GOOD NEWS

I’m intrigued, and a little intimidated (it seems I spend a lot of time feeling intimidated!) by those street preachers who stand on street corners yelling Bible texts at passersby. Often they clutch huge placards that scream threatening messages about the wrath of God. There’s no doubting their bravery – but are they wise? Or have I just become a flabby liberal in my advancing years? Yet if the gospel is good news, surely few will be won by wide-eyed ranting. There’s something curious about Jonah’s short sermon to the people of Nineveh: there’s absolutely no good news, not even an invitation to repent. He bluntly announced, ‘In 40 days Nineveh will be destroyed.’ The Hebrew word Jonah used is hapak. It can be used to mean totally destroyed, as it was to describe the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:25). Nor does the prophet refer to their wickedness, which could spur repentance. Jonah just echoes Nahum’s dark denunciation. It’s ‘Here comes the judge –you’re all doomed.’

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Jonah 3:4

Nahum 3:1-19

Some commentators think that Jonah simply spoke only what he was told to say, or that what is recorded in the text is a summary of his message. But others wonder if Jonah just couldn’t bring himself to speak hope to those he hated. He knew that salvation came from the Lord, and had loudly proclaimed that to the innards of a fish. Perhaps he just couldn’t bring himself to say it to the nasty people of Nineveh.

To ponder: Are our lives and words good news to others – or a dirge that turns them off?

Yesterday we considered Jonah’s very brief message to the people of Nineveh. Today, let’s look closer still at the words that he used, because it’s just possible that he actually misunderstood his own message and prejudice warped his thinking. And it all comes down to that one word we pondered yesterday: hapak, usually meaning ‘total destruction’. But hapak can also mean ‘changed’. Mark Yarbrough suggests:

Hapak

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Jonah 3:4

2 Timothy 2:14-19

‘Hapak was used in Exodus 7:15 when Moses’ staff changed. It ‘changed’ into a snake. The water of the Nile changed to blood. In Hosea 11:8 hapak was used to describe change in the Lord’s heart. This seems to be incredible irony in our story because Jonah walked into Nineveh stating that God was going to hapak (destroy) the city. He told them of their impending doom, and he was excited about it. But Nineveh was not going to be destroyed. Ultimately what happened was that Nineveh was hapak (changed).’10

Focus

On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He announced, ‘In 40 days Nineveh will be destroyed.’

Jonah 3:4

Yarbrough’s conclusion might be wrong, but at least it’s worth considering. Perhaps Jonah unwittingly correctly prophesied the stunning change that would break out in the hated city – but hatred blinded him to that possibility. We touched on this before, but let’s allow this to serve as a warning to us. Let’s be very careful about our approach to Scripture, lest we use it to justify and support our own opinions. And pray for those who teach and preach, that we might ‘correctly handle the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

Prayer: Father, may I approach Your Word with openness and care. Bless and enlighten those teach it to Your people. Amen.

Miracles

We were stunned. My brother-in-law, Chris, had demonstrated a complete lack of interest (and mild antagonism) to the Christian message. Our children, very young at the time, had talked with him about Jesus, with no effect. We continued to pray. The telephone call came like a stun grenade, as Chris, then a student at Cambridge University, told us that he had made a decision to become a Christian. I dashed upstairs to tell the incredible news to our children, who were pleased but not surprised. Our young daughter Kelly asked me an uncomfortable question. 'Why are you so shocked, Dad? We’ve been praying for him. Didn’t you expect something to happen?’

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Jonah 3:5

John 11:1-44

Focus

The people of Nineveh believed God’s warning.

Jonah 3:5a

The news of the hardened people of Nineveh coming to God is nothing short of shocking. The word used to describe their newfound faith, ‘believed’, is the very same term in the Hebrew that describes Father Abraham’s relationship with God. And the radical nature of their repentance is a shocker as well. The Assyrians were a most religious people: they shaped their national life according to their belief in the goddess of war, Ishtar. But now, as they fast and drape themselves in sackcloth as a sign of mourning, and throw themselves on the mercy of the real God, what we see is nothing short of a miracle. It’s difficult to pray for some people –especially family members. Their turning would seem absolutely impossible. But the God who can even raise the dead is able.

Prayer: Lord, grant me hope and expectation to see the ‘unreachable’ reached. Help me to keep asking, and hoping. Amen.

For All

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Jonah 3:5-6

Colossians 3:1-17

One of the fantastic joys of church is that people of totally different backgrounds can come together, united by their love for Jesus. People who would never mix under any other circumstances suddenly find themselves side by side – a dynamic picture of kingdom life, as young and old, rich and poor, women and men, employees and business owners, and people of every ethnicity mingle together in the unique family created by the cross. When we insist that our churches are built around our narrow preferences in worship styles and other peripheral issues, we miss the point of the whole thing. In a fractured world, the church is designed to be a delightful jigsaw. So it was in Nineveh. As there was such a massive response to Jonah’s prophetic warning, social barriers toppled, and suddenly a new sense of community was born. This was not owned or dictated by the rich and powerful – it was a grassroots movement that began on the streets, and eventually reached the royal palace. The king then shot the message to his nobles and back to the common people again, adding impetus and official sanction to what was already well under way.

Focus

’All of them put on black clothes. That’s what everyone from the least important of them to the most important did.’

Jonah 3:5b

The old proverb is sadly true: birds of a feather do certainly prefer to flock together – and perhaps some of us are bristling and frustrated because there are people in our local church who are nothing like us. Let’s learn to delight in our differences, and certainly not fear or resent them.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the family of the cross. Help me to draw close to those who are so different from me. Amen.