October 26, 2011
YOUR CALL: STIMULUS OR REPENTANCE?
Jonah 3
Mike Hardage
Central Truth
Presently, our country is suffering a variety of great ills. High unemployment, a massive federal deficit, and myriad social disorders plague our lives. Instead of new economic stimulus and contrived social mandates, I pray we try the only proven method of recovery: humility before God and repentance.
Key Verse | Jonah 3:10
When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it. (Jonah 3:10)
Jonah 3
Jonah Goes to Nineveh
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, 1 3:3 Hebrew a great city to God three days' journey in breadth. 2 3:3 Or a visit was a three days' journey 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
The People of Nineveh Repent
6 The word reached 3 3:6 Or had reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
Dive Deeper | Jonah 3
The book of Jonah is my kind of book. It is short, miraculous, filled with truth, and painfully simple. The third chapter of Jonah is about a lot of things, but none more important than the fact the Ninevites simply "repented." Theologians have called the repentance of Nineveh the greatest mass act of repentance ever recorded in history.
The chronological course of events were this: 1) Jonah warned the people, 2) the people believed in God and repented of their sinful ways, 3) the king heard what the people were doing and also repented, declaring a fast for both man and beast, 4) the people humbly submitted and trusted in God's will, and 5) God saw their repentance, had compassion on them, and relented from destroying them.
This event is simply profound to me. I read of no repentance preparation policy, no mudslinging about which religious or political party caused the problems, no HARPs (Human Alternative to Repentance Program) were debated, no advanced preparedness policy to handle potential destruction . . . just humility and repentance.
Humility and repentance: Very easy (no cost or intellect required), very simple (no elections or committees necessary), immediately achievable (God's forgiveness is immediate) . . . life saving.
What if you and I went to our wives, husbands, and neighbors and modeled nothing more than humility and repentance? What if we went to our schools, our work place, the Tea Party, the Democratic and Republican National Conventions . . . and simply encouraged and modeled humbling ourselves before God and asking Him to forgive us of our sins?
Right now, as you read this, whether you are a Jonah or a Ninevite, will you stop and do three easy things? 1) Honestly ask God to forgive you and to forgive our country for the ways we have sinned against Him, 2) ask Him to change our ways that are sinful, and 3) pray that the President, Congress, and the judicial branches of our government will respond and repent just like the king of Nineveh did.
In the words of the king of Nineveh in Jonah 3:9, "Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish."
Discussion Questions
1. Be honest with yourself and your group: which do you truly believe will heal our lives and our nation -- our repentance and full dependence on God or our intellectual ability and hard work? Read 2 Chronicles 7:14; Proverbs 15:33, 22:4; Psalm 147:6; Isaiah 55:7; James 4:10; Acts 3:19.
2. For the next seven days, are you willing to model humility and repentance in your home, at your work, and in your sphere of influence? Will you put it on your calendar?
3. Would you be willing to send the message of this devotional to someone in a major leadership position, whether you know them or not?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
JONAH 1-MICAH 1 (OCTOBER 24-28)
Read Jonah.
What does God ask Jonah to do?
How does Jonah respond to God's command? (He hopped on board a ship to Tarshish.)
How do YOU respond when someone in authority (parent, teacher, coach, etc.) asks you to do something you don't want to do? Parents: share about a time in your life when it was hard to obey and help your kids be honest about how they feel when they are asked to do hard things. Be compassionate! This is not easy!
What was the consequence of Jonah's disobedience? Think about the men on the boat and the fish.
What are the consequences for you when you don't obey?
Why do you think it was hard for Jonah to obey right away, all the way, and with a heart that trusted God?
Why is it hard for you to obey right away, all the way, and with a heart that trusts God? (Another great opportunity for parents to be authentic and vulnerable!)
Jonah tried to run and hide from God. God sought Jonah out and gave him another opportunity to share truth with the Ninevites. They heard God's truth, repented, and were saved!
ACTIVITY: Play a game of hide and seek in your house or yard. Then talk about how God can always find us, no matter how far we run or how well we hide. Discuss how God loves us and always has our best interest at heart, even when we "feel" like our way would be better. Pray together that you would trust and obey God.