Jonah 4:10–11 (ESV),
10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”
Nineveh is one of the most ancient of the large cities, having been established by Nimrod back in the days of the patriarchs. God chooses Jonah to take a message of repentance to these heathen Assyrians. He was from Gath-Hepher (southern Galilee) and his father’s name was Amittai (2 Kings 14:25).
The book shows God’s concern and grace to non-Jewish nations. The repentance of the Ninevites anticipates the wide-scale repentance of Gentiles from the 1st Century onward. Jonah showed concern for the perishing plant. How much more should we show concern for perishing people. “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others . . ..” (2 Corinthians 5:11a, ESV).
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