Bible Matters 352: Why Nineveh

According to Genesis 10:6-11, The descendants of Ham led to the building of Nineveh.  Nineveh had gone to the way of wickedness.  God went to Jonah, who was an Old Testament prophet.  God told Jonah to witness to the great city of Ninevah.  Their wickedness was great and it offended the Lord.  So much so, that he wanted Jonah to tell them about God and that their wickedness displeased him.  This was not going to be a small act for Jonah.  Nineveh was not kind to strangers, especially those preaching against their wicked behavior.  It has been told that they would cube their enemy and eat them.  Out of fear for his life, he ignored God’s request and decided to go the opposite way to Tarshish in southern Spain. 

Jonah 1:2-4 – Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.  But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

God knew that Jonah’s faith was weak, so he decided to give Jonah strength.  God used a large fish to swallow Jonah and Jonah stayed in his belly three days.  Teachers will say that Jonah’s time in the belly of the fish is symbolic of the three days that Jesus spent in the earth.  I disagree.  Jesus did not turn away from the Father and ignore what his Father wanted him to do.  The three days in the belly of the fish was to correct for Jonah’s path.  Jonah was now a subject matter expert and hero.  God will build you up and give you the power to perform the job he has for you. 

Jonah 1:1-5,15,17 – Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,  Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.  But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.  But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.  Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.  So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.  Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Recognizing the predicament that Jonah was in, he prayed unto the Lord thy God, to take him out of this fish.  For the lost, this fish with you in the belly is representative of you lost in your love of self, greed and addiction.  When you decide that you want out, pray to God and tell him that you want out!  God spit Jonah out of the mouth of the fish.  God will give you the power to escape your greed and addiction and life of sin.  Being spit out of the fish’s mouth, it is time you decide to follow God’s commandments, turn from sin, love God and love his children and follow him.  God will direct your paths. 

Jonah 2:1-2,9-10 – Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,  And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.  But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.  And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

God picked Jonah in the womb and God’s plan for Jonah didn’t change.  Jonah stood up on the beach and did as God directed!  He headed to Nineveh and told them of the impending doom that God had planned for their wicked city!  Nineveh agreed and gave glory to God with a fast.  They repented and turned from their evil ways and God was pleased.  He was no longer going to wipe out the city. 

Jonah 3:1-5,9-10 – And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,  Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.  So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.  Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

The outcome of you serving the Lord is in God’s plan.  It will not always be what you want.  Jonah was no longer going to witness the destruction of Nineveh and he was angry.  He was ready to witness the destruction of Nineveh, but their corrective action and worship of God by the Nineveh people, pleased God.

Jonah 4:1-3,5-8,11 –  But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.  And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.  Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.  So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.  And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.  But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.  And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Why the Nineveh eclipse over North America?  North America has turned from the things of God and turned to greed?  The greed of money and the greed of self.  Killing to satisfy self is to be justified.  In 2020, the US National debt was 26 trillion dollars.  Four short years later and the US National debt has almost doubled to 35 trillion dollars, with no end in sight.  There is no end in sight for the people that want “free” money and to serve self, all for the sake of greed.  The US dollar is being handed out freely to those that partake in the genocide of babies.  God allowed birth control devices to be developed.  Killing babies and embryos in the womb was never a God given option.  The use of illegal drugs that wipe out personnel esteem and lives are being glorified.  The US dollar is being used by politicians to generate hate amongst the people.  Where there is hate, there can be no peace.  When there is no peace, lives cannot develop love for the things of God.  Where is there is hate, there is eventual death.  North America used to be the country of solutions.  North America is now a country of corruption.  With the Nineveh eclipse, North America has been warned. 

Pray to God that North America and the world, repent and lose its grip on the worship of the false god of greed.  To restore their faith on the things of God and render themselves to the love of people.  Pray that the people be delivered from the hate and judgement of the world and to be restored to the love of God and the love of the things of this earth.  If you are into greed and self-fulfillment and not realizing the full potential that God has planned for you, then it is time to turn to God.  To understand the teachings of Jesus Christ.  If your spirit has gone sour, then repent and turn from your sins and let your sins be placed on Jesus for forgiveness.  Do as God requests and do not judge others.  Do not turn back to self-worship and greed.  Do not blaspheme your spirit or the Holy Ghost.  Now, go live your life to the glory of God, serving others.

To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.