Jonah - Part III

Jonah 3-4   A Change of Heart . . .?   There is a shift in Jonah’s response to God’s call, but not necessarily a heart change.  ·         Jonah went to Nineveh, but his heart may have still been in Tarshish. o   A reluctant heart will eventually outpace a morally deistic life.   Three Observations . . .   1.    Nineveh repented. “And the people of Nineveh believed God.  They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.”  Jonah 3:5   A proper view of God leads to a right view of my sinfulness and my need for repentance.    2.    God relented. “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that He had said He would do to them, and He did not do it.”  Jonah 3:10   Repentance moves the heart of God to relent in carrying out his judgment.    3.    Jonah resented.  (4:1-4)   o   Jonah quickly forgot the mercy and compassion shown to him by God. o   Jonah’s self-centeredness choked out all mercy and compassion for the people of Nineveh.   A self-centered heart leaves no room for mercy and compassion for others.    Truth Statement:    God wants to change my heart for the Nineveh in my life.   The Heart of the Matter . . .   ·         If God extended mercy and compassion towards you in the same manner in which you extend mercy and compassion towards others, where would you be?   ·         What or who is the Nineveh in your life?