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Forgiveness
Forgiveness – Day 13
Ds Hein Barnard

Forgiveness – Day 13

This is the only instance in the Bible where God forgave a nation other that Israel, even when the messenger decided that he did not want to do it.

Bible text(s)

Jonah Obeys the LORD

1Once again the LORD spoke to Jonah. 2He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you.” 3So Jonah obeyed the LORD and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it. 4Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”

5The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.

6When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. 7He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: “This is an order from the king and his officials: no one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink. 8All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up his wicked behaviour and his evil actions. 9Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!”

10God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behaviour. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

Jonah 3GNBOpen in Bible reader

Forgiveness in the Prophets – 3

God sent Jonah to Nineveh, but he decided to go in the opposite direction, ending up in a storm at sea, got thrown overboard and swallowed up by a big fish.

When he was back on dry ground, God sent him again to Nineveh – and he went.  Everybody in Nineveh paid attention to the impending judgement, even the king.  Everybody fasted and stopped doing the wrong things, the animals included.

Verse 10 states that God felt sorry for them – accepted their fasting and wearing of sack-clothes and did not punish them.

This illustrates how God deals with other nations, not only His own people.

Bible Society of South Africav.4.18.12
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