Useful Bible Studies > Jonah Commentary > chapter 3
Jonah’s message had an extraordinary effect upon the people in Nineveh. They understood that God had sent Jonah to declare this message on God’s behalf. So they gave careful attention to what Jonah was saying. They believed that God had made his judgment against them. They had just 40 days until the time when they, and their great city, would suffer a terrible punishment. In that punishment, they would lose their lives and everything that they possessed.
The people did not know whether they could do anything to delay or to prevent that punishment. However, the terrible news that they would lose everything, had a powerful effect on their attitudes and behaviour. Until now, they had lived in a cruel and wicked manner (1:2). They followed evil religions and they served false gods. They were selfish and they did not care about each other.
Now, however, it seemed very foolish to continue in those selfish and greedy attitudes. Soon they must lose all their possessions anyway. So, now that the true God had spoken to them, they turned from their wrong religions. They began to act as if they had already lost everything. They chose not to eat. They replaced their fine and beautiful clothes with sackcloth, the cheap, rough cloth that the poorest people wore.
By these humble acts, they wanted to show God that they accepted his judgment against them. Each person knew his or her own wrong acts; they all knew that they deserved God’s punishment.
It was usual to refuse food and to wear sackcloth after a close relative had died. By these actions, people expressed the thought that they could do nothing. God had made his decision, and they must accept it.
Next part: The humble behaviour of the king of Nineveh (Jonah 3:6)
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