TODAY IN THE WORD
Charles Thomas Studd was a child of privilege. Born into a wealthy family and educated at Oxford, his father came to Christ as a result of the ministry of D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey. Studd trusted in Christ while in college, when a visiting preacher asked if he believed God’s promises. When his brother became ill, Studd determined that his priorities needed to change. “I know that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come” he later wrote. C. T. Studd decided to become an evangelist and missionary to China.

Like C. T. Studd, Jonah was called to bring the word of the Lord to a foreign nation. Given a second chance in today’s reading—in the uproar, God’s plan had not changed one iota (vv. 1-2)—this time he chose obedience to God’s call (v. 3). Thanks to God’s grace, Jonah’s ministry didn’t end because of one mistake, even though that mistake was a whopper!

Nineveh had a population of 120,000 people. The city’s double inner wall was 50 feet wide, 100 feet high, and eight miles in circumference. An outer wall protected outlying towns, villages, and fields, and made the overall city about 60 miles in circumference. That’s why it took Jonah three days to walk around Nineveh.

How might the people of this powerful city have been expected to respond to his message? From a human perspective, their rejection of Jonah was inevitable. He was, after all, a foreign prophet of a foreign God. He brought a ridiculous message that a major city of the reigning world superpower would be overthrown. Furthermore, this would take place in only 40 days, with not a threat on the horizon.

Jonah did not think the Ninevites would heed his words, much less repent of their sins. As events unfold, it becomes clear that he didn’t want them to do either one. His sermon is one of the shortest ever recorded, a mere eight words (v. 4). It conveyed only the promise of judgment with no mention of repentance or mercy. Jonah obeyed . . . but his effort was reluctant and halfhearted.

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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We could say that God is a “God of second chances,” and it would be true. But it would be more true to talk about third chances, tenth chances, seventy-seventh chances, and ten thousandth chances. God’s patience runs deep! And it’s a good thing, too, because most of us need many more than two chances to learn the spiritual lessons He’s trying to teach us. Praise the Lord that He is such a longsuffering Teacher and that He has compassion on all of us “slow students.”

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