This is the proclamation he [the king] issued in
Nineveh:
“By
the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do
not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat
or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone
call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who
knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so
that we will not perish.”
When
God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and
did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. Jonah 3:7-10
A great revival broke out in Nineveh because of Jonah’s warning to
them (something a very prejudiced prophet didn’t want to see happen). The king issued a decree for everyone in the
city to pray and fast to God. For this
moment in history, yes, all of Nineveh believed in God.
Did
that belief stick for very long?
Apparently not. Assyria was in
power for a total of 300 years (approximately 900-600 BC) and for this brief
moment (sometime around 786 BC) God got ahold of the nation's heart.
God
can infiltrate the hearts of a rebellious nation (nearly 100,000 of them) and
turn them all to Him. It’s hard to
believe but He can…even today.