10 : The Lord commanded the fish to vomit up Jonah on the shore. And it did.
1 : Once again the Lord told Jonah
2 : to go to that great city of Ninevah and preach his message of doom.
3 : Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Ninevah. The city was so big that it took three days just to walk through it.
4 : After walking for a day, Jonah warned the people, “Forty more days and Ninevah will be overturned.”
Notes:
a) it is quite comical to think of the fish obeying God and spewing Jonah up onto the shore…in contrast to Jonah’s disobedience
b) Jonah now obeys God – it is as if hes been born anew, cast onto the shore, having faced death at the bottom of the stormy sea
c) Ninevah is described as a great city – in size and in influence – the capital city of the brilliant and brutal Assyrian empire
d) Jonah only appears to manage one day in the city (not even into the heart of the city), and his message is a mere eight words (only five words in Hebrew). The response to this very short sermon will be staggering.
Prayer:
Help us to believe
and to live out our discipleship
with the firm and deep understanding
that You, O God,
are able to do all things.
Nothing is impossible for You.
AMEN.