Skip to main content

wicked city

Jonah 1:2
"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me."

Jonah was an accomplished prophet of God. His first recorded prophecy (2 Kings 14:25) foretold that King Jeroboam II would restore Israel’s borders from Hamath to the Dead Sea. The prophecy was fulfilled, bringing prosperity to the northern kingdom.

In yesterday’s verse, the phrase “the word of the LORD came to Jonah” signals direct, supernatural communication. In Hebrew, dāḇar YHWH carries divine authority, God’s command, not Jonah’s opinion, likely delivered as an audible voice, vision, or compelling inner conviction.

In today’s verse, God orders Jonah to leave home and travel roughly 500 miles to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Assyria was Israel’s powerful and brutal enemy. The command is urgent (“Arise”) and specific: Jonah must personally deliver a message of judgment to this pagan Gentile city.

God declares that Nineveh’s extreme wickedness has “come up before Me,” reaching a critical point that demands divine intervention. This echoes the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:20-21), highlighting God’s holiness and His awareness of human evil.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

broken

Luke 22:61 "And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice." The cock crowed. Peter had denied Jesus—three times. Peter, who had walked on water, confessed Jesus as Messiah, and opposed the cross (earning “Get behind Me, Satan”). That day was already crushing: the Last Supper, Gethsemane, Jesus’ arrest. Peter drew his sword, then stood down. Following at a distance, he was recognized: “You were with Him.” “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Third denial. Earlier, Jesus warned Peter would deny Him thrice. Peter swore: “Even if all fall away, I never will. Even if I must die with You, I will not deny You.” (Matt 26:33–35; Mark 14:29–31; Luke 22:33–34; John 13:37–38) Now Jesus—beaten, bound—looks at Peter. Not with condemnation. With love. Peter breaks. He is not who he thought he was...

Elisha’s example

1 Kings 19:19-21 "19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." In Luke 9:54, after James and John sought to call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejected Jesus, they referenced Elijah, saying, “even as Elias did?” Jesus then taught three lessons about rejection: 1- Discipleship demands sacrifice, embracing hardship and forgoing earthly security. 2- Following Jesus requires immediate, un...

I will make you

Matthew 4:19&20 "19 And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him." In our "Follow Me" series, we study Jesus calling His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. By the Sea of Galilee, a thriving fishing hub, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew casting nets as humble fishermen. His disciples were ordinary workers, not wealthy or educated elites. Jesus approached them and said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Remarkably, they immediately left their jobs to follow Him. This brief exchange conveys a profound truth: Jesus says, "I will make you." Only God can transform us to accomplish His purpose. We should often pray, "Help me, God," seeking Jesus' guidance to follow His plan for our lives.