"The word of our God stands forever. "
Isaiah 40:8
SAME SONG, SECOND VERSE
Read It: Jonