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Jonah 3:3-4

3 So Jonah [Yonah] arose [quwm], and went [yalak] unto Nineveh [Niynaveh], according to the word [dabar] of the LORD [Yahovah]. Now Nineveh [Niynaveh] was an exceeding [elohiym] great [gadowl] city [iyr] of three [shalowsh] days [yowm] journey [mahalak].
4 And Jonah [Yonah] began [chalal] to enter [bow] into the city [iyr] a [echad] day's [yowm] journey [mahalak], and he cried [qara], and said [amar], Yet forty [arba`iym] days [yowm], and Nineveh [Niynaveh] shall be overthrown [haphak]. KJV-Interlinear

3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, 'Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.' NASB

Jonah was deposited onto the beach by the fish. He did not necessarily get his marching orders again from God at that same time. But when he did receive his orders (subsequent to his return to Israel), then, regardless of where he was, it would be a three day walk to Nineveh.

How do we know that he was returned to Israel by the fish? Well actually we don't know that. But the consistency of the Bible gives us this reasonable conclusion. When he left Israel he left God and doctrine. When he again returned and began receiving communication from God then this implies that he returned to the land of doctrine. Israel is the name of the chosen nation of God, and therein is where Gods Word is communicated - by illustration.

For spiritual learning purposes the nation of Israel although a geographical region is also representative of Gods spiritual nation. Now doctrine does not come only from the Middle East. Hope this is clear.

Jonah is going to walk three days to Nineveh to deliver a message. Christ while in the grave traveled into the heart of the earth to deliver a message of victory for Gods plan and for doom for all who rejected Him. Christ did not travel for three days, but probably did His traveling virtually instantly, and there He delivered His message to all who were bound for the Lake of Fire. No one converted or changed their minds regarding Christ.

Jonah will travel to Nineveh and deliver a message of doom. Jonah actually enjoyed his message, as he did not like the heathens living there. The original language places emphasis on his message. 'You all have only 40 days and then, boom, you are all going straight to hell. Nanner, nanner, nanner!' Or that is the idea of Jonah's message, anyway. You can just see him skipping through the streets shouting at the top of his lungs. He has just been delivered from certain death. What could the Ninevites possibly do to him? After all God sent him here. It wasn't his idea to come to Nineveh.

Nineveh was a large city - a full days walk itself. So Jonah, having just completed a long trip to the city was still walking and shouting to his hearts content. He was high in energy and did not wear out for all of the effort he put into spreading his message - gleefully. 'You're all going to die!! You're all going to die!! And it will come in 40 days! And I am going to watch! Nanner, nanner, nanner!'

So Jonah figured that his boat trip and storm and fish ride was not all too big of a waste of time. This was great.

But then something happened. Something that Jonah did not expect.

Bet you can't guess what that was.

Jonah had just finished a long trip of three days walking to the city to give them their doomsday warning. This three days was also the length of time he was in the fish. And the fish was due to his own failure in not listening to God.

Listening to God. Did I mention 'Listening to God?'

Though Jonah has been listening to God, he has not been hearing the message. God is grace. God was gracious to the ships crew, and to Jonah even though none of them deserved it. Yet they all turned to God and received deliverance from the storm.

Jonah faced certain death and he still received deliverance - and - time to think about it all. The ships crew thought about the storm and how it suddenly stopped when Jonah hit the water. They thought about it during the rest of their voyage. And they certainly talked about it when they hit their first port. How could they not talk about such a supernatural event?

Jonah received grace from God despite his own failure. How could he not be gracious to others who are in the same sinful circumstances as he? Sin is sin, and grace is grace. God offers grace to all who respond positively to Him. To unbelievers He offers deliverance from eternal condemnation. To believers He offers deliverance from temporal difficulties. Jonah had three days to think about it all, and another three days to think about it all. Did I mention 'thinking' about Gods teaching? That is a novel idea.

Jonah was a little on the self righteous side of life. He had his blessing and they did not. He did not consider that any heathen might actually turn toward God - 'his' God.

Nor did he consider being gracious toward them. Self righteous people enjoy helping God judge others. They enjoy teasing others of their 'deserved' doom. They even enjoy telling them about their doom before it happens. Kind of like stepping on a painful wound just to make it hurt a little more.

Now is the time to post a prayer.

End Of Lesson

Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.

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