Sackcloth And Ashes

Our Bible passage, introduction to Sunday 12th January service and hymns are below.

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Our principal verses are:

Jon 3:6  For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Jon 3:7  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

Jon 3:8  But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

Jon 3:9  Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

Jon 3:10  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

 Sackcloth And Ashes

The Apostle Paul tells us, ‘faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God’. Accordingly, because it was God’s gracious purpose to grant faith to the people of Nineveh, the word of God came to the king of Nineveh by the preaching of Jonah. The obedient prophet declared the message God had given to him. The testimony of Jonah, being attended by the Spirit of conviction and conversion, instigated first a transformation of heart, then a reformation of conduct in this heathen ruler and the lives of his people.

Do not underestimate God

May we never be guilty of constraining the grace and power of Almighty God. It is equally within the sovereign power of the Lord to save one poor sinner or to harvest a whole city of godless souls in a single day. Ezekiel teaches this lesson when he recounts the vision of the valley full of dry bones. ‘Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD … Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live’.

A great outpouring

Though it seems remote to us in our own day of small things yet the Lord has demonstrated in times past His willingness to pour out His mercy upon great numbers of souls at one time. The Apostles witnessed this in the Lord’s ministry and on the Day of Pentecost. The parable of the dragnet suggests it. Jonah’s ministry was powerfully applied by God the Holy Spirit to convict the Ninevites of their guilt before God, from the king and his nobles to the poorest in the field.

Sackcloth and ashes

On hearing of God’s judgment and the impending destruction of his city, the king at once vacated his throne, took off his grand robes, dressed in sackcloth and sat in ashes. This was an ancient symbol of mourning, repentance and confession of sin and an implicit plea for mercy. By royal decree and the support of the nobles, Jonah’s message and the king’s deep humiliation was heralded throughout the city and made an example to the population. A general fast was declared extending even to animals within the city.

Confess and convert

The king’s decree called for an immediate change of life, ‘let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands’. This is both a confession of guilt and a repudiation of sin. It was to be attended with a sincere and vigorous cry for mercy to the Lord, the God of the Hebrews. Whether Jonah expressly mentioned the prospect of mercy is not said, however, the same Spirit who inspired repentance also gave reason for hope.

Venturing upon the Lord

Armed with knowledge that the God of the Hebrews was God who left a space for repentance the king of Nineveh reasoned, ‘Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?’ This is a beautiful example of hope in the God of mercy and grace. The Ninevites did not base hope on their acts of repentance and obeisance; not on their fasting or sackcloth and ashes. Their hope was that in Himself God would turn away His anger.

The choice is God’s

Centuries before the coming of the Messiah and the death of Jesus Christ to propitiate God’s wrath against sin, these men grasped that God Himself must turn away from His fierce anger. This is the heart of substitutionary atonement. I have no doubt these Assyrians knew about ransom by blood and sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem. Whether or not Jonah explained it in so many words, this is the heart of reconciliation with God; salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Repent and believe

The message of Nineveh to us today is that God holds out, to the greatest of sinners, the prospect of forgiveness upon repentance for sin. It is not that God changes His mind about punishing sin, rather, He finds a Substitute in whom to punish sin. In matters of divine grace God always takes the initiative. He gave repentance to the men of Nineveh, implanted hope for life and treated them according to the gospel of grace. God is willing to forgive sinners at the first sign of repentance yet remains determined to judge obstinate impenitence.

A great change

In the great fish God changed Jonah and turned him around. Now He changes the Ninevites and turns them around. The Lord always accomplishes His purpose of mercy in the hearts of His chosen people. In sovereign love He inclines the sinner’s heart to repent and inspires trust in the Lamb of God. For Jesus’ sake sin is pardoned, the elect sinner is forgiven and received into favour. Christ brings mercy and secures peace for all for whom He died. We have redemption, through his blood, according to the riches of His grace.

Amen

Our hymns are below.

Hymn 1

Gadsby selection 99

Salvation by Christ. Ps. 62. 6, 7; Isa. 12. 5

J. Adams                                    7s

1
Blessed Jesus! thee we sing;
Thou of life, the eternal spring;
Thou art worthy, thou alone;
Thou the Rock and Corner-Stone.

2
’Tis from thee salvation flows;
This the ransomed sinner knows.
Thou, O Christ, art all his plea,
When he sees his poverty.

3
None shall glory in thy sight
Of their labours e’er so bright;
All who are taught by thee shall know,
Living faith from God must flow.

4
Grace shall be our lovely theme;
Free redemption, glorious scheme!
This will be the song above:
Praise to Jesus’ bleeding love.

Hymn 2

Gadsby selection 947

“Who can tell?” 2 Sam. 12. 22; Jonah 3. 9

B. Beddome   148th

1
Great God! to thee I’ll make
My griefs and sorrows known;
And with a humble hope
Approach thy awful throne;
Though by my sins deserving hell,
I’ll not despair, for who can tell?

2
To thee, who by a word
My drooping soul canst cheer,
And by thy Spirit form
Thy glorious image there;
My foes subdue, my fears dispel;
I’ll daily seek, for who can tell?

3
Endangered or distressed,
To thee alone I’ll fly,
Implore thy powerful help,
And at thy footstool lie;
My case bemoan, my wants reveal,
And patient wait, for who can tell?

4
My heart misgives me oft,
And conscience storms within;
But one sweet smile from thee
At once would make me clean.
If thou be mine, all will be well;
And why not so? for who can tell?

By the free and sovereign grace of God the Gentile inhabitants of Nineveh were saved. God gifted them a faithful preacher in Jonah, repentance for their sin, forgiveness and faith in the blood of Christ and deliverance from judgment. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and for ever.

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Jonah Was Very Angry

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Nineveh Believed God