As the king of
Nineveh heard the words and warning of Jonah, he and the people of
Nineveh clothed themselves in “sackcloth”, and the king
“sat in ashes” as well. In chapter three and verse seven
of this prophesy, the king “caused to be proclaimed and
published” that man nor beast should eat food or drink water
where we read:
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
verse begins, “And he caused it
to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the
king and his nobles, saying,...” The
writer began with the phrase, “And he
caused it to be proclaimed”
which is the Hebrew word “za`aq”
means “cried out, called for help, assembled and summoned”
“and published” or
“spoken, uttered, thought, commanded, promised and intended”
“through Nineveh”
or “the abode of Ninus and the capital of the ancient kingdom of
Assyria” “by the decree”
which means “taste, judgment and decision” “of
the king”
or “the royal and mater lectionis”
“and his nobles”
which refers to “those great, intense, older and more important”
“saying”
or “speaking, uttering, answering, thinking, commanding, promising
and intending”. After humbling himself with “sackcloth
and ashes”,
the king and his most important men made a decree through the land of
Nineveh.
The
verse continues, “...Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock,
taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:” The
writer added, “Let neither man” which refers to “mankind
or humans” “nor beast” which means “the animals,
cattle, and livestock”, “herd” or “oxen, beeves of
animals, cows, heifers or kine” “nor flock” which refers
to “small cattle such as sheep and goats”, “taste any thing”
or “try the flavor of or eat a little”: “let them not feed”
which means “pasture, tend and graze” “nor drink” or
“imbibe” “water” which means “waters or liquid
refreshment”. The king's “decree” was for there to be a fast of
both food and water for all people and animals in the land of
Nineveh.
When
we think through the words in this verse, we admire the extent to
which this king demonstrated repentance. He not only conformed
himself in a humble state, but he also called upon all his city to do
so as well. We imagine the carrying out of this “decree” as the
people heard and complied with it and had their animals to do so as
well. When Jesus Christ calls people to “repent”, He does so that
they might humble themselves unto His Salvation. Let this king's
example be an inspiration to all of us who hear the LORD's call to
change our ways, and may the Holy Spirit guide us to humble ourselves
in this manner before Him.
Next
time we see the
king of Nineveh command that “men
and beast be covered with sackcloth”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment