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| Photo by Jim Tracy |
1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
“OK, let’s try this again. Go do what I told you to.”
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days journey.
The city was so large it took three days to cover the whole thing.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
He only went one day’s journey into the city.
5 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.
Sackcloth was a rough garment made of coarse goat’s hair, (probably resembling a sack), with holes cut into it for the head and arms. This was not the soft kind of goat’s hair we call cashmere or mohair but was made of the outside guard hair which was very coarse (much like burlap). These were likely garments made specifically for mourning. They would have been cheap enough that anyone could afford them. In fact, the poor’s everyday clothes wouldn’t have been much more comfortable.
This practice of wearing uncomfortable clothing showed the world and, more importantly, God that you were so upset you didn’t want to be comfortable.
Sitting in ashes and rubbing them all over was a sign of mourning. The practice probably stems from the practice of widows sitting under their husband’s funeral piers after he had been cremated in an attempt to be closer to him for just a little bit longer. This grew into a symbol of mourning.
6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
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:”
The denying of food and water to animals would have been to draw the attention of the gods represented by those animals. Even though they were praying to the one and only True God, they would have been in the habit of using their animals to appeal to the deities in their lives.
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
Can you imagine trying to dress your animals in sackcloth? That would have been an entertaining show.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger that we perish not?
Jonah was a very effective preacher. The entire city converted.
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.
Since the people turned from their evil way, God was able to turn from His plans to destroy them. He is a merciful God and always prefers restoration to destruction.
Most of God’s promises are “If-then” promises. “If you do XYZ Then I will do ABC.”
“If” Nenevah didn’t repent, “Then” God would destroy them (though it appears Jonah left that last part out and expected God to just destroy them no matter what.)
“If” Israel had chosen to serve God, and only God, “Then” they would have been His people forever. They broke their part of the agreement, so God is not obligated to His.
“If” we accept Jesus as our Savior and Boss, “Then” God will erase all our sins and take us to Heaven. If we don’t do our part, however, God won’t do His.