Jonah 3:1-2 And the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,… The eye of God is always on man. We seem to act as if God retired into the distance of heaven, and took no cognisance of the actions of man. But if God's eye does look upon man, the disposition of God is to show mercy to man. For do we not see here the messenger sent to Nineveh? If God has a disposition to show mercy, God is one whose patience has limits. We are not to suppose that we can trifle with God; that we can go on with our iniquity, and that God will never vindicate His honour. Learn also that we may hope in preaching to the very worst and most abandoned. Wicked Nineveh listened to the voice of warning. The text further teaches us the duty of the Church, the duty of all God's people. They are to arise and go and preach the preaching which God bids. 1. We are to arise and go. Here at once activity is demanded at our hand. There must be no lethargy and no lukewarmness. 2. Besides showing activity, the Church is to be aggressive. Jonah was to go away into the haunts of wickedness, and there to scatter in the midst of those people the warnings of Almighty God. So we are to go unto the dark places, and carry that light which God has communicated to man. 3. The Church is to be as the "salt of the earth." What does that involve? That it is to influence everything that it touches. And how many are the stimulants to urge us to this active, aggressive work! And observe that we are to preach the preaching that God bids. The preaching must be only what God wants. There must be no addition on our part, no fancies or imaginations of our own. Three parts in preaching. (1) A warning to the people. (2) We are affectionately to expostulate. (3) We must speak the .language of comfort and encouragement. (Canon Hussey.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,WEB: The word of Yahweh came to Jonah the second time, saying, |
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