Recommission

God again sends Jonah to Nineveh. Jonah knew what he should do, yet God once more gives him the word of commission: “Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” Here we can see the compassion and kindness of God. At this stage, Jonah had become one who repented and changed his heart. He was ready to obey God in submission. Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. At that time, Nineveh had become a great city that had absorbed three surrounding cities (ref. Gen. 10:11-12). It was an exceedingly large city, requiring three days to go through it. Jonah must have been astonished at the size of the city.

Jonah’s mission

Jonah, having no acquaintances and no familiarity with the land, had no choice but to carry out a simple method of proclamation. As he walked around the city all day, he repeatedly declared the short message commanded by the Lord: “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” People are not saved by human wisdom or plans. When we simply speak the word of God, the Holy Spirit works, and spiritual results are produced there. We too desire to become those who simply proclaim the word of God, as Jonah did. Paul says this: “But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). Jonah’s proclamation was greatly effective. The people of Nineveh began to repent. Moreover, it spread to every level of society in the city of Nineveh. They accepted the word of God spoken by Jonah, sincerely repented of their sins, and received God. Fasting, sitting in ashes, and putting on sackcloth are all expressions of repentance. Someday, a time of spiritual awakening like the one that occurred in Nineveh will also come to this country. Let us have great hope in the Lord and continue to faithfully proclaim the word of the gospel.