TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
The prophet Jonah was given a difficult task by God. He was to go and preach a message of judgment and doom to the residents of Ninevah, the chief city of the Assyrian Empire, and one of the largest cities in the world at that time. The Assyrians were a violent, oppressive, and destructive people, and Jonah had possibly seen them torture, rape, and kill people in his land of Israel.
Not wanting anything to do with these people, Jonah found a boat and fled in the other direction. Away from Ninevah he went! And (he thought), away from the LORD. But God sent a great storm to threaten the ship, and a great fish to swallow Jonah after the sailors threw him overboard.
Now the LORD had Jonah’s attention. He repented and agreed to go to the great city of Ninevah and proclaim God’s message of judgment. “Forty more days, and Ninevah will be overthrown” was his cry. And miraculously, the word of God took hold of the people. They repented from the greatest to the least and were saved.
“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’” (Jonah 3:1-2)
Comentários