By David Faust

The Bible stirs my imagination and piques my curiosity. After three days inside the great fish, did Jonah ever eat seafood again? I’m guessing probably not. Here are some other questions Jonah 3 brings to mind:

Do we appreciate the do overs God grants?

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time” (Jonah 3:1). Sometimes we resist God’s message the first time we hear it. There are three kinds of people: those who learn from their own mistakes, those who learn from others’ mistakes, and those who refuse to learn. Aren’t you thankful that you serve the God of second chances?

What was Jonah thinking as he prepared to enter Nineveh?

He had plenty of time to ponder. I used to picture him walking into the city to preach immediately after the fish vomited him onto dry ground. A map of the region, however, reveals something different. Yes, given a second chance, “Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh” (v. 3), but Nineveh wasn’t a coastal city. It was situated far inland—approximately 400 miles east of the body of water the ancients called the Great Sea and we call the Mediterranean. When Jonah finally realized he couldn’t sail away from his prophetic work and ended up on the beach, he still had hundreds of miles to travel (presumably on foot). Even if he walked 30 miles a day, it took him nearly two weeks to reach Nineveh. No wonder his sermon was so effective once he got there; he had plenty of time to prepare! After Jonah’s “conversion,” there was still a long journey ahead as he fulfilled his service to God. So it is, I suspect, with the rest of us.

Are there individuals in our circles of influence who might be surprisingly receptive to God’s Word?

When Jonah preached, “The Ninevites believed God” (v. 5). Who could imagine that those pagan Assyrians would ever listen to a Hebrew prophet? Likewise, who could have predicted that Saul of Tarsus would become a Christian? Never underestimate the power of God’s truth to penetrate and transform human hearts. Some individuals we consider hard-hearted are more open to God than we think.

Why did people wear sackcloth when they fasted?

The scratchy fabric served as a sign of repentance and a reminder of their accountability to God. Discomfort isn’t always bad. Sometimes it encourages spiritual growth—a lesson worth rediscovering in a culture that idolizes comfort and personal pleasure.

What would happen if leaders today urged citizens to “call urgently on God” and “give up their evil ways and their violence” (v. 8)?

The king of Nineveh removed his royal robes, “covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust” (v. 6). No government regulations can force anyone to believe and turn to God, but it’s tantalizing to imagine what might happen if our leaders would model genuine humility and repentance. Even the animals fasted and wore sackcloth in symbolic solidarity as the whole city bowed before the Lord (vv. 7, 8).

In our day, will spiritual revival transform cities like it did in Nineveh?

Jonah 3 reminds us never to lose heart as we pray, preach, and work for that vision to become a reality.

David Faust serves as the Associate Minister at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Based on International Sunday School Lesson, © 2013, by the Lesson Committee. Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©2011, unless otherwise indicated.

As you apply today’s Scripture study to everyday life, read Engage Your Faith by David Faust and the correlating Evaluation Questions.