Today’s Reading: Jonah 3; Romans 6

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” – Jonah 1:1-2

God cared enough about the people of Nineveh that he sent Jonah there to deliver a message — not a soft message of mercy and compassion, but a strong message of judgment and warning. The Lord could have simply administered the punishment they deserved, but He gave them another opportunity to turn from their sin and live the life He had instructed them to live.

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.” – Jonah 3:1-2

Even though his initial response had been to run away from God’s plan, this time Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh. He had his work cut out for him. It was a large city with a lot of ground to cover and a lot of people to reach. He could have let this overwhelming assignment paralyze him, but instead he started shouting the Lord’s message on day one!

“Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” – Jonah 3:4b

FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH (Romans 6:23a)…

The people of Nineveh responded to Jonah’s message, fasting and dressing in burlap to show their heartfelt sorrow. It was not a soft message of acceptance and grace that brought the people to a place of repentance, but a message of impending judgment.

The king of Nineveh led the way by taking off his royal robes, dressing in burlap, and sitting in a heap of ashes. He sent out a message to all of the people to turn from their evil ways and stop their violence. He told them to pray earnestly to the Lord in hopes that He would change his mind and hold back his fierce anger (3:6-9).

“When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.” – Jonah 3:10

…BUT THE FREE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD (Romans 6:23b).

Jonah was frustrated with God’s response. He preferred the message of judgment over the gift of salvation God was extending to the people of Nineveh. Jonah was repulsed by the wickedness and violence of Nineveh, and his heart was out of tune with the heart of God.

“I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.” – Jonah 4:2b

I think we have a lot to learn from Jonah. We often focus on our need for immediate obedience to what God is asking us to do, learning from Jonah’s unsuccessful attempt to run from God. But perhaps today it would help us to ask the Lord to reveal how we, too, may be struggling with our response to the sin of those around us.

It would be easy for us to celebrate the judgment of God on our enemies to the point that we no longer pray for their repentance. We are eager to tell them what they are doing wrong without providing the light of Jesus to help them find their way back to God. We turn our back in repulsion to the perversions of this world and forget that God’s heart is still FOR them.

But we must also remember that God did not send Jonah to Nineveh with a message of mercy and acceptance regardless of their sin. No, he sent them with a warning of the judgment that was to come because of their sin and violence. The Lord did not soften His stance or redefine righteousness in order to draw sinners to Himself, so why do we? We don’t get to redefine God’s mercy. In doing so, we are robbing sinners from the joy they can experience when they break free from the strongholds of sin.

WE KNOW THAT OUR OLD SINFUL SELVES WERE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST SO THAT SIN MIGHT LOSE ITS POWER IN OUR LIVES. WE ARE NO LONGER SLAVES TO SIN. (Romans 6:6)

God’s unfailing love is present in His plan of salvation.Out of compassion, God is calling His creation away from the destruction of their sinful behavior. With a heart of mercy, God is giving us a second chance to turn from our evil ways and embrace the holy life He is calling us to live. One lifestyle brings death and one brings life, so why wouldn’t He move heaven and earth to encourage us to draw near to Him?

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. – 2 Peter 3:8-10