Reading: Jonah 3,4
My Verse: "And the people of Nineveh believed God" (Jonah 3:5).
What an amazing thing! The people of Nineveh seemed to be waiting for someone to tell them they needed to repent of their ways, that they needed to do a one-eighty in their behavior, that they needed You, LORD God!
Reluctantly, Jonah does as You request of him, go to Nineveh. I can't imagine that he spoke to the people with compassion or tenderness. It seems he focused on what You, LORD God were going to do to them - destroy their city if they did not repent. Apparently this is all the people needed to hear.
One has to wonder how You, LORD God prepared the Ninevites for this message. Were they growing weary of their sinful lives? Were they beginning to wonder if there was not more to life than simply fulfilling all their selfish desires? Was life becoming pointless to them?
I like how it was not just a few that responded to Your Word, LORD God. They all did - "from the greatest of them to the least of them."
Then the king himself responded. "he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes." This is so wonderful. But I think it even more wonderful that he did not just think of himself but of his entire city and all the people in it. He called out to everyone to repent of their sin.
"And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God.
Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands." (Jonah 3:7-8)
The Nineties as well as the sailors were not steeped in Biblical truths. But they are Your creatures, LORD God, as are we all! You are stamped upon our hearts. Each and everyone knows in their heart of hearts that there is more to life than what we see with our eyes, hear with our ears and touch with our hands!
You are as Jonah woefully cried, "a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting form disaster" (Jonah 4:2). You want all peoples to come to You!
If we repent of our sin You will hear us and forgive and heal us.
How Can It Be by Daigle
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "And the people of Nineveh believed God" (Jonah 3:5).
What an amazing thing! The people of Nineveh seemed to be waiting for someone to tell them they needed to repent of their ways, that they needed to do a one-eighty in their behavior, that they needed You, LORD God!
Reluctantly, Jonah does as You request of him, go to Nineveh. I can't imagine that he spoke to the people with compassion or tenderness. It seems he focused on what You, LORD God were going to do to them - destroy their city if they did not repent. Apparently this is all the people needed to hear.
One has to wonder how You, LORD God prepared the Ninevites for this message. Were they growing weary of their sinful lives? Were they beginning to wonder if there was not more to life than simply fulfilling all their selfish desires? Was life becoming pointless to them?
I like how it was not just a few that responded to Your Word, LORD God. They all did - "from the greatest of them to the least of them."
Then the king himself responded. "he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes." This is so wonderful. But I think it even more wonderful that he did not just think of himself but of his entire city and all the people in it. He called out to everyone to repent of their sin.
"And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God.
Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands." (Jonah 3:7-8)
The Nineties as well as the sailors were not steeped in Biblical truths. But they are Your creatures, LORD God, as are we all! You are stamped upon our hearts. Each and everyone knows in their heart of hearts that there is more to life than what we see with our eyes, hear with our ears and touch with our hands!
You are as Jonah woefully cried, "a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting form disaster" (Jonah 4:2). You want all peoples to come to You!
If we repent of our sin You will hear us and forgive and heal us.
How Can It Be by Daigle
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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