THE UNIVERSALITY OF GOD'S MERCIES: THE BOOK OF JONAH. EPISODE 36!

Welcome to Episode 36. I think it is encouraging to know that God’s mercy is abundant and infinite in measure, limitless in comparison, and it is great and beyond description as expressed in Psalm 103:11. Let’s read: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” The shocking thing was that Jonah was not walking in the fear of God at the time he was thrown into the sea. Would God show him mercy? Surprisingly, and the most important of all, the mercy of God is new each day according to Lamentation 3:22-23. Let’s read: “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” From scriptures, one can see that there are dimensions to the universality of God’s mercies. Specifically, let’s consider three dimensions of the universality of God’s mercies in the Book of Jonah. Firstly, because of the universal nature of mercy, God related with Jonah on a one-on-one basis. There was no other person (an intermediary) between the two of them, even when it appeared like the worst moment between the two of them had come, yet God would speak with Jonah directly once He was ready. This same God is ready to associate with any of His children on a one-on-one basis. He is ready to do so with their family, ministry, business, education, and in all their entire lives. Also, that God’s mercies can be individualised as seen from how He patiently related with Jonah on a personal level from the time he was called, sent him to Nineveh, God endured and tolerated Jonah while behaving disobediently against His instruction, even when Jonah relapsed in faith and wished for death to take him, God didn’t relent until Jonah was restored. Secondly, because of the universal nature of God’s mercy, victims of circumstance can be redeemed from their troubles, without realising it. How do I mean? As we read in the book of Jonah, because of mercy, God responded to the appeal of the mariners who were victims of a circumstance. It seems they didn’t pray to the God of Israel, yet He rescued them. Furthermore, they were non-Israelites, not part of the covenanted nation of Israel, but Yahweh calmed the sea for the sailors and did not allow their ship to wreck or break during the violent storm. Thirdly, God can grant a special pardon and many more, to the undeserved because of the universal nature of His mercy. How possible some might ask? Here is what God did: through His mercies Jonah was not abandoned, the Ninevites were spared the pending wrath and God’s judgment after they had fasted and repented. By this act we can conclude that the undeserved received a special pardon from God. But remember, you have read about the uniqueness of Jonah’s call and commission, the special mercy which is incomparable to any type. This same God is ready to work with you. Suffice to say that God who was there for the people of Israel throughout the Old Testament period, was there for the Ninevites, is still available to all Christian believers of today, hallelujah! And if you are still wondering about the universality of God’s mercies, there is one more thing to join in the mix, or network, it is the big fish— God used it to ferry Jonah to a safe place, more on this soon. Jonah was one of the prophets of Israel who was sent to preach at Nineveh, the Assyrian capital of the time. Why was that? God wanted them to repent of their evil ways, which included, lies, rape, sorcery, harlotry, witchcraft and seduction of other nations, violence and wasting of lives, Jonah 3:5-10, So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands … 9. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. Interestingly, Jonah initially didn’t want to go and preach to them. His and the Ninevites case was like an entanglement or a mix, which was difficult to disengage or separate from one another. Of these two categories of people, it is pertinent to ask, who deserved to be spared, the reluctant prophet with racist attitude, or the Ninevites who were deep in evil ways? .