The City That Repented

He had finally agreed to go.

After the fish. After three days inside it.

After praying from the belly of the fish and being vomited onto dry land.

He got up and went to Nineveh.

Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city.

Three days' journey in breadth.

He walked into it one day's journey.

He cried out his message.

Eight words in Hebrew:

Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

That was the whole sermon.

No altar call. No prayer at the end. No follow-up visit planned.

Just eight words.

And the people of Nineveh believed God.

They called for a fast.

They put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.

The word reached the king.

He arose from his throne. He removed his robe. He covered himself with sackcloth. He sat in ashes.

He sent a proclamation through the city.

Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything.

Let them not feed or drink water.

But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth.

Let them call out mightily to God.

Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

Who knows. God may turn and relent.

And God saw their works.

That they turned from their evil way.

And he relented of the disaster he had said he would do.

He did not do it.

The most unlikely city in the ancient world repented at eight words from a reluctant prophet.

And God changed his mind.

Jonah was furious.

But the city was saved.

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