For 40 Days – Day 26: Doomsday: Context

Key Episode Scripture: Jonah 1-4

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” (Jonah 1:1-2 ESVUK)

God created the heavens and the earth. God made man in His own image and set Him in a garden to look after it with one word of warning of what would happen if disobedience occurred. Disobedience took place, and the man paid the price for it, living in rebellion against his Creator. God knew that man’s heart would remain wicked but still sought out a man with whom He could work out His plan. God made a covenant with Abraham, promising he would be a father to many. The promise lived through his son, Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, and that became the name of the nation that God, via a stint of slavery in Egypt, would establish in the promised land.

These were His people – they were not just there to be distinct from their neighbours. They were there to be a beacon of righteousness to their neighbours of God who called, delivered and established them. His covenant with them was of steadfast faithfulness, which He observed despite their unfaithfulness. Their habit of defying Him led to them asking for a king in His place. That led to three kings overseeing a united kingdom of the tribes, but the tendency to worship other gods led to the kingdom being split between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. As the Southern featured occasional kings close to the example of the prime King, David, their Northern counterparts failed regularly. This failure encouraged the worship of their neighbours’ idols and gods; as they disobeyed God, they became susceptible to attacks from their neighbours.

One of those neighbours, in time, would be Assyria. The capital city of Assyria was Nineveh. Jonah, the prophet, operated at a time just before things would get even worse for the Northern Kingdom. He was aware of the bad reputation that Assyria had gained, although they were yet to pose a significant threat to Israel. Nineveh had the kind of reputation that stunk literally to high heaven. They clearly were not aligned with God’s ways, and they certainly had no claim to the covenant relationship of the people of Israel.

When Jonah is instructed to go to Nineveh, it highlights how bad things have become for that city as far as God is concerned. The mission Jonah is sent for is one that pronounces Doomsday for the city after 40 days. This mission was not one Jonah was keen on fulfilling. The reasons why have much to say about the character of God and the purpose of mission even to people that may stick in our craw.

Jesus would refer to Jonah as He compared their missions. What we learn from this intriguing episode of 40 days has implications for our individual relationship with God, our corporate interaction and our understanding of His mission and reach. Our challenge as we engage with this episode is to see if we can understand where Jonah is coming from in his reluctance and anger toward God and how we can align our thoughts and feelings with God regarding where He sends us on a mission.

Next, we will outline the content of Jonah’s interaction with God about the Doomsday mission to Nineveh.

For His Name’s Sake

C. L. J. Dryden

Shalom