Monday: A Work of Repentance
Daily Lesson for Monday 23rd of June 2025
Jonah had a very distinct message for the people of Nineveh. “And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ ” (Jonah 3:4, NKJV). It seems pretty clear: the place was doomed. After all, was that not a word directly from a prophet of the Lord?
Yet, what happened to Nineveh?
Read Jonah 3:5-10. Why was this prophecy not fulfilled?
Image © Providence Collection from GoodSalt.com
Yes, the whole city repented, and the prophesied doom was averted, at least for a time. “Their doom was averted, the God of Israel was exalted and honored throughout the heathen world, and His law was revered. Not until many years later was Nineveh to fall a prey to the surrounding nations through forgetfulness of God and through boastful pride.”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 271.
Can we expect something like this in the last days, with the final message to the fallen world? Yes—and no. That is, there will be, all over the world, many people who heed the call, “ ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues’ ” (Revelation 18:4, NKJV). All over the world, people will take their stand and, in defiance of the beast, will “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). These people, like those in Nineveh, will be spared the judgment that falls upon the lost.
Some prophecies, such as God’s announcement that Nineveh would be destroyed, are conditional. (Ninevah would be destroyed unless the people turned away from their evil [see Jeremiah 18:7-10].) Yet, some prophecies don’t come with these conditions. They are going to be fulfilled, no matter the human response. The Messianic prophecies of Christ’s first and second comings, the mark of the beast, the outpouring of the plagues, end-time persecution—these are not conditional; they will take place regardless of what humans do. What humans do, and the choices they make, will determine instead what side they will be on as final events, foretold by the prophets, unfold.
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What choices are you making now that could help determine what choices you will make when the issue of worshiping God or the image breaks upon the world? |
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Jonah was angry because he thought his message was about spectacular fireworks and he discounted the change that occurred in people's hearts. In our perfect hindsight vision, we often wonder at how he could have been so stupid.
Chapter 4 of Job makes for hard reading. We usually concentrate on the Whale bit of the story, but the really hard bit is that Job appears to find it hard to accept that the message about repentance was more important than the message about destruction.
And in application to our day, I wonder if we have emphasised apocalyptic prophetic fulfilment, to the detriment of the heart change of repentance.
I have mentioned before, the evangelistic program run in my home town with the heading, "Will Britain join the European Economic Community (EEC)? We lived in a dairy farming community where income was derived from selling butter and cheese to Britain. The message of the ten toes of the image in Daniel 2 was reassuring to the dairy farmers and I can remember them enthusiastically shaking the hand of the evangelist at the door. To summarise the story, they joined the church and left again as soon as Britain joined the EEC. I wonder if they had lived till now what they would have thought.
My point is that prophecies are often fulfilled in ways we do not expect, but the big ideas of repentance, faith, hope, and love remain as relevant as ever.
Jonah's pride was hurt because he had a myopic view of what his message was. I wonder if we really understand what our message is today? Are we concerned that our interpretation of prophecy (and current events) will be vindicated? Or are we concerned about the salvation of others?
I have just found I have contributed 5000 comments to Sabbath School Net. Wow, all those words - I need to get off my keyboard more eh!
Your comments are appreciated. Thank you.
Repentance is a very personal thing when taken seriously I had a stroke and do not smoke or drink anymore I guess it took God's intervention
We thank you for your comments. You have such a way to breakdown our daily lesson that is easier to understand. So, we thank you and look forward to reading them each and every day.
No, don't stop Prof. Someone is being uplifted with oneo of those 5000 comments. Kisumu, Lubumbashi, Riyadh or even Mogadishu someone is looking forward to your next comment.
Thank you for all your comments, they have been a blessing
No, Brother Maurice, we really appreciate your comments, so please continue to write them.
Social media is always congratulating people for increase your views. So, "CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU FOR 5000 COMMENTS CONTRIBUTE TO US".
God's blessings to you all!!
