Rerouted: 30 Days Through the Book of JonahSample

Daring To Hope

Felicia Caid Smith

Jonah 3:6-9

Growing up, one phrase from my parents always stopped me in my tracks: “You’re in trouble when we get home.” From that moment on, I would exemplify stellar behavior, hopeful that my parents would relent.

In Jonah 3, the Ninevites feared a much greater discipline — God’s wrath and destruction within 40 days (Jonah 3:4). When this warning reached the king, he urgently called the entire city to fast, wear sackcloth, plead to God and turn from evil (Jonah 3:7-9).

• Fasting.
  Throughout Scripture, we see fasting in times of desperation for forgiveness, healing, help or mercy (Leviticus 16:29; 2 Samuel 12:16; 1 Samuel 7:6; Deuteronomy 9:18). Understanding the severity of Jonah’s message, the king of Nineveh commanded even the animals to abstain from food and drink (Jonah 3:7).
• Wearing Sackcloth.
  Sackcloth, made from coarse camel or goat hair, symbolized mourning and repentance in the Ancient Near East (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; Nehemiah 9:1; Jeremiah 6:26). The king decreed that everyone, including animals, wear sackcloth, acknowledging the city’s guilt (Jonah 3:8).
• Pleading to God.
  The king instructed the people to "call out mightily to God" (Jonah 3:8) — not with weak, half-hearted prayers but with urgent, fervent pleas.
• Turning From Evil.
  Historical records show the Ninevites were people of war, destruction and cruelty. The king ordered them to change their behavior and "turn from [their] evil way" (Jonah 3:8). He expressed a glimmer of hope: “Who knows? God may turn and relent” (Jonah 3:9).

Jonah’s message was direct: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). It sounded final. The phrase “unless you repent” is noticeably absent. While it’s possible the full message extended beyond what is recorded here in Jonah, we can’t know for sure. But the Ninevites dared to hope that God would relent.

We, too, face situations that seem hopeless — marriage, finances, health — but we can confidently trust God. Unlike the Ninevites, we know Christ bore the punishment for our sins on the cross. Because of Him, we’re assured of God’s goodness (Romans 8:28)! And when we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we can look forward to the crown of eternal life awaiting those who remain steadfast in Him (James 1:12).