THIS statement at the end of verse 3 follows the information that Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord. It is plainly inserted to open up to us the greatness of the task which Jonah was called by God to undertake. It is easy to read such a statement and then pass on, but if we stop and reflect on it, then we are led into some deep thinking about the world under the hand of an omnipotent God, who rules over all. It is this God, the one and only true God, who is the high and lofty one, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, who has Nineveh, this very important city, in his view and under his control.

NINEVEH.

We are told in this text that Nineveh was a very important city. By this we are meant to understand that it was a city which had great power and standing in the world. It was a city that people had heard of. It was a city of great riches. It was a proud city, and it felt itself invincible. It was a city which gloried in its greatness, and which looked down on lesser cities. As far as the world powers were concerned, it was at the top, and other cities looked up to it. In worldly eyes it was an invincible and powerful rock which had everything.

We first come across Nineveh in Genesis 10:11,12. It was built first by Nimrod, the son of Cush, who was the son of Ham, who in turn was the son of Noah. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria.

Jonah lived around the time of Elisha, and he is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. This was around 825 BC. At that time God in his sovereignty had a purpose of grace towards this city even though its wickedness had come up before him (Jonah 1:1). Like all worldly cities which have achieved greatness, there was the sense of being masters of their destiny, and that they had the right to be and live as they pleased. However, the fact that God noted the wickedness of the city tells us God was continually monitoring the life of the city, and this was because all of human life and the whole world is under his rule and dominion.

In God's purpose of grace towards Nineveh at this time, God spoke of his evaluation of the city, and of his power to judge and destroy the city, and he did this through his servant, the prophet Jonah. God plainly showed that the way the city lived and conducted itself was an offense before him, and merited judgement and punishment. God also clearly conveyed the information, in the message Jonah was told to proclaim, that he had power to do exactly what he declared.

At the time of Jonah, God's purpose towards Nineveh was one of grace, and so God made the preaching of Jonah effective in that the Ninevites believed the message Jonah proclaimed, and repented, and when God saw their repentance, and that it was genuine, God withdrew his declaration of judgement. This was not God changing his mind, but God carrying out what he had determined to do at that time. The grace of God is always bestowed sovereignly. It is the sovereign will of God that chooses to show mercy and grace, and so produce a response of repentance and faith.

We find later, around 625 BC that the prophet Nahum was sent again to Nineveh with a message from God. This message pronounces judgement upon the city, which was carried out with devastating and complete success, so that Nineveh ceased to exist, and death was poured out on all the inhabitants. Zephaniah also prophesies the desolation of Nineveh at this time. (Zephaniah 2:13-15).

REVELATION OF GOD.

The important thing is to hear and learn the revelation of God which our text reveals to us.

The world is like Nineveh. Rulers, people and nations go their own way. According to the sinful corruption in the human heart, nations live without regard to God, and set up their own God's and worship them, and so insult the true and living God. Nations glory in their greatness just as Nineveh did. Nations think they can go on for ever. Nations and rulers talk about justice and people demand human rights, and still live without thought of God, and live according to their own ways and wishes.

In all the troubles of the world, people in power wield their power to their own advantage. When answers to world problems are looked for it is done without any thought or regard for God. In fact God is ignored and totally felt to be non-existent. If God is regarded it is a God of human invention, who is totally on the side of one faction.

Nineveh is said in our text to be a very important city, but still it was under the rule of God, and God required of it to answer for its life and living. This is true of the whole world and of every nation.

Nineveh was being monitored by God. All its ways and actions were recorded in heaven. All the wickedness and godlessness which was recorded – came up before God.

Nineveh thought that they had to answer to no one, and that if there were a God he was not concerned about them. Our text in the context of Jonah's mission tells a totally different story. God was concerned about the life of Nineveh, and he did hold them to account for what they did, and he did have power to enforce his will. So is it with all the world. The world will be called to account, and required to answer for all it iniquity. Nor is God impotent to effect the carrying out such just judgement and retribution as fits the iniquity.

MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD.

What our text in its context tells us is that however important and powerful any nation or power is in the world, it is still under the omnipotent dominion of God.

God is on the throne of the universe. His power is invincible. He can carry out his will and execute his judgments.

Because of the wickedness of the world, the world is doomed under the judgement of God. The holiness of God condemns the wickedness of the world. The world will eventually be destroyed with all who are in it.

This fact of God's power and judgement is denied even within the church. The wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of mankind is not only rejected, but rejected on the spurious grounds that God is love and so he could never judge and punish sinners, and would never do so. Instead the attitude of God to the proud city of Nineveh is to warn the world he not only can, but he will judge, unless people repent.

This is not to deny the infinite love of God, but to warn that God's love is only poured out when his righteousness and holiness is upheld, and so the love of God can only be known in and through Christ whom God has set forth as Redeemer and Saviour. God's love is shown through Christ only, because Christ only has satisfied the holy demands of God's law on behalf of those who trust him. The mercy shown to Nineveh when they repented in the time of Jonah, was only on the grounds of Christ who would give himself in due time as a complete satisfaction for sin. Nineveh could not have been spared else.

Just because Nineveh was a very important city did not dissolve their obligation to God and his holiness, and this is true of all the world. Just as Nineveh was final destroyed because they turned back to their wickedness, so God's testimony is that the soul which sins it will die, and this is universal throughout the world.

REVELATION OF GOD'S GRACE.

Nineveh was a very important city, but this was not the reason for Jonah's mission or the result of his mission in the repentance of the city. God did not have a purpose of grace for Nineveh because they were important. To imagine so is to fly in the face of all Scripture. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that not many wise and not many influential or of noble birth are called. What the world thinks is important and worthy has no standing in the sight of God. Nineveh was blessed with grace at this time simply according to the sovereign grace of God.

The greatness of Nineveh only increased their responsibility before God, and enhanced the seriousness of their wickedness. It was God who chose to be gracious to Nineveh at that time.

However the continuing history of Nineveh reveals that no one can presume on God's grace, and just because God has been pleased to show grace in the past, does not mean that he will show grace in the future, specially when, as Nineveh did, people turn away from God.

This is particularly relevant both for the UK and for countries like America. Just because God has shown grace in the past does not mean that a country can go their own way, and live without God, presuming that God again will be gracious, and bring repentance and reviving grace.

CONCLUSION.

The fact is that however great or powerful a nation or a city may become it can't escape the claims of God, or the authority of God. If a nation is godless and wicked, then God will judge and punish.

If people say that God has done nothing to assert his authority so there is nothing to fear, and make this the reason that they can go on without God in their own way, they will find that God's patience is not endless. The fact is that God has withheld his judgement, so that his purposes of grace in Christ may come to full fruition, and to give people time to turn and repent, but the prophecy of Jonah assures us that however great human power may be, God will execute his will, and his wrath will eventually be poured out on all ungodliness and wickedness of human beings.