Study From the Book of Jonah,4

                            Study From the Book of Jonah,4

Today is the fourth part of the series. We study a couple of biblical principles in chapter 3. We remind ourselves that chapter three deals with Jonah returned to preach the people of Nineveh telling them God’s judgment. Notice that he did not tell them to repent and even he did not complete the three days mission around the city. So he was “half hearted!”  However, the people there repented their sins, so God withheld His words.

Principle 5 (3:1):  “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time..”

Lesson 5: Did Jonah deserve a second chance to carry out God’s assignment? No. Neither do we. But God in His mercy is not about keeping score, but about shaping us into the likeness of His son.

Principle 6 (3:10):  “ 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...”

Lesson 6: Over and over again we see that God does not want to bring judgement upon any one. So He pleads with us and urges us to repent. Only when no other option remains does judgment fall.