Then God saw their works, that They Turned from their Evil Way

God in all His patience, repeated His message for Nineveh to Job again, after giving Job a second chance following Job's arrival after trying to run away from God. Nineveh seems to be a big metropolitan city, which usually means various practices of worship, which means lots of idolatry. The first thing Job did as he entered the city is to declare that Nineveh will be destroyed in 40 days.

When the people of Nineveh heard this, they repented with fasting, putting on sackcloth and had a genuine change in their hearts. We are not told the background of Nineveh and how the people believed God's message so readily. The king of Nineveh also repented like his people. The king even decreed repentance throughout his kingdom and even the animals had to fast.

This amazing account of repentance occurred and all level from the king down to the common people. When the king repents, it leads to the whole nation repenting - which highlights how important it is to have godly leadership and government. God did not only delayed his destructive judgment but cancelled it entirely because their repentance and faith has now let them be judged as righteous.




Jonah 3
Jonah Preaches at Nineveh

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey[a] in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

The People of Nineveh Believe

5 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 every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

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.