Read: Jonah 1-4
Jonah is a story that shows us the kindness and compassion of God. He loves this Assyrian people who have not discernment about what is right and what is wrong and he wants them to be saved from destruction. They are so wicked, God has to destroy them but in his loving kindness he gives them one last chance to repent.
Nineveh means “offspring of ease”. It was built by Asshur the son of Shem. Shem was the son of Noah. Nineveh represents the name of the goddess Ishtar and its symbol is a fish inside an enclosure. How interesting since Jonah was enclosed inside the fish to set them free from this worship. Nineveh was an Assyrian capital and home to many wealthy kings. It was a great city of wealth and sin. The population was 120,000 people when Jonah arrived and it would have taken him 3 days to walk across it. He went one day and gave his one line speech. It was enough to make the people and the king to repent. They did exactly what Jonah was hoping they wouldn’t do - repent. It made Jonah look like a liar to not have his prophecy come true and Jonah seemed more interested in his own reputation as a prophet than the people he was sent to evangelize. God rebuked him for his selfishness and we are left hanging. I hope that Jonah went back and taught the people God’s ways but we aren’t told. Second Kings 14:25 says that He (King Amaziah) restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath–hepher.
We do know from history that Ninveh was eventually destroyed because of their sin hundreds of years later.
Lord, help us to be compassionate toward the sinner and desire to see them repent.
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