Today's reading is a part of the Jonah story that is even more unbelievable than Jonah surviving in the belly of a fish. After he was spit on dry land, the prophet accepted his mission to go to Ninevah, the Assyrian capital. However, Jonah only carried out the mission half-way. He went into the city, but not to its center, said one sentence warning of God's wrath against Ninevah, and left town.The response to this warning, though, was dramatic. Word spreads and the Assyrian king learns of the foreign prophet's words. He immediately instructed every resident of the city to fast, to wear sackcloth and ashes, and to pray -- further, they were to make every animal in the city do the same thing. The king hoped that through this overwhelming display they could change God's mind, which God did.
[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]
Reading the Bible in Its Entirety
If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read Jonah 3 today.
