After receiving
the commission to go to Nineveh the second time, Jonah went into the
city and proclaimed “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown”. In chapter
three and verse five of this prophesy, we see how “the people of
Nineveh believed God” where we read:
So the
people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast,
and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
The
verse begins, “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and
proclaimed a fast,...” The writer began with the words, “So
the people” or “men and strangers” “of Nineveh”
which was “the abode of Ninus” and “ the capital of the ancient
kingdom of Assyria” “believed” or “supported,
confirmed and were faithful to” “God” who is “the
ruler, judge and supreme deity”, “and proclaimed” which
means “called out, recited, read and proclaimed” “a fast”
or “denial of food or water”. When the people in Nineveh heard
Jonah's doom-filled proclamation, they not only “confirmed the word
of the LORD”, but also began a “fast” to demonstrate
their sincerity.
The
verse goes on to say, “and put on sackcloth, from the greatest
of them even to the least of them.” The writer added, “and
put” or “wore, were clothed with, arrayed with and dressed”
“on sackcloth” which means “mesh or a sack for grain
which was worn in mourning or humiliation”, “from the
greatest” or “largest, most intense, loudest, oldest and most
important” “of them” which refers to the people of
Nineveh “even to the least of them” which refers to “the
youngest, smallest, lesser of and most unimportant” the people of
Nineveh”. Not only did the people of Nineveh “fast” but
they also clothed themselves in “grain sacks” no matter how
important or how inconsequential they were.
When
we think through the words in this verse, we admire the reaction of
the people of Nineveh. The LORD is willing to “warn” people
before He judges them, and He is watching for their response. Jesus
warned over and over again concerning eternity, and He desires for
“everyone” to be with Him in heaven regardless of their station
in life. Access to God is gained only by a relationship with Jesus
Christ, and those who hear the still soft voice of the Holy Spirit of
God calling them to Him do best when they respond in “repentance,
fasting and prayer”. May the LORD Jesus sound His alarm once again,
and let all who hear His voice respond and repent according to His
perfect will.
Next
time we see how the “king of
Nineveh” repented
before God,
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