Chapter 3: Sent by God

Bible reading:

Jonah chapter 3 (whole chapter)

The focus of Jonah chapter 3 is the account of Jonah’s renewed submission to God. Once again commissioned by the Lord, he went to the great city of Nineveh and fulfilled the entrusted mission. There, he was greatly used by God, bringing in an unprecedented revival. At this point, we naturally wonder: since Jonah had disobeyed, rebelled, and even given himself over to despair, why did God not raise up someone else to replace him? Why did God still choose to use Jonah? It is entirely reasonable to say that prophets are raised up by God Himself; therefore, God takes responsibility to preserve them to the end. Even though Jonah failed, God stretched out His mighty hand and would not rest until He had brought His servant back. This is precisely what Romans 11:29 declares: “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

I. God's calling is irrevocable

“Calling” refers to God’s choosing first, and summoning afterward. So on what basis does God choose us? Romans 8:29–30 tells us: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son; whom He predestined, these He also called; and those whom He called, these He also justified…” This shows that God chooses us according to His foreknowledge—His sovereign, predetermined purpose. Long beforehand, He already knew who would be the vessel He desired to use. And then, from among millions, He chose us; and further, He called us. Thus Psalm 139:16 records: “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” This repeatedly affirms that God has long seen the entire course and final outcome of our lives.

Beloved brothers and sisters, each one of us who has been called must understand that God has already seen through the entirety of our lives. He has appointed a path for you and me. If we obey the Lord and walk according to His commands, we will be able to complete the mission God has entrusted to us. When God called Jonah, it was not because He did not know Jonah would fail. He already knew long beforehand. Yet because God’s calling is irrevocable. This means that once God has called us, He takes full responsibility to lead us.

1. God did not abandon Jonah because of his failure

   When God saw Jonah finally surrender, He commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land. Did God merely save his life so he could survive? Oh, look at the end of chapter 2: “The fish vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.” Then immediately, chapter 3:1–2 continues, “The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city…’” This clearly shows us that God’s calling does not come with regret. As long as you are chosen and called by God to be His heavenly people and to walk His heavenly path, He will preserve you all your life. John 13:1 tells us: “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” “To the end” means not only that He saves us to the end, but that He keeps us by His love to the end. In other words, from God’s side, everything is “to the end.” His salvation is complete. His name is Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. He cannot deny His own name. If He has called us, He will not abandon us halfway. He will use us and perfect us. Jonah is ironclad proof. He turned his back on God, yet God did not abandon him because of his failure. Instead, the word of the Lord came to him a second time. This clearly shows that God still intended to use him and to complete His work in him.

   
   

2. God's calling does not come with regret

   From the experience of Jonah—the prophet who once turned his back on God yet was later restored, perfected, and used by the Lord—we find deep comfort and renewed trust: “God’s calling does not come with regret.” He will surely preserve and uphold us throughout our lives, enabling us to follow and serve Him all our days until that glorious morning when we meet Him. Now, we will look at one example from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament to demonstrate how God’s gifts and calling truly are without regret.

   During the era of the kings in the Old Testament , there was a prophet named Elijah. At that time, a severe famine swept across all the land of Israel, and King Ahab sent people everywhere to search for Elijah. Elijah, bold and unyielding, said to Ahab, “Go, gather all Israel to me, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, on Mount Carmel, and let them see for themselves.”

   So the two sides each prepared a bull for sacrifice, but they were forbidden to light any fire. The true God would be the One who answered by sending fire from heaven. The prophets of Baal cried out frantically from morning until the time of the evening sacrifice. They shouted, raved, and even cut themselves, but there was no voice, no answer, no response. Then it was Elijah’s turn. Calm and composed, Elijah first rebuilt the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. He dug a trench around it, cut the bull into pieces, and then poured twelve jars of water over the offering and the wood. When everything was fully prepared, Elijah prayed to the Lord of heaven. And indeed, fire fell from heaven, consuming the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and even the water in the trench. When the people saw it, they fell on their faces and cried out, “The Lord—He is God!” At that moment Elijah commanded to seize the prophets of Baal and let not one of them escape. The people surged forward and captured them, and all the prophets of Baal were put to death.

