WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday May 21, 2017
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A WAKE-UP CALL
(GOD shows compassion to repentant
sinners)
(Jonah 3)
The prophet Jonah
ministered during the reign of Jeroboam II. Years earlier, during the reign of
Jeroboam’s great grandfather, Jehu, the nation of Assyria had established dominance
in the east. They had secured tributes from Jehu, and, in effect, had made him
their “vassal”, or, “puppet king”. Sometime later however, the Assyrians
suffered a temporary setback due to dissension within their own camp, and this
allowed Jeroboam to expand Israel’s territories to its greatest size since the
“United Kingdom” days of David and Solomon.
Unfortunately, because of Jeroboam’s
continued disobedience to GOD, and his leading of Israel farther into idolatry,
GOD, in an effort to give him a chance to repent and make things right, sent
both Amos and Hosea into northern Israel to warn him of HIS impending judgment
on their sins and social injustices. In fact, the prophet Hosea specifically
told Israel that GOD would use the Assyrians to topple them because of their
refusal to return to HIM (Hosea 11:5).
It seems likely that, because Assyria, at
that time, had been lingering in a weakened and declining state for some years,
Israel was not inclined to believe the words of GOD’s prophets, and thus
remained stubborn, steadfastly refusing to heed the prophets warnings from GOD.
And perhaps, these prophecies from Amos and
Hosea also served to explain why Jonah, who did believe them when they said
that Assyria would destroy Israel, was reluctant to obey GOD and go to preach
repentance to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria. He understandably had a
real problem with going to save his enemy so that they could come later and
destroy Israel.
Here in chapter 3, we see, a now obedient
Jonah, traveling to Nineveh to deliver GOD’s message to the Assyrian populace,
still hoping in his heart, that they would not heed his warning of imminent
judgment. However, much to Jonah’s surprise, after the king himself heard his message, he came down from
his throne, took off his royal robes, wrapped himself in sackcloth, and sent
out a royal decree commanding that all the people of the kingdom repent and
pray earnest prayers to the GOD of Israel.
Everyone, all the way down to the least in
the kingdom, was required to dress themselves in sackcloth, and fast and pray.
Even the animals in the kingdom were not given any food and water during this
period of fasting and praying. And when GOD saw the Assyrians demonstration of
earnest repent and obedience to HIM, HE had mercy on them and did not carry out
HIS alternate plan of judgment and destruction. Jonah’s mission had been an
overwhelming success, even though Jonah himself was not happy at all with the
results.
Genuine repent always tends to melt the
heart of GOD, even though, in this case, it did nothing but harden the heart of
Jonah. Whenever GOD sees genuine repent and GODly sorrow in the human side of
HIS creation, HIS compassion is rained down on those individuals who exhibit
it. He is always pleased to grant us HIS mercy, grace, and forgiveness,
whenever we decide to turn from our own way of doing things, and embrace HIS
way, which has already been laid out for us to follow, through the human life
example of CHRIST JESUS, that HE exhibited to us, while living here on earth.
Nineveh’s repentance delayed GOD’s wrath on
them for another 150 years. However, as mankind seems to always do, the people
of Nineveh in the next generation fell back into the doldrums of sin, and
ultimately, their city still had to be destroyed because of it. World history
now tells us that Nineveh was invaded and destroyed by the Babylonian king,
Nabopolasser, with help from his ally Cyaxeres the Mede, in 612 B.C. (also see
Nahum’s prophecy in the Book of Nahum). And, by the way, because of Jonah’s
negative attitude towards that generation of Ninevite’s salvation, GOD had to
continue to deal with him concerning those issues, after his mission in Nineveh
was complete. Stay tuned.
A
Sunday school lesson by,
Larry
D. Alexander
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