Every day we encounter the cashier at the grocery, the ever opinionated family member, the office mate we usually share space daily, the "silent" member I share sabbath school class with, the "annoying neighbour" and of course countless others. Too often, I find myself viewing these people through my own limited human perspective, seeing them as ordinary, average, and unremarkable (1 Sam 16:7). The theme of repentance is broader and calls me to see them through the eyes of the Lord eyes that see each person as magnificent and extraordinary in every sense.
In the Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis writes, “There are no ordinary people....I need to see the people around me in their unique personalities, talents, and cultural backgrounds. Jonah was sent by God to Nineveh, a city full of people vastly different from him—different in ethnicity, culture, beliefs, and behavior. Instead of seeing them through God’s eyes, Jonah ran the other way, driven by judgment, fear, and perhaps even prejudice forgetting that God wanted him to reflect and repent as he needed them to repent to protect too. When Jonah finally delivered God’s message, the Ninevites repented, and God showed them mercy. Jonah, however, struggled with God's compassion, revealing how deeply rooted our resistance to seeing others as God sees them can be.
God sees each person, no matter their background, their flaws, or their culture as someone worthy of love, redemption, and grace. He calls us to do the same. Just as the children’s song joyfully declares, “Red, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight” (Woolston), I am learning to view people not as background characters in the story of my life, but as beloved masterpieces created in the image of God. As I grow in my faith, I want to put on those lenses more often and let God’s vision shape the way I see and love others.
Jonah “cried out”, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” – Jonah 3:4. Jonah did not engage in a debate or argument, nor did he preach but simply “cried out” (shouted). There was something so urgent, authoritative, and convicting in that declaration that the people “believed God” (Jonah 3:5). It is important to note that it is God whom the people believed in and not Jonah. How can the heathen people and more so sworn enemies of Jonah’s home country radically change so quickly? God’s spirit was at work. Jonah’s message was spearheaded by the Holy Spirit’s convicting power. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord…” – Proverbs 21:1.
In this story I see the sovereignty of God at work. As God prepared a big fish to shallow Jonah and vomit him out after three days, the Spirit of God prepared the hearts of the Ninevites to respond positively to Jonah’s message. God delights in mercy and not destruction. "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked..." -Ezekiel 33:11. This story is also warning to the “remnant church”, if we become complacent, proud and unresponsive, we may be left behind by those whom we consider as “outsiders” who hear and obey the Word of God with honesty and sincerity. At the end-time what will matter is not how long we have been in church but how we shall respond to "fear God and Give Him glory".
“The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah…” (Matthew 12:41)
Who tought the Ninnevites how to pray and how to repent to God? With the attitude he had, Jonah couldn't engage the people with Bible study or question and answer session. All I can imagine is a man passing in the neighbourhood crying "All of you people, your sins are great and it has reached the throne of God. Just 40 days and you shall all be destroyed." No words like repent and be saved in his shouts. But the people repented, fasted and prayed to God.
Am not saying we should have the attitude of Jonah but out there, there are a people who know how to worship God but still lack that which my trigger them to.
Suppose Jonah was of our generation, how often would we have called him a false prophet? Just like before 1844 so was in their times. Though we are told the people believed and repented, not all we're true to it. Some were just keeping the decree of the king while other just feared God's wrath. But what's so important? The prophecy was fulfilled in that someone repented and God relented from destroying the city. Ezekiel 22:30
Let us stand.
God loves his creation; therefore, He loves anyone. But He also respects the choices of those who can choose - humans only, for no other creature can overcome instinct or emotion by reason. Am I going through difficulties? These are blessings to remind me that I am dependent on God. He is not blind nor absent from my cry; He hears me and heals me. Hopefully, He will do that until the end.
The people of Nineveh believed Jonah for several interconnected reasons:
1. God Prepared Their Hearts: Jonah 3:5 states simply, “So the people of Nineveh believed God…” This implies that their conviction came from more than just Jonah's words—it was the Holy Spirit working on their hearts.
2. The Message Was Direct and Urgent: Jonah’s warning wasn’t sugarcoated. It confronted them directly with the consequences of their sin. Sometimes a clear and urgent message is what stirs the conscience, especially when people already sense that they are in the wrong.
