Unexpected Change

Rev. Debbie Cato

Jonah 3 & Philippians 1:1-11

Peace Presbyterian Church

Preaching Series on Jonah – Week 2

June 14, 2015

Unexpected Change

Last week we began our study of Jonah.

We read how one day the Lord’s word came to Jonah.

God called Jonah for a specific purpose. God said,

“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it,
because its wickedness has come up before me.”

But Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah – a wicked city; a great enemy of God’s people, the Israelites.

     So Jonah decided to run from God.

He headed in the opposite direction of Ninevah.

      He went west instead of east.

                         He boarded a ship heading to Tarshish.

But as soon as the ship set sail, God sent a great wind on the sea and a violent storm arose and threatened to break apart the ship. The sailors were terribly afraid and they cried out to their gods. They threw cargo overboard trying to lighten the ship so that it would ride higher on the waves but nothing worked. The waves just became more and more wild and the storm grew more and more violent.

When confronted by the sailors, Jonah admitted that his God was the God of Heaven. The God who made the sea and the land. Jonah admitted that his God had indeed caused the great storm on the sea. He admitted that his God was angry at him for running away. Jonah told the sailors to throw him overboard so God would calm the sea.

But, the sailors did not want Jonah to die.

      They tried to row back to land, rowing harder and hard,
              but the storm got worse and worse.

                   Finally, after praying to Jonah’s God for forgiveness

                              They threw Jonah into the stormy sea and

                                        immediately, the sea was calm.

But Jonah did not drown. He did not die.

     God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah; to save him.

            Jonah lived in the belly of that fish for 3 days and 3 nights.

And that's where we left off. We left Jonah in the belly of the fish!

Chapter 2 of Jonah is his prayer to God while he is inside the fish. Jonah’s story is not over yet so let’s see what happens next. I invite you to read Jonah's prayer on your own. I’m going to start reading at chapter 2:10 all the way through chapter 3. Listen now for the Word of the Lord.

And finally, after praying to the Lord from the belly of the fish, the Lord speaks to the fish “spew Jonah onto dry land.”  “Spew Jonah onto dry land.” 

Spew. The dictionary says to spew is to “discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth; to vomit.” Some translations actually say, “The Lord commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land.” The Lord commands the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land.

I love this verse!

       God had to get Jonah out of that fish somehow!

               So He commands the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land. 
God was in control, wasn’t he?    THEN…

Then, the word of the LORD comes to Jonah a second time:

“Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

I imagine Jonah was a little dazed at this point. He’d had a rather crazy four days. It had only been four days since the word of the LORD first came to Jonah. Four days since he decided to run away from God. Four days since he boarded the ship bound for Tarshish. Four days since he got tossed overboard. Four days since God saved him by sending a fish to swallow him.

Jonah had just been vomited onto dry land, covered with who knows what from the belly of the fish. Covered in muck, wet and dazed, Jonah learns that God has not forgotten his original mission for Jonah! Sure, his escapades delayed God’s plans. They certainly caused Jonah – and others, a lot of unnecessary problems and stress. But, they had not changed God’s plan. Jonah was still heading to Nineveh!

Now, it seems to me that the problems and stress brought on by Jonah’s disobedience were not without some benefits. Those moments of near drowning in the sea before the fish swallowed Jonah probably woke him up; and those three days and three nights in the belly of that great fish wondering what was going to happen to him, probably helped Jonah realize that thinking he could run away and hide from God wasn’t the smartest thing he had ever done. At least, Jonah didn’t make the same mistake again. When the LORD spoke the same words to Jonah after he was vomited out of the fish’s belly, scripture tells us that:

         “Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.”

Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.

I imagine Jonah still isn’t happy about it. 
      I imagine he’s still afraid.

             Nineveh is still a great enemy of the Israelites.

             Nineveh is still a wicked city.

                     God is still sending Jonah to preach against Nineveh.

               Jonah’s message will still make the people of Nineveh angry.

Nothing has changed since the first time the LORD called Jonah to Nineveh.

But Jonah has changed.

Jonah has learned to be obedient.

Jonah has learned he can’t run away from God!

Jonah is no longer just telling pagan sailors about the power of his God. He has experienced it first-hand. He believes.

Think about your own faith journey. What experiences, what situations have changed you the most? What times in your journey brought you the most growth in your faith? When did you stop just talking the talk, and really believe? I can’t answer those questions for you. But if you are like me, they were the hard times; the struggles, the times I felt like God vomited on me.

