Bible Study Notes - Jonah 1:1-3 and 3:1-9 Part III

Bible Study Notes

Community with a Mission: Jonah 1:1-3 & 3:1-9 – Part III

Jonah 3:5-9 – Community with a Mission of Repentance and Revival

The king’s humility starkly represents the seriousness with which the Ninevites heed the word of the Lord.  He rises from the Assyrian throne; discards his royal robes; covers himself with sackcloth like his subjects; and sits down in the dust.  The king’s action reminds us of the lowly origins of humankind in contrast with the infinite and holy attributes of Almighty God.  We are dust!  God can blow upon our lives like a candle’s flame in the wind.  Who are we to think we can trespass the holiness and righteousness of God?  What an incredible depiction of the utter limitations of human beings.

Then, the king utilizes his royal power to compel legally the nation to adhere strictly to his proclamation demanding the continuance of the fast in sackcloth until God responds mercifully.  Furthermore, Ninevites were to cease and desist from “their evil ways and their violence.”  Prayer for divine relief is the basis of the proclamation.  The king evidently hopes that national unity in this effort will cause Almighty God “to relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

Anthropologists and archeologists can tell us very little about the character of the Ninevites.  The biblical record remains one of the most reliable sources.  Accordingly, we can extract a few informative and instructive attributes about their collective personality.  First, notwithstanding their excessive evil and violence, they possessed humility to repent upon hearing the terrible word of the Lord.  Second, they had capacity to obey higher authority; they followed the king’s proclamation.  Third, although they greatly indulged their self-seeking desires and myriad lusts, they steadfastly maintained a belief in God.  Jonah’s preaching reminds them of spiritual disciplines of fasting, confession, repentance and fervent prayer.  Fourth, they practiced egalitarianism in which they valued each person regardless of his or her wealth, education, religiosity and social position.  From the king to the keeper of the cows, the entire nation appeals to God for relief and mercy.

This collective personality of the Ninevites offers instruction to churches as it relates to building and sustaining community.  If confronted with a similar spiritual challenge, would a church, congregationally and individually, attain humility, faith, and commitment to seek the Lord’s for wisdom?  What if nuclear families mimicked the actions of the Ninevites when turmoil afflicts one of their members?  Could a solution to drug infested neighborhoods and crime ridden municipalities be found in these spiritual responses to overwhelming dilemmas?  Although they were Assyrian and not Israelites, the Ninevites demonstrate the power of a community with a mission.  They turn from wholesale self-indulgence to living humbly under the guidance and protection of Almighty God.

Concluding Reflections

Jonah’s stubborn refusal to follow the will of God rightly lands him in the belly of the whale.  Our daily resistance to the urging of the Holy Spirit enables us to empathize with Jonah.  Our cumulative negative responses equate with a spiritual space equal to the darkness of three days and three nights in the abyss.  Yet, Jonah’s example encourages us to look beyond our human frailties, failures and incapacities to see of our “God of the second chance.”  He continually gives us the chance to “get it right” by finally heeding His “good, pleasing and perfect” will.  When we do so, we find immediate success and even excellence as Jonah did when he eventually preaches in Nineveh.  Surprisingly and favorably, Jonah discovers a community, with a mission of serving the Lord, as the Ninevites repent and exchange their self-centered lives for lives devoted to the Lord. 

  

Three Personal Objectives

• The road of self-reliance terminates in a spiritual Bermuda Triangle.
• God graciously bestows a second chance to follow His will when we finally obey.
• The humility and sincerity of the Ninevites teaches us the power of a community with a mission to serve the Lord.  Churches, families and neighborhoods can grow greatly by following their example.

 Prayer

For the beauty of this day, we thank Thee, O Lord.  For Your lovingkindness towards us, we thank Thee.  For the gift of Your revealed Word, we thank Thee.  Graciously, sanctify Thy Word within our minds and hearts so that we might not sin against Thee.  Teach us how to be a community with the mission of living to Thy honor, glory and praise.  In Your holy Name and for Your righteous cause, we pray.  Amen.