   When this event was reported to Queen Jezebel, she became furious and sent a messenger to Elijah, declaring, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” When Elijah heard this threat, he arose and fled into the wilderness to save his life. After running for a day’s journey, his grew weak, his strength was spent, and he collapsed under a broom tree. There he prayed for death, saying, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” But God’s calling never comes with regret. God let him sleep, and then sent an angel to touch him and wake him. The angel provided water to quench his thirst and baked bread to strengthen him. After Elijah ate and drank, God allowed him to sleep again. A second time the angel touched him, woke him, and gave him food and drink, adding words of encouragement: “Because the journey is too great for you.” Elijah rose, ate, drank, and—empowered by that food—traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached the mountain of God, Horeb.

   Later, at Mount Horeb, God once again entrusted Elijah with a mission—an even greater and weightier commission than before. Consider 1 Kings 19:15–16: “Then the Lord said to him: 'Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.’”

   Now consider Peter in the New Testament. Before his failure and fall, he had repeatedly declared his unwavering loyalty to the Lord who loved him. He even boasted, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Yet, unexpectedly, on the very night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied the Lord three times before a servant girl—three consecutive failures, a devastating collapse. I believe that Peter, who had always relied on his own strength, must have been overwhelmed with remorse and grief after such a fall. But the gifts and calling of God never come with regret. Thus, after Jesus rose from the dead, the very first person He made special mention of was Peter. The angel instructed the women, “Go, tell His disciples—and Peter…” (Mark 16:7). During the forty days after His resurrection, the Lord appeared to Peter again and again, strengthening him, restoring him, and drawing him back. Finally, on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, the Lord sought him with a love that pursues, a love that warms, a love that does not condemn, a love that supplies—love in many forms that fully restored Peter. Then the Lord entrusted him once more with the mission of shepherding His flock. And indeed, after Peter turned back, he was greatly used by the Lord. The Lord perfected him, and in his old age his spiritual life reached a glorious maturity and high peak.

   The Hymn "I Know Whom I Have Believed" says--

   I know not what of good or ill

   May be reserved for me,

   Of weary ways or golden days,

   Before His face I see.

   But I know Whom I have believed,

   And am persuaded that He is able

   To keep that which I've committed (or He had entrusted to me)

   Unto Him against that day.

II. God uses those who obey Him

It is undeniable that the gifts and calling of God are without regret. But why is it that some people are used by the Lord, while others are not? Indeed, we are all saved by His calling, yet the outcomes are not the same. What is the reason? The key is this: the Lord uses those who obey Him.

1. God entrusts His commission to those who obey

   When Jonah was cast into the sea, God appointed a great fish to swallow him. For three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, he repented of his former disobedience and prayed to God with thanksgiving, saying, “When Jonah was cast into the sea, God appointed a great fish to swallow him. For three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, he repented of his former disobedience and prayed to God with thanksgiving, saying, “But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; what I have vowed, I will pay.” Jonah’s resolve to fulfill the vow he had made showed his willingness to obey. Thus, Jonah 3:1–2 records: “The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.’' Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord.” “The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time” indicates that God saw Jonah’s obedience and deemed him ready to be used. Therefore, God entrusted to Jonah the sacred mission of saving the entire city of Nineveh.”

   
   

2. God once again entrusted him with a mission

   "The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time" “Second time” means he was entrusted again. Indeed, Jonah did not hesitate this time—he obeyed immediately and set out for Nineveh. This reveals a spiritual principle: Whom does God use? God uses those who obey. If you or I do not obey, God patiently waits—He waits until we obey, and then He uses us. Just like that night by the Sea of Tiberias, when Peter was conquered by the Lord’s great love. After Peter declared his love and submitted himself to the Lord, only then could Jesus entrust him with the mission of feeding and shepherding His flock. Later, at Pentecost, the apostles were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter stood up and quoted the book of Joel, explaining that the outpouring of the Spirit was the fulfillment of the prophet’s words. He went further in Acts 5:32, saying of the Holy Spirit: “whom God has given to those who obey Him.” This means: where there is obedience, the Holy Spirit fills. In other words, the Holy Spirit works through obedient people.

   Brothers and sisters, if all of us obey the Lord, respond to His calling, and allow ourselves to be used by Him, we will soon see His great blessings poured out upon us. The glorious works of the Lord will be revealed in our midst.

