The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-23
TIE LESSON briefly
CONSIDERED
The Preaching of Jonah.

N.negah WAS a wicked city, against
which the wrath Of God had been
lundlea Jonah had been told to go
there and deliver Gods message, but
instead of obeying, Jonah took ship
and sailed for 1arshish from the
presence of Jehovah.
The story is familiar, of how In the
midst OF storm at sea, Jonah was
finai}v thrown overheard and was re-
ceiycd ny q ereat fish which Jehovah
had prepared TO swallow him up.
Jonah prayed. and J Ell o v h
spake unlo the FISH, and it a;omited
out Jonah upou dry land. Then the
word Jehovah came to Jonah again,
saying, Go 10 Nineyih.
Nneyah must have been very large,
-as there We're in il 100000 children
"f unaccountahle age. besides those
Tho. were responsible. 1t was a three
days Journey for Jonah.
Where the Scripture SAYS Jonah be-
gan 10 enter the city a days journey
it is probably meant that he delivered
the message from time to time as he
Proceeded on his way.
The message as originally given to
Jonah was q condemnation of their
SINS but on his arrival it assumed
ne definite form of an announce
meut that h city would he destroyed
Inc forty dag some commentators
see in the forty days some special sig
nttieHnce from the fact that. that
number IS often associated with hui
initiation. ~ for example the forty
days Of fasting by Moses. Elijah and
Christ
The Repentance Of the Nincvites.
Although Ninevah WAS a wicked
city probably hrathcu the people
wcre convicted al their sins by the
proachine Of the foreign prophet. and
they believed tho mcTsaEe.' They pro-
claimed feast and put on sack
clNh, Eastern peoples are very
domonstratiVc ana are accustomed to
show hy their outward actions the
feelings Of their hearts Thus the
proclamation Of fast and putting on
eackcloth was an EXPRESSION OF their
deep humiliation The king rose
from lis throne. thus placing himself
on level with his subjects. They
all hunbled themselves because of
their SINS
The king Of Ninevah made procla-
nation that neither man nor beast
herd nor flock. should taste anything.
And let Them cry mighty unto God.
In place of their hitherto gross
practices. they now begin to pray to
The true Cod. Human nature has
not changed in this particular, for
fear OF destruction usually drives men
10 prayer.
The proclamation was confession
or great sin on The part Of the Nine
Vites. Tho king knew that prayer
would not avail anything without
genuine repentance prayer without
reformation IS a mockery of Cod"
PRAYER on tho other hand, must pre-
code true reformation, AS we cannot
turn to God from our evil way unless
God first turns ms
As Jehovah had put on their de-
struetion forty DAYS they probably
felt encouraged to believe that he
would have mercy upon them If they
should truly turn from their wicked
ness. Christ cites the Ninevites as
about 10 condemn in the Judgment
those Of his hearers who refused to
repent. notwithstanding superior
privileges.
The Mercy Of God.
God not only saw the outward
signs OF thsir humiliation, but also
their hearts and knew that they were
sincere in their intentions. When
they repented. the position in which
they stood toward Gods rtghteousnes esq
Was altered So Gods urode Of deaI-I