reformation Study Bible notes:

The Lord’s change of mind (i.e., His sovereign choice to make His own action depend upon human response) is fully compatible with God’s sovereignty and immutability, since He ordains the means as well as the ends of His sovereign will (Jer. 18:7–10).

Susie: The result of true repentance, turning away from sin and back toward the Lord, is forgiveness and joy. David expressed this in Psalm 30:

Psalm 30:11-12 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Susan: The result of Nineveh’s awakening and city-wide repentance was that their city was spared from being overthrown by conquering forces and that their lives were spared by God’s mercy and grace.

Susie: I am confident this resulted in exceedingly great joy!

QUESTIONS

1.        What actions did the king of Nineveh require in his decree to all the people of the city?

2.        What specific sin did the king name in his decree?

3.        What was the king’s reason for issuing these instructions?

4.        What was God’s response to the Ninevites’ inward repentance as evidence by their outward symbolism?