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| Starry Starry Night - Australian Academy of Science |
'When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is mankind the you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?' Psalm 8:3-4
The Book of Jonah depicted a merciful God and told the story of a God of the Second Chances.
God sent Jonah to Nineveh to warn the city of the impending doom if they did not turn from their wickedness. The Assyrian empire were extremely cruel. Their victories were followed by violent slaughter, enslavement and barbaric torture. The reluctant prophet Jonah, did not expect that the people would heed the warnings and repent of their evil deeds. Even so, Jonah did not expect God to be so merciful. Yet, dramatically and unexpectedly the Ninevites repented.
'And the people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least they declared a fast and put on burlap (sackcloth) to show their sorrow.' Jonah 3:5 (NLT)
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| Nineveh |
The king of Nineveh declared
"People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change His mind and hold back His fierce anger from destroying us." Jonah 3:8,9 (NLT)
God gave them a reprieve, a second chance
'When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, He changed His mind and did not carry out the destruction He had threatened.' Jonah 3:10
The Bible is replete with accounts of the many times the people of God rebelled, worshipped false gods and created idols for themselves. Time and time again God relented, gave them many chances when they humbled themselves and turned to him.
Exodus 32 recorded the great sin of the Golden Calf at the time when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. The Israelites turned against God and to idolatry. God had said that His anger will burn against them and that He may destroy them. But Moses sought favour with God and in the end it was recorded in Exodus 32:14, almost to the letter, as in Jonah 3:10,
'Then God changed His mind and did not bring to His people the disaster He had threatened.'
God relented.
Repentance and revival occur with communities and churches; it also can occur for us in personal encounters. This was Jonah's experience in the belly of the fish. Jonah had refused to obey God's call, ran away from Him only to be brought to the depths of despair. In that desperation Jonah came to his senses,
'Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, "I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and He answered me. I called to You from the land of the dead, and Lord, You heard me....But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord." Jonah 2:1 and 6b, 7a (NLT)
Mr Guan Yeow Kwang, speaking at the Charis Methodist Church on the 26 June 2022, described this second chance as being rescued from the ultimate low, plucked out of the watery grave. Guan said, when we repent we will
- Remember God
- Receive God's Grace
- Rediscover God's Intimacy
This was King David's experience too and he eloquently described this in Psalm 51.
'Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stains of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognise my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence, and don't take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.'
Amazing Grace! Timothy Keller dedicated his book on Jonah (Ref 1), The Prodigal Prophet to John Newton. Keller wrote
'In gratitude to God for the life and ministry of John Newton (1725-1807) who also turned back to God during a storm, and became a pastor who has taught us, and untold number of others, the beauty of amazing grace'
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come:
'tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me,
his word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease:
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
the sun forbear to shine;
but God, who called me here below,
will be forever mine
We should gaze at the night sky, consider the stars and the heavens; then realise how fortunate and privilege we are, recipients of God's mercy and grace.
'But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.' John 1:12
Lionel
Ref 1: Timothy Keller, The Prodigal Prophet, Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy. Hodder and Stoughton, 2018