3. Their Conscience Was Not Yet Hardened: The people’s immediate response—fasting, wearing sackcloth, and even involving their animals—demonstrated a readiness to repent.Their lack of defensiveness and their willingness to humble themselves revealed a moral sensitivity and openness to God.
Their humility and responsiveness made them a rare example of a nation that repented at a prophet’s warning. As the church of Laodicea, are we prepared to do the same? Praise God that although many may not, there will be a faithful remnant who will.
Be More Like Noah, Rather Than Jonah, In These Last Days, Answer the Call Without Hesitating!
We are in the end times now. There are few things that happen before Christ comes in the air as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to call from the grave those who were living in the faith of Jesus, 1st, and then the living righteous He calls to meet Him in the air, with Him, His angels, and those who have come forth from the grave, answering His call of resurrection. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
So, what do we do since we cannot work for our salvation. Salvation is given freely to us by the Blood of the Lamb. Revelation 12:11.
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and thine alone,
Can change the leper's spots
And melt the heart of stone(bad habits).
Page 184 in the Seventh-day Adventist hymnal.
We are told by Paul how to live in these last days. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22, and live, rejoicing. Did you catch that in verse 16? Also in Philippians 4:4 we are admonished to rejoice in the Lord because He has given us the power, 2 Timothy 1:7-9, yes called us to a holy calling, to do what Paul admonishes us in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22. Ok, God bless all in answering the call in these last days. As Christ told His disciple and yes for us, be ready, His coming will be as a thief in the night. Matthew 24:44. And stay ready. Luke 12:35-37. I do believe part of being ready is to be knowledgeable of our faith. 1 Peter 3:15.
What I find striking is the timing of God’s call for Jonah to warn the people of the pagan city of Nineveh of impending judgment by the God of Israel. As God was extending His Mercy to the Assyrians entangled with the worship of their pagan gods, He was witnessing the spiritual decline of His Own people.
During this same time period, Jeroboam II expanded the Northern Kingdom becoming seemingly more prosperous, and King Ahab challenged the prophet Elijah to prove who’s God has greater powers - both leading the people living in their kingdom deeper into Baal worship - Amos 5:18–24; 1 Kings 18.
Just as Nineveh received a warning, Israel too was in desperate need of one. Though the Northern Kingdom appeared to “prosper” under Rehoboam II, their people's spiritual state was in decay, in need of repentance. God’s warning to Assyria was soon followed by His warnings to His Own people – Prov.28:13.
We serve a just and compassionate God, but He will not be mocked - Gal.6:7. True repentance begins in a heart recognizing its failures and earnestly seeking God’s help to live the life bringing Honor and Glory to Him. The work of His Love is all-encompassing - extending Forgiveness, Grace and Mercy to all who genuinely repent and seek His Ways - 1 John 1:9; Psalm 103:8–14.
Dear Brigitte. I find the way you place the story within the wider historical context of the current events in the world during those times greatly enhances and enriches understanding of the work of GOD in kingdoms and on hearts.
Many thanks.
I guess I have to disagree somewhat with this statement in the lesson: "The Messianic prophecies of Christ's first and second comings, the mark of the beast, the outpouring of the plagues, end-time persecution - these are not conditional; they will take place regardless of what humans do." I would agree that Christ's comings are set by God, though I think the timing of the Second Coming, at least, is influenced by humans. After all, God wants as many to be saved as possible. Is not the delay exactly because of what people do or don't do? That, of course, doesn't mean that Jesus will never return - at some point it will happen.
Beyond that, the works of Satan (the mark of the beast, the plagues [yes, I recognize they come from God in a sense, but are because of Satan], persecution) happen exactly because of what humans do. Satan is not a puppet master. To enforce the mark of the beast, he must have human cooperation. Similarly, persecution will occur because of his human servants. And if people repented, would God send plagues? It's because they won't repent that they eventually find themselves outside of God's protection and hence the plagues.
God is warning His people about what will happen. I don't feel He has ordained persecution or the mark of the beast, but He knows how Satan will operate and allows us to be prepared. Now, Satan will have his followers, so in a sense the events mentioned are inevitable, but I think it is important that we understand why.