III. Sent by God

Continuing on to verses 3 and 4: “Nineveh was an exceedingly great city—three days’ journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!'” Here we see Jonah obeying God’s command and setting out for Nineveh. Nineveh was an exceedingly large city; it required three days to walk around it. Jonah went one day into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Now we want to highlight three major characteristics of Jonah as one who was sent by God and used by God. These are also the essential qualities required of every believer who obeys the Lord’s calling, is commissioned by Him, and is used by Him.

1. Labor (Hardworking)

   The Bible specifically records: “Nineveh was an exceedingly great city—three days’ journey in extent.” Let me ask: from here in Los Baños to Manila, how many days would it take if we traveled on foot? If it were three days, then imagine this: the Lord now calls you to go down to the great city of Manila and proclaim, “Forty more days, and Manila will be overthrown.” Would you obey? Today, far too many Christians have a gospel van that goes back and forth to bring them to meetings, yet they still do not come. Some even stop visiting others simply because the gospel van is not available. Oh! We must understand this: anyone who desires to be used by the Lord must possess a hardworking trait.

   “Labor” means diligence, and it also means enduring hardship. This is a character that anyone who serves the Lord ought to possess. The apostle Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

   Indeed, at that time Jonah obeyed the command, went one day into the city, and proclaimed, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown!” He had only walked a single day’s journey and made his proclamation, yet the entire city repented. Although Scripture does not state this explicitly, it is very likely that the people of Nineveh saw Jonah—who did not mind traveling a great distance, who did not shrink from the hardship of a long and exhausting journey—coming all the way to preach the message of God to them. Their hearts were deeply moved. Those who heard it told others—one to ten, ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, a thousand to ten thousand—until the message spread throughout the whole city. Of course, all of this was the work of the Holy Spirit. Yet one undeniable fact remains: Jonah was a man who suffered for the sake of the gospel. He did not mind traveling thousands of miles; he endured the weariness of the long journey. This surely pricked the conscience of the people of Nineveh. Oh! Here was a man who, for the sake of saving the people of Nineveh, sweat profusely, endured hunger and thirst, and in the end moved the hearts of a city that had been stubborn, hardened, and unyielding.

   Young brothers and sisters, if you desire to be used by the Lord, you must cultivate from your youth a character that is diligent and willing to endure hardship. Without such a character of labor, not only will you be of little use in the Lord’s hand, but even in society in the future you will accomplish very little. The Bible gives a solemn warning to the saints: “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully” (Jeremiah 48:10). This clearly declares that God condemns a lazy disposition; God detests laziness. For example, those who are unwilling to serve, unwilling to visit saints and care for them, unwilling to pay the price—these are all lazy people. May the Lord have mercy and grant us light. As the hymn goes:

   To the work! to the work! we are servants of God,

   Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;

   With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,

   Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.

   Toiling on, toiling on,

   Let us hope, let us watch,

   And labor till the Master comes.

   
   

2. Faithful

   Verse 3 says: “So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord…” This shows that Jonah recognized and affirmed the word of the Lord—whatever the Lord said, Jonah did. Spiritually, this points to faithfulness in fulfilling what the Lord has entrusted. The Master gives instructions; the servant obeys and carries them out. If the Lord commands me to preach the gospel, I fulfill my duty and go to preach. If the Lord wants me to visit believers, I do not delay but go. “Faithfulness” means not being careless, sloppy, or merely going through the motions. Rather, once we receive a commission, we strive to complete it, not abandoning it halfway.

   In the Old Testament there is a model servant of the Lord—Moses. Hebrews 3:5 praises him, saying: “Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant.” Moses was able to lead the two to three million Israelites out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, around the wilderness, all the way to the border of Canaan because he was faithful to God. His faithfulness reached such a degree that if the Lord Himself would not personally lead Israel into the Promised Land, Moses was unwilling to give up. The background is this: when the people saw that Moses had gone up the mountain for forty days and forty nights, they mistakenly thought Moses was delayed and something had happened to him. So the congregation gathered and demanded that Aaron make a golden calf. This greatly provoked the anger of the Lord.

