1. PLEASE READ JONAH 3: 1-3.

Having earlier spoken to Jonah to preach to Nineveh, God now spoke to him a second time to go to the city of Nineveh, the capitol city of Assyria. Jonah is the only prophet actually sent by God to preach repentance in a foreign land. He is to proclaim the message the Lord gave him to proclaim.

Nineveh is an ancient city, mentioned first in Gen. 10:11, when it was built by that famous hunter, Nimrod. Nineveh was located on the banks of the Tigris River about 500 miles N.E. of Israel in what is now Iraq. Nineveh was great, both in size=, and in power, exerting significant influence over the Middle East until her destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 612 BC. It was probably the largest city in the world in 780 BC.

It had a circumference of about 60 miles, which would require about 3 days to walk through it. The population was estimated to be approximately 600,000. It was steeped in idol worship; the capitol of a nation that was wicked and a serious threat to Israel.

For the Hebrews, Nineveh was a byword for luxury and dissipation, so that the Prophet Nahum could cry out in Nahum 3:1, 19 "Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and beauty…all who hear news of you clap their hands over you. For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil?" The legends of its depravity would have been fresh in the minds of the Jews when the story of Jonah was written.

God loved the people of Nineveh and wanted to offer salvation to them before sending judgment. Jonah wanted Nineveh destroyed and to get away from his assignment from God Jonah 1: 3 says, "Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." It is interesting to note God’s method of dealing with this reluctant missionary. God sent a great storm that threatened the ship. When Jonah was thrown off the ship God had prepared a fish. Later to teach Jonah, God will prepare first a plant, then a worm, and finally a violent, hot east wind.

The point of this is the patient, long-suffering of the Lord in dealing with His prophet Jonah. This patient long-suffering had not involved mere passive waiting for Jonah to change his mind on his own. The Lord had used His sovereign power to send a storm and a great fish to rescue Jonah from drowning and to vomit the reluctant prophet back on the coast from which he had set sail in running from the Lord.

The lesson for those whom the Lord calls is to heed his call. If you are running from God’s call and He gives you a second chance, take it. God is the God of more than one opportunity to follow Him. This is a mark of His forbearance. God put up with Jonah’s rebellion and disobedience, but God does not give up on the prophet.

In Vs. 4 the only recorded words Jonah proclaimed in Nineveh were "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown." His sermon in Vs. 5-9 was brief, but to the point. God’s hand was upon Jonah’s preaching. The Ninevites believed God’s warning that He would destroy them in 40 days. The king of Nineveh proclaimed a fast and called on his people to give up their evil ways and their violence. The king hoped that God might change His mind and have compassion on Nineveh instead of destroying them in His fierce anger. From the divine side, this wholesale repentance was a miraculous work of God. A pagan city responding to the preaching of a reluctant prophet shows the power of God in spite of the weakness of His servant.

2. PLEASE READ JONAH 3: 10.

In Vs. 10 the Lord did just as the king had hoped and prayed. He saw the genuineness of their repentance. He saw that they turned from their wickedness that had come up before the Lord. Therefore, He had compassion on them. God never wanted to destroy them. In mercy, He warned them, and gave them 40 days to heed His message.

The evidence of true repentance was that they turned from their evil ways. God used Jonah’s preaching to convict the Ninevites of the consequences of their sins. Their repentance enabled God to forgive them and to spare them. God’s patience with Jonah resulted in Jonah’s reluctant obedience. God’s patience with Nineveh resulted in the Ninevites repenting and turning to the Lord.

3. PLEASE READ JONAH 4: 1-3.

Ch. 4 focuses on Jonah again. God’s decision to spare Nineveh greatly displeased Jonah. He also became angry. The word angry means, "to burn". We might say God’s decision "burned Jonah up." He was livid in disagreement with what God had done. This was a strange reaction for a missionary who had seen all the people of a vast city repent. We might expect the book to end happily with Jonah 3:10. It must be a surprise to first-time readers of the Book of Jonah when they come to Ch.4. Most missionaries rejoice when even a few lost people repent. The reason for Jonah’s anger is never fully explained, but the depth of it becomes clear as Ch. 4 unfolds.

Several possible explanations for Jonah’s disappointment have been offered. Attributing it to his nationalism and fear of future Assyrian aggression is reasonable. Assyria was probably the most ruthless conquerors of ancient history. They eventually overwhelmed Israel and sent the people into captivity. Jonah may have been jealous of the foreigners’ repentance when his own people refused to repent. His integrity was at stake. He had prophesied destruction in 40 days, but instead of destruction God granted forgiveness to Nineveh upon its people’s repentance. Whatever his motivation, God’s messenger was out of tune with God. That which delighted God angered Jonah.

Back in Vs. 2 Jonah had reminded God why he did not want to go to Nineveh in the first place, because he knew that God was a gracious and compassionate God and would spare them if they repented. Jonah’s testimony was beautiful and magnificent about God’s gracious and compassionate mercy. Now Jonah believed, that for him, death was preferable to life at this point. In Vs. 3 he was so unhappy that he wanted God to take his life.

Refusing to believe that the city would really be spared, Jonah left the city and sat down on the East side to watch what happened. He even built himself a small hut of branches to shield himself from the hot sun. He just couldn’t believe that God would spare wicked Nineveh. He still had hopes she would be destroyed. I’m sure he was sulking at this time. I don’t find Jonah even answering God’s question in Vs. 4. He was no longer on speaking terms with God.

4, PLEASE READ JONAH 4: 6-9.

To teach Jonah a lesson, God caused a vine to grow up to give Jonah more shade over his improvised hut. As Jonah reclined in the shade of his luxurious vine, he was very grateful for the vine. I doubt he ever expressed thanks to God for this blessing. God has sent the vine to set Jonah up for a rather shocking lesson. Now in Vs. 7 God prepared a worm to destroy the plant. At the same time God sent a vehement East wind called "Sirocco" blowing off the Arabian desert. As the vine died, the sun grew hotter, and the hot desert wind caused Jonah to seek death from God once more. He was so angry that the vine had died. He was growing faint from the heat.

Patiently, God asked Jonah whether he was doing right by being angry about the vine. Jonah’s response was no answer but an angry reply that "he was angry enough to die." Jonah’s angry answer was absurd. He was angry that a vine died and took away his shade. At the same time, he also was angry that Nineveh’s people did not die.

4. PLEASE READ JONAH 4: 10-11.

In dealing with Jonah, God had the last word. The hut Jonah made did not provide adequate shade. The vine God made did. Also, the vine’s life was at best short. Springing up overnight and also dying overnight. God challenged Jonah by saying emphatically, you are concerned about the vine. But God was concerned about Nineveh: The more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who were morally and ethically naEFve. Though Nineveh was guilty of wickedness, they had not had nearly the opportunity Israel had as God’s people. God also expressed his concern for the cattle that would have died also.

Then God asked Jonah the question that ends this book. Should I not be concerned about that great city? The pronoun I is emphatic like the you in Vs. 10. The two stand in contrast to each other: Jonah was concerned about himself and a vine; God was concerned about thousands of people who needed the Lord. What are we concerned about today? Where are our priorities? Are we concerned about vines or people?

5. PLEASE READ 2 PETER 3: 9, 15.

God destroyed the city after the Assyrians went back to their wicked ways. You may wish to read of this in Nahum 1:1--3: 19 (Nahum 3:7 says, "Nineveh is laid waste, who will bemoan her?")