THE DELIVERANCE OF NINEVEH

Read   Jonah 3

KEY VERSE: "For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes." (verse 6)


The God of the Old Testament has always been viewed by some people (who are not Christians) as a mass murderer. They see him drowning all of creation (Genesis 7) and raining fire and brimstone to cities that are filled with wickedness (Genesis 19). For them, he is a wicked God that wants evil to perish.

But they want to see what they want to see. They will always avoid the ways of how God redeemed his people and bought them a home. They will argue, "he has favorites, since the Israelites are people , he will not punish them". They really need to read the entire bible.

But God's act of kindness does not only cover his chosen people. The people of Nineveh, a city in the Assyrian Empire was known for it's wickedness. God sent a prophet named Jonah to preach unto the city else God will destroy them. Jonah even hesitated and wanted the city to perish. But God didn't allow it.       

In the Book of Jonah Chapter 3, when Jonah preached unto them, they turned back from their old ways. They heeded the words of the prophet and they were spared by God. A mighty city, they humbled themselves before the creator. Thus they were not destroyed.

Let the story of Jonah and Nineveh reminds us that there is a God that is very gracious. Even though they are Gentiles, God forgave them of their sins and they were not destroyed. This is the reason why he sent his only son Jesus Christ to redeem not just the Jews but Gentiles like me as well. We just only need to believe in him, confess our sins and be baptized. Again, there is no such thing as too much wickedness for him.

In closing, this is a far cry from the God that commits genocide. Let us all be as humble and be moved by the Lord as the king of Nineveh was moved, and repented in sackcloth and ashes. If they were able to do it, so can this generation who is more wicked than those in the Days of Noah and Jonah.

MAY JESUS BLESS YOU

BRIAN LUCIANO

JUNE 29,2017