   So the Lord said to Moses, “I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ And I will send My Angel before you...for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” When Moses saw that God did not wish to personally go with the people, he pleaded with the Lord: Remember that this nation is Your people. “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here..” Later, the Lord granted Moses what he asked for. Oh! Here we see a servant who is faithful to God and faithful in the trust committed to him. No wonder he was greatly used by God and became a spiritual great man of his generation.

   
   

3. Bold and fearless

   In the Old Testament era, many prophets who faithfully delivered God’s message were bold and fearless unto death. Because their faithful warnings were misunderstood as curses, they were hated by kings and slandered by their colleagues, suffering great injustice. They endured not only mental anguish but physical abuse—beaten, thrown into prison, suffering hunger and thirst, tormented in many ways, and in the end giving their whole lives to their calling. Therefore, when the Lord sent Jonah to Nineveh to proclaim, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown,” it was a message of judgment, not a message of blessing. Jonah obeyed God, disregarding the danger to his own life, and went as he was commanded. This shows that he possessed a bold, death‑defying courage.

   In the days of Abraham, when the Lord saw that the city of Sodom was overflowing with wickedness and every kind of evil, He determined to judge it with fire and brimstone. Before the judgment, the Lord sent two angels to the house of Lot. Lot sincerely welcomed them, not knowing that the people of Sodom—from young to old—would surround his house, demanding that Lot hand over the two angels. From this historical event, we can imagine that when these two angels entered Sodom, the people were ready to kill them. In the same way, we can easily understand that if Jonah did not possess a boldness that feared no death, how could he dare to enter the wicked, violent city of Nineveh alone, bearing a message of impending doom?

   Oh, brothers and sisters, anyone who desires to be used by the Lord must not only have a character willing to labor and a heart that is faithful, but must also possess boldness that fears no death. Throughout the ages, tens of thousands of saints have been martyred for the Lord. May the Lord grant us grace, so that we may all have a sincere love for Him—truly asking neither for blessing nor fearing calamity; even our precious lifeblood we would be willing to give for the Lord.

   The three characteristics of Jonah that we have briefly mentioned above are essential conditions for anyone who is sent by God and used by God. Yet all of these are produced by the grace of the Lord; no one can achieve them by his own strength. Thank the Lord! We deeply hope that the testimonies of God’s witnesses throughout the generations, placed before us, may encourage our hearts. In this conference, the Lord is calling us: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” May every one of us rise up to answer the Lord’s calling, without a single exception, and sincerely say to Him: “Lord, here am I; send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

IV. The Whole City Repented

When Jonah entered the city of Nineveh, walked a day’s journey, and proclaimed, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” the people of Nineveh believed God. They declared a fast, and from the greatest to the least they put on sackcloth. When this message reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. He then issued a decree that all the people of the city—even the animals—were to fast and be covered with sackcloth, and to cry out earnestly to God. Each person was to turn from his evil ways and abandon the violence in his hands.

From this we can see that because there was one man who was willing to obey the Lord and be sent by God, the Lord carried out a work of immeasurable magnitude. John 3:34 says, “For God does not give the Spirit by measure.” Since the Holy Spirit is without measure, the fruit of His work is likewise without limit.

Look at Nineveh, a city of more than one million people, from the least to the greatest, all repented. This was an unprecedented revival in human history. In Korea, there was a revival where one million people gathered, but regarding the number who truly repented, we do not know. Yet in ancient Nineveh, over one million people repented—this stands as one of the greatest works of the Holy Spirit in the history of revival. The greatest reason was that Jonah was willing to obey. Therefore, we must not be timid or self‑deprecating, nor should we be proud and unrealistic—refusing small tasks and only wanting great ones, willing to be greatly used by the Lord but unwilling to be used in small ways. May the Lord use Jonah’s obedience, which brought repentance to the entire city of Nineveh, to make us all willing to obey Him. I firmly believe that a great number of young people will be revived through our obedience. Because you obey, you will see your classmates receive grace. Because I obey, blessing will come upon the church.

1. Four Steps of Humbling — The King Representing the Entire City

   Lastly, we look at the scene of Nineveh’s complete repentance to speak of the four steps of humbling in the spiritual experience of receiving God’s grace.

   When the king of Nineveh heard the message, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.”, First, he descended from his throne; Second, he removed his royal robe; Third, he put on sackcloth; Fourth, he sat in ashes. These four steps of humbling also reveal the principles by which sinners are saved and believers are revived.

