Who can tell? Jonah Chapter 3

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Who can tell?

That is the question that the King of Nineveh asked and it is the question that a lot of people are asking themselves today.  This King was playing Russian roulette with God.  Many people are still doing this today.  They are just trying to figure out what they think will give them peace with God.  Just like the King of Nineveh, they are attempting to weigh the good that they can do, with the bad that they have already done.  He was hoping that by doing good now, it would make up for all of the evil that they had already been guilty of.  He did not know if his plan would work or not, he was just hoping that it would.

Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? - Jonah 3:9

Thank the Lord that we do not have to wonder about how to have peace with God.  He has told us plainly what must be done to have peace with Him.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: -Romans 5:1

The only way to achieve peace with God is to repent of your sin and to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.  We can only have peace with God through the blood that he shed in our place on our behalf.

Repentance is not just about Sin

Repentance is a change of mind or a change of course.  It is usually associated with sinners turning from their sin and toward God, but at times the Bible says that God has repented.  Since we know that God does not and cannot sin, we must acknowledge the fact that repentance and sin are not synonymous.

Steps to repentance from sin

  •   Plead for forgiveness (Psalms 51:1-2)
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
  •   Confess your guilt (Psalms 51:3-6)
 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
  • Ask to be pardoned for your sin (Psalms 51:7-12)
 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
  • Resolve to praise God for your forgiveness (Psalms 51:13-17)
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

God repented of the evil

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. - Jonah 3:10

Evil sometimes denotes sin but not every time that it shows up.  At times evil is just representing something that is unfavourable, such as the reference to an evil report:

 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. - Numbers 13:31-33

Your actions can change things

An important thing to take notice of here is that you can change things by the actions that you take.  Jonah changed the circumstances of the merchant sailors by his actions, the King of Nineveh changed the circumstances of his city by the actions that he took and you can change your circumstances by the actions that you take as well.

David’s actions changed his circumstances for the better:

Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down.
Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up.
Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.
And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. - 1 Samuel 23:10-14

Nebuchadnezzar’s actions changed his circumstances for the worse:

Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. - Daniel 4:27-31

Which will you choose today?  Will you follow the example of the King of Nineveh and repent of your sin and make a change for the better?  Or will you follow the example of King Nebuchadnezzar, and refuse to change or repent and suffer the consequences?