God gives second Chances

Read Jonah 3.

Is there anyone who has not felt at some time that they ruined everything; that it was all over; that there was no hope of recovery?  Here is a wonderful example of how God's forgiveness includes restoration.

 God did not change His mind, or His plans, or His assignment for Jonah.  What did change was Jonah.  When the prophet changed his heart, God changed his circumstances.  Then, Jonah received another opportunity to obey the LORD.  Indeed, in this life, God does give second chances.

 The vast city of Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire.  Depending upon the exact meaning of chapter four and verse eleven, population estimates range from 120,000 to as high as 600,000.  The Assyrians were well-known for their evil, violence and cruelty.  As enemies of Israel, Jonah would have preferred that God destroy them rather than minister to them.  But here he is, reluctantly preaching an eight word message of coming judgment.  Would they kill him for saying this or simply ignore him?  No one could have imagined the results.

In a ground-swell of a spiritual movement, people began repenting of their sin.  When the king heard of it, he issued a royal decree for everyone (including the animals) to show outward signs of mourning and fasting.  Moreover, he ordered all the citizens to cry out to God for mercy and turn from their sin.  To this day, there is no historical match what took place.  Dr. Howard Hendricks referred to this chapter as "the world's greatest evangelistic rally held by the world's worst evangelist."

The people of Nineveh were condemned.  God did not change.  They did.  Every believer in Jesus has an assigned message.  It is not limited to a single city or a specific time.  It carries a weight far beyond the matters of life and death.  "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36).  All are condemned already.  The good news we share is that Jesus offers deliverance from eternal judgment and a personal relationship with the LORD Himself.