   Thank the Lord that He gives us an opportunity to come before Him with a broken and contrite heart. If you feel that your spiritual condition is low, that you love the world; if you hate your own failure and barrenness, if you feel cold toward the Lord; if you recognize how hard and foolish your disposition has been—these are all shadows of the king of Nineveh’s four steps of humbling. Let us go further and look concretely at how the king of Nineveh (representing the entire city) humbled himself.

   1. Descended from his throne — Pride and Self‑Exaltation Brought Low

      The hymn we sang before the message is one that I have often chosen during the summer conferences in Taiwan over the past three years. The first stanza says, “I repent for my past rebellion, resisting the Lord and exalting myself.” Indeed, a person who has not yet been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, who does not truly know the Lord in his spirit, is always proud, self‑reliant, and looks down on others. This is the true condition of every one of us—like a king sitting on his throne, ruling over others. Now the king steps down from his throne. This signifies leaving the position of authority; spiritually, it means that pride and self‑exaltation are brought low. In the same way, for you and me to repent thoroughly and confess our sins, the first step is to come down from the throne. I deeply hope that we will no longer sit on the throne, but quickly step down from it. We must understand that there is only one throne, and only the Lord has the right to sit upon it. Yet our “self” has dared to climb onto that throne. May the Lord cause us all to humble ourselves, step down from the throne, and let the Lord take His rightful place upon it.

      
      

   2. Removing the Royal Robe — Laying Down One’s Glory

      The king’s royal robe represented glory. Removing the royal robe, in its spiritual meaning, signifies laying down one’s glory and no longer caring about outward dignity. When a person lays down his own glory, God is glorified; but when a person seeks glory for himself, God cannot be glorified.

      Acts 12:21–24 records this clearly. On the appointed day, Herod (a man) put on his royal robe (man receiving glory), sat on his throne (man occupying the throne), and delivered an address to the people. The crowd shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” (man seizing God’s glory). Because Herod did not give glory to God, the angel of the Lord immediately struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died (man’s glory vanished). But the word of God continued to grow and spread (God received the glory).

      
      

   3. Putting on Sackcloth — Sorrow and Repentance

      Sackcloth is a sign of grief. When mourning for a family member, people would wear sackcloth garments and a sackcloth cap. When we grieve and repent over sin, when we become aware of our coldness toward the Lord and feel sorrow, that experience is what Scripture describes as putting on sackcloth.

      
      

   4. Sitting in Ashes  — Humility

      “Sitting in ashes” spiritually signifies humility. Ashes are the smallest and most useless of things—when something is burned down to nothing, it becomes ash. Therefore, ashes represent reaching the very end, the lowest point. To sit in ashes means to place oneself in the lowest position. In other words, to be in the most humble state is to be in the condition of true humility.

      Beloved brothers and sisters, may the Lord have mercy on us. Through the king of Nineveh’s four steps of humbling himself, may we all return before the Lord, seek His light, and genuinely experience thorough repentance. For a person to experience revival, there must be complete repentance; wherever there is repentance, there is revival. May the Lord of revival grant us the Holy Spirit—to shine upon us and to burn within us—so that we may grieve and repent over sin, allowing the Lord to manifest His work… Amen.

      
      

2. Turning from Evil — Departing from Their Wicked Ways

   On that day, the people of Nineveh believed Jonah’s proclamation. They all put on sackcloth and fasted; even the king humbled himself in four steps—grieving, repenting, and earnestly calling upon God. The Bible specifically records: “Let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.” Indeed, the God who searches the hearts of people relented, forgave, and showed mercy, choosing not to bring upon them the disaster that would have destroyed them. By all reason, the city of Nineveh should have been destroyed. Yet when they repented, the Lord immediately forgave. Sodom, however, refused to repent, and therefore suffered destruction.

   God’s all‑seeing eyes search throughout the whole earth; He is the God who examines the heart and the innermost being. Not even the smallest hidden sin within us can be concealed from Him. Proverbs 28:13 tells us: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

   May the Lord truly hear our prayers to search our hearts, to test us, to know our thoughts, and to reveal whether there is any wicked way within us. May the Lord cleanses every stain of sin. This is the urgent cry of our hearts…

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