So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?”

Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

—Jonah 3:5–10

If you grew up attending Sunday school, it’s highly likely you read the story of Jonah. However, you might not have learned much beyond the fact that he ran away from God and was swallowed by a large fish, in whose belly he stayed for three days.

Yet there’s so much more to this story.

After those three days, that portion of the Jonah narrative ends in a fascinating way: “So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (Jonah 2:10). The fish was even more obedient to God’s command than the prophet had been, immediately doing what it was instructed to do.

Once Jonah was ready to obey the Lord, he prepared to traverse the entire city of Nineveh, which we’re told was “an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent” with “more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons” (Jonah 3:3, 4:11). All the while, the prophet declared the Lord’s intentions for the city: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4).

Just as Jonah was in the fish’s belly for three days and was brought back from the dead, for the three days Jonah pro-claimed judgment on the Ninevites, they were as good as dead if God didn’t relent.

A Well-Known Cesspool of Sin

Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire and renowned for its wickedness. Another minor prophet, Nahum, decried its reputation and deeds: “Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. Its victim never departs.… There is a multitude of slain, a great number of bodies, countless corpses—they stumble over the corpses—because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, the mistress of sorceries, who sell nations through her harlotries, and families through her sorceries” (Nahum 3:1, 3–4). One can understand why our holy Lord would determine to condemn such a place, as its inhabitants were destroying not only people’s lives but also their souls. (You can read about a similar situation with Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18–19.)

A Successful Ministry

Jonah’s preaching had an instant result. The people fasted and put on sackcloth—and not just some people: everyone, “from the greatest to the least of them,” and the king himself left his throne and finery to join his people in repentance (Jonah 3:5–6). Even the livestock were enlisted for the cause (Jonah 3:7). Although God didn’t ask or tell the Ninevites to fast or don sackcloth, these outward demonstrations reflected the fact that “the people of Nineveh believed God” and that He would destroy them in forty days if they didn’t “turn from [their] evil way and from the violence that is in [their] hands” (Jonah 3:5, 8). Centuries later, Jesus Himself would commend their behavior: “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here” (Luke 11:32).

The king and his subjects cried out to God, praying that He’d spare them, and that’s exactly what He did: “Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10).

Such a glorious demonstration of the Lord’s grace!

The Petulant Prophet

At this point, you might think that Jonah would be happy. After all, his preaching had resulted in God forgiving an entire city of people, and the Lord was glorified. What a humbling honor, right?

Not to Jonah, who was the opposite of happy: “But it dis-pleased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry” (Jonah 4:1). Why was he so angry? As he told the Lord, “for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” (Jonah 4:2). Basically, Jonah was angry at God for being Himself. “God is love,” and He cannot violate His own character (1 John 4:8).

Instead of rejoicing even “over one sinner who repents,” Jonah tells God that he’d rather die than witness the Ninevites’ deliverance (Luke 15:7; Jonah 4:3).

Reflecting God’s Mercy

We might be inclined to judge Jonah. To think he’s being harsh, cruel, melodramatic, or unloving. But ask yourself this: Have you ever looked at a city, region, or another country and thought they were surely too evil to be saved? Have you ever thought that about a person or a group of people?

To my shame, I have. Thus, as much as I’d like to cast aspersions on Jonah for his refusal to preach a gospel of repentance to the Ninevites, I must confess that at times I’ve been no different. We’ve all fallen short in this regard, because none of us can perfectly love our neighbors—or God—as we should.

God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). As Christians, we should reflect this same mercy. When we observe nations, communities, or individuals who stand against God, we might be inclined to condemn or avoid them. But we must do what Jonah both succeeded and failed to do—rebuke evil yet see ourselves as numbered among the sinners, in desperate need of salvation: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Instead of harboring resentment or fear toward those who hate the Lord, we are called to pray for their repentance and salvation. This is indeed a humbling honor, to pray for God’s enemies and ours.

Prayer

Lord Almighty, You are slow to anger and abounding in love, steadfast and merciful. You don’t punish us as we deserve, for Your Son, Jesus Christ, took our punishment on Himself, dying on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Let us be diligent in sharing His love with others, most especially those who neither know nor fear You, that they may be brought to repentance through the hearing of Your Word. Thank You for this honor. Amen.

For Further Reflection

• Are there any nations, groups of people, or a specific person you find it hard to pray for? If so, what steps can you take to genuinely intercede for them, trusting in God’s power to bring people to faith?
• Has there even been a point in your life when you weren’t a believer? During this time, was anyone praying for your salvation? If you know anyone who did, reach out to that person and thank them, if you can do so.

Excerpt taken from One Nation Under God: 40 Devotions for Patriotic Women by Amanda C. Bauch (forthcoming November 11, 2025, from Post Hill Press)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version^®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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