Scripture: Jonah 1:1-2 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
Devotion: As we start this new series on the book of Jonah, perhaps we are covering a story that you are familiar with. Or perhaps the story of Jonah is one that you have never heard before. Either way, over the next four weeks, we will be taking a deep dive into this book of the Bible. We will examine Jonah, his character, his highs and lows, and the nature of God.
Today, we are starting with verses one and two where the Lord tells Jonah to go the Nineveh and speak out against its wickedness. You might be wondering why the Lord referred to it as a great city before mentioning their wicked ways. Here, “great city” likely means either great in size, influence, or both. It was certainly far from “great” as we think of it. To help you understand the evil that was present in the city of Nineveh, here is a quote that Ashirnasirpal II (883-859 BC), an Assyrian king who reigned in the century before Jonah, made after defeating a city, “I felled 3,000 of their fighting men with the sword . . . I captured many troops alive: I cut off of some their arms [and] hands; I cut off of others their noses, ears, [and] extremities. I gouged out the eyes of many troops. I made one pile of the living [and] one of heads. I hung their heads on trees around the city.”
This is a city known for its extreme violence and wicked ways. And yet, at the very start of this chapter, the specifics of that evil are not what is mentioned. Instead, what we see is the plan for God’s mercy unfolding. The Lord has called on the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh and to speak out against all that they are doing. The reason that the Lord called him to do so was not simply so that he will be martyred. No, the Lord called Jonah to go to this evil, sin-filled city so that the people there might hear the truth and repent. That they might turn from their wickedness, receive the grace of God, and begin to walk in His truth.
You see, while there are lessons to be learned from Jonah throughout the book with his namesake, which we will read and look into, the main character of this story is God. And from the very first verses of chapter one, we see once again that God is gracious and forgiving. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Reflect:
- When you think of the story of Jonah, what initially comes to mind?
- Have you ever struggled to feel as though God’s mercy extends to you? How does knowing that even a place like Nineveh, filled with evil and not seeking God at all, received God’s mercy, help you more fully understand that His mercy also extends to you?