Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.

I think what happened in Nineveh must have been almost unbelievable for Jonah, or anyone who knew the Ninevites (the people of the capital city of the Amorites). These ruthless, brutish, and violent people did something no one thought they were capable of — they repented. My guess is that Jonah thought they would do something between ridiculing him and taking his life. He probably never expected all of them to listen to the Word from God and repent.

This is an important and pivotal point in Jonah’s faith. He sees how the Spirit of God can work behind the scenes, so that people are ready to hear the truth. I would call this a faith marker for Jonah.

Who have I given up on that needs to hear the truth of God‘s word?

He walked right through the city all the way up to the royal palace, and everyone along the way repented and decided to follow God. This includes the king. Pretty amazing! For a modern-day equivalent, think about this: What if a Jewish Christian walked into Iran and started preaching that they were gonna be destroyed in 40 days if they did not believe in the God of Israel and repent of their sins? What do you think would happen to this person, while Israel is currently at war with Iran?

Lord, you have an amazing way to turn impossible situations into a real positive.  You can soften the hardest of hearts. Thank you for your ways and your truth!