You Still Have to Go to Nineveh

God gave Jonah a message to deliver to the people of Nineveh, enemies of his homeland. It was a message of salvation but Jonah had hoped that God would destroy them. Finding it unfair, Jonah decided not to do as he was commanded and instead he set sail for Tarshish in the opposite direction.

The sailors on that ship were forced to throw Jonah overboard and after spending three days in the belly of a great fish, “God commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (see Jonah 1). Rather than give up on His disobedient prophet, God gave Jonah a second chance…yes God gave Jonah a second chance to fulfill the purpose for which he was sent.

Jonah, still reluctant, set out for Nineveh; there the people believed God’s message, repented and turned back to God. When God saw their remorseful response, He had compassion for them and He relented. 

Jonah, even though he had carried out God’s instruction, still hoped for the Ninevites’ destruction and became “angry enough to die” (Jonah 4:9).

Outwardly, he appeared to be doing the will of God but in his heart he longed for Nineveh and all of its inhabitants to be utterly punished. Inwardly seething, Jonah remained outside the city, waiting to see the destruction. 

Unlike God, Jonah had no compassion. 

Are you in a Jonah state of mind? Are you angry enough to die because you too have found God to be unfair about something or someone? Is there someone you believe should be punished or that justice is not being served in some way?

Jonah’s journey reminds us how important caring about others is to God. It reminds us about loving and caring for our neighbours, even if they are our enemies rather than friends (Matthew 5:43-48). It reminds us that it is God who chooses who to save (John 1:12-13; 6:65; Acts 16:14; Ephesians 1:4). It reminds us that God’s ways and His thoughts are not ours, they’re much higher (Isaiah 55:8-9), beyond our comprehension. It reminds us that it is God Who has the final say (Proverbs 16).

So, when you hear God’s voice, even if you do not like or agree with what you hear, do not harden your heart (Psalm 95:7, 8; Hebrews 3:15), because even if you decide to run off in the opposite direction, eventually, you still have to go to Nineveh.

You Still Have to Go to Nineveh ©2013 Shelley Johnson 3-Oct-13