Those three days in the belly of the fish changed Jonah. They changed his heart. He goes to Nineveh and he preaches the message that the LORD gives him to preach.

“Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed,” Jonah proclaims.

Jonah preaches against Nineveh.

He tells them their great city will be destroy.

                    He tells them it is because of their wickedness.

                        The Ninevites do NOT turn against him.

Just like the pagan sailors on the ship bound for Tarshish,

      The Ninevites, from the greatest to the least, believe.

             They believe Jonah's message is from the God of Israel.

                   They humble themselves in deep repentance.

                         They declare a fast among themselves and they all put on sackcloth.

But why? Do you see anywhere in this passage where the Ninevites know that Jonah is delivering a message from God? Nowhere does it say that they know who Jonah is! Oh, they can probably tell he’s a Hebrew. It’s likely he’s dressed differently than they did It’s likely he speaks differently than they do.  But, Jonah does not announce that he has a word from the LORD. He doesn’t say, in forty days God will destroy their city. He says,

“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.”

Jonah only “sort of” obeys God. The warning Jonah gives to the Ninevites is very ambiguous. He’s vague. Perhaps he is hoping they will not understand.

They aren’t Israelites.

They are Assyrians.

Perhaps he wants Nineveh destroyed.

           After all, they are great enemies of the Israelite nation.

                     They are enemies of Jonah's people.

Remember, he did not want to go there in the first place! They Ninevites are not his favorite people!

Doesn't it make you mad when God does not seem to punish the people you think he should punish? Doesn't it frustrate you when God does something different than you think he should? So we can understand Jonah's hesitance.

The Ninevites are pagans. They do n0t worship Yahweh. And yet somehow – instinctively, they know Jonah's message is to be believed. They know that his message is from the God of Israel. They know that they are guilty and they must repent. Immediately, they humble themselves, declare a fast and put on sackcloth.

And when the news reaches the king of Nineveh?

News that his people have set an agenda of fasting and repentance to Yahweh based on the news that their great city will be destroyed in forty days because of its wicked ways, the King of Nineveh follows his people’s lead.

     He rises from his throne.

             He takes off his royal robes.

                        He covers himself with sackcloth.

He sits down in the dust.

This powerful, wicked king of a city that is an enemy of the people of God

Humbles himself - he follows his people’s lead.

He issues a proclamation for all of Nineveh.

The king’s proclamation is very comprehensive. He’s not taking any chances. Not only does it address every human being in Nineveh but it addresses every animal in every herd and every flock. No one is exempt.

     They shall not taste, nor graze, nor drink

           They shall each be covered by sackcloth

                 They shall each call urgently on God

                        They shall each give up their evil ways.

And then the king offers his people the hope that if they do these things with true repentance,  God may relent, he tells them.

     God may have compassion.

               God may turn from anger and save Nineveh.

We have been wicked, the king says. Let us repent and change our ways and maybe God will have compassion and change his mind and not destroy us.

Do you find this incredible? The powerful king of this powerful city in Assyria – enemies of God. These people who are so wicked they get God’s attention and He threatens to destroy them. These people who do not worship Yahweh. These people hear a half-hearted message delivered by a reluctant Jonah and somehow they recognize that God has spoken and they repent. The whole nation repents.

When God sees how the people of Nineveh respond -

    Not just that they fast and put on sackcloth

         Not just that they repent.

               But that they sincerely turn from their evil ways

                    That their hearts change.

                             God has compassion on them.

                                He does not bring upon them the destruction that he threatened.

                                         God saves them.

                                    God’s mercy is greater than God’s wrath.

When the pagans in Nineveh hear a word from the LORD

Even a word from a reluctant prophet,

     They listen.

         They repent.

               And they turn to God.

As a result of Jonah’s obedience to God’s call comes unexpected change that is life-giving and life-saving to the Ninevites. Not only is their city – and each of them – not destroyed by God; but God changes their hearts; he transforms them.

How might God be trying to use you or use our church? Has He called you to be the deliverer of a message from Him? Or perhaps you are the person waiting for a word from God; needing a word from God. How will you receive the message? God is in the life-giving, life-saving business. He looks to the heart. His mercy is greater than His wrath. Are we open to receive it?    Amen.