Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he 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 3:1-10 NIV)
Remember what you’re made of. That’s what God reminds us tonight. Remember what you’re made of. Do you know what I’d like to tell you you’re made of? “You are strong! You are good! There is greatness inside of you! If you just follow these steps, if you just make these few tweaks in your life, all your best days are ahead of you! Remember what you’re made of!” But that’s not what the Bible says. Do you know what the Bible says you’re made of? Dust. “Dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). Remember what you’re made of: Dust.
God wants everyone to remember that. Even Assyria. I know that the word “Assyria” doesn’t mean anything to us today. In Jonah’s day, the word “Assyria” meant a lot. Assyria was the biggest, baddest country around. They were violent people set on global domination. Maybe the best comparison today would be Russia, but even that doesn’t go far enough. To the Assyrians, civilian casualties were the goal. As many as possible! To the Assyrians, war crimes were a way of life. That’s how you win! The Assyrians were a constant threat to destroy God’s people.
Who could possibly care about people like that? God did. So God said to Jonah, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it” (Jonah 1:2). But do you know what Jonah said? “No!” Actually, it was more like, “No way. Never!” Jonah didn’t care about those people. So he got on a ship and sailed in the opposite direction. There was no way he was going to share God’s Word with the Ninevites. They were too bad! You know how the story goes: God sent a storm. There was a big fish. Jonah got some private time to think about things. He got spit out. And God was ready to try again. “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
So Jonah went and preached: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Do you think that was a popular message? I doubt it. How do you like walking past people preaching on the street? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” “Come on. Really? I don’t want to hear it!” But God wanted the Ninevites to remember who they were: Dust. All their victories didn’t change the reality. They were dust. In forty days, they and their great city would be dust again.
But the most surprising thing happened. As Jonah’s message from God echoed around the city, big, bad Nineveh did something it had never done before: It humbled itself. It got down on its knees. Literally. The king took off his royal robes and put on sackcloth and sat down in the dust. He decreed a fast. No one was allowed to eat anything. He ordered everyone to call on God and give up their evil ways. We never would have expected that. God’s Word strips our hearts bare.
It reminds us who we really are. It reminds us what we’re made of. Just dust. “Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
There’s a word for that: Repentance. It’s a forgotten word in Christianity today. With all the talk about living your best life now and how strong we are… Isn’t that foolish? In the blink of an eye, your life could be over. At any moment, the world could end. This very night you might stand before God. Repent! It’s not about putting some little ashes on your forehead. It’s sorrow in your heart for what you’ve done and not done. It’s falling on your knees before God. It’s giving up our evil ways and falling onto God’s mercy. Is that what your life is all about? It should be!
That’s why we need days like Ash Wednesday. It’s not about the ashes. It’s about God’s Word taking root in our hearts, like it did for the people of Nineveh. Remember who you are, before it’s too late. You might live in a beautiful house and drive new cars, but you’re dust. You might be praised in your profession or winning on the field, but you’re dust. You might be healthy, but you’re dust. You might be wealthy, but you’re dust. You might think you’re better than everyone else—like that Pharisee did—but you’re dust. What can dust say to God? “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Like the Ninevites, remember what you’re made of: Dust.
But here’s the most surprising thing: God forgave them. When the people of big, bad Nineveh—after all their violence and all their idolatry—repented, “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.” God forgave them. That’s why Jonah didn’t want to go there in the first place. He knew that God is a “gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Jonah 4:2). That’s how big God’s heart is. Even for people as bad as the Ninevites, God sought them out. God preached his Word to them. And God forgave their sins.
Note what God doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “I’ll give you a trial period, and we’ll see how you do.” He didn’t impose a penalty to make up for all the destruction they had caused. He didn’t give them a big list of things they needed to go. He forgave them. Unconditionally. God’s grace extended even to the Assyrians. Just like God’s grace extends even to you and me. He wants us to remember who we are—dust!—so that we can remember who loves us: Jesus!
Because here’s the most surprising thing of all: Jesus died for dust. For the big, bad Ninevites. For the criminals on the crosses next to him. For the people of Tulsa. For us. Jesus died for dust. When you sweep the floor and you make that little pile of dust for the dustpan, does this thought ever cross your mind? “I think I’ll give up my life for this dust.” No way! Jesus did for us. When you remember you’re dust, it’s all the more amazing to remember who loves you: Jesus!
So as we walk to Jesus’ cross in the season of Lent, we walk with humility. There’s no other way. You leave your pride at the door. You leave your boasts at the door. You leave all your good works at the door. And you come “just as I am, without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me.” When things go right, when the praise pours in, don’t let it go to your head. Remember what you’re made of: Dust. When things go wrong, when life crumbles, don’t be surprised. Remember what you’re made of: Dust. Repent. Every day. Repent!
Because every time you remember what you’re made of, you remember who loves you: Jesus! When you sin, and guilt fills your heart, remember who loves you: Jesus! When your career goes up in flames or that relationship ends, remember who loves you: Jesus! When your body breaks down and your strength is gone, remember who loves you: Jesus! When you feel as small and weak as a piece of dust, remember who loves dust, who died for dust, who forgives dust: Jesus.
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