Forty Days and Forty Nights

“On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned,”

⁴Jonah entered the city, went one day's walk and preached, "In forty days Nineveh will be smashed." MSG

Jonah 3:4

The message was urgent. The prophet, Jonah, had received the message twice. The message was for the prophet was: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” The message God gave Jonah to preach to the citizens was this: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be smashed.”

Why forty days? What was the reason God gave the Ninevites a drop-dead date of forty days? “The Bible is clear that God considers 40 days a spiritually significant time period. Whenever God wanted to prepare someone for his purpose, he took forty days,” says Rick Warren.

It is absolutely amazing to observe the reaction of the Ninevites to this drop-dead date of 40 days. They believed God. Nineveh was no “spit town.” We are told in Jonah 3: 3 that Nineveh was an important city and required Jonah 3 days to cross it. Lots of Ninevites believed God. Maybe all of the Nineveh believed God and that they had only 40 days to shape up or be smashed.

What a lesson for us. Do you believe God? We believe lots of things that we shouldn’t believe. We believe the world is coming to an end on a specific date even though God has told us that the world will not end in that manner. We believe a lie before we will believe the truth. We believe politicians before we believe the Word of God. We believe a car salesman before we accept the counsel of God’s people. We believe in fortunate tellers before we believe in the promises of God. We believe man quicker than we believe God. We believe strangers before we will believe our parents that raised us within the confines of our homes Isn’t it time that we believe that God uses 40 days to get our attention too?

The Ninevites declared a fast. This fast was carried out in two ways. One the people clothed them selves in sackcloth. This was a coarse cloth. This was an outward show of their emotions and feelings. What a sight this must have been to see the entire city clothed in sackcloth. Knowing how difficult it is to get people on the same page doing anything, it is hard to believe that it happened at any point in time.

Second, this fast was inclusive of every social strata of the great city of Nineveh. The rich and poor, educated and uneducated, leaders and followers, all were included in the fast.

Any time is a good time for us to repent and humble our selves before God. I realize that we are approaching the “festival of gifts,” as someone so aptly described what Christmas is for many. But what better time for us to repent and humble ourselves before God this Christmas and New Years. You may have been told by God to change now. Maybe you’ve heard the Holy Spirit telling you in loud and clear words that you need to stop and make a change in your life. There is no need to wait for the holidays to end. Do it now. I believe God continues to speak to us through his Word and the Holy Spirit.

Now, not only did the people react in a contrite and humble manner, the king also reacted in contrite and humble manner. When he received the news from the prophet, Jonah, he rose from his throne. This obviously was a powerful signal of the importance of the news about the 40 days drop-dead date. He rose from his throne. Apparently, this meant that he put aside other matters of importance. He re-arranged his schedule and activities for the foreseeable future. He took off his royal robes. We often see men rolling up their shirtsleeves to show that they are serious and are getting down to business. Here the king is taking off his royal robes to send the message that this is a serious matter. He goes further and covers himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. After having done that, he issues a proclamation: See verses 7-9.

What a decree it was:

1) Don’t taste anything!

2) Change clothes.

3) Call urgently on God.

4) Give up your evil ways and turn from violence.

They obeyed his decree. God was watching them. Don’t think God is not watching what’s happening down here. His eyes are everywhere. David said, “If I make my bed in the bottom of hell, you are there; if I dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, you are there. God sees all that we do. He hears all that we say. “When he saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.”

We are about to begin a 40-day journey. As a church family, we will study the book, “The purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. Before I left for vacation, I started talking about this book. This book is divided into 40 brief chapters. We are asking you to read a chapter a day. Only one a day should be read. Then spend time praying and thinking about the contents and message of the chapter is about. Rick Warren suggests that we need to let the right books transform us. The way to be transformed is to give some serious attention to what you read. He suggests that we hold off from rushing on to the next chapter. Rather he suggests that we interact with the chapter we read. You may be asking how in the world does one interact with a chapter of a book? Well, he says, “underline it. Write your own thoughts in the margins. Make it your book. Personalize it! He says, that the books that have helped him the most have been the ones that he’s interacted with.

To help us get the most out of his book he provided some helps:

1) A Point to Ponder - a point for you and the class to reflect on individually and collectively.

2) A Verse to Remember - an opportunity to memorize a verse of Scripture.

3) A Question to Consider - Personal application of the material studied in the chapter.

4) Discussion Questions - an opportunity to bounce thoughts and ideas among other Christians.

5) Will examine the introductory materials of 15 translations the author uses in his book. The goal is to learn the value of these translations to our studies of the Scriptures.

6) Lastly, we will request your help in identifying resources in the book that can potentially improve our ministry here at Peoples.

I would love to see us come together and read God’s Word as we study this book. The benefits are immeasurable from our doing this together. What a wonderful way for us to spend time together as the family of God. What a wonderful way to spend Christmas 2003! To learn together What on Earth am I here for, that you were planned for God’s Pleasure, that you were formed for God’s family, that you were created to become like Christ, that you were shaped for serving God, and that you were made for a mission.

You can obtain that information in 40 days and 40 nights. You can do what other people of God have done to grow spiritually. You can get on this road with your church family and remain there with the words of encouragement from rich discussion, from love from your brothers and sisters, from sharing what God has put on your mind and heart. Are you ready? Are you ready to give God 40 days and 40 nights studying, praying, and sharing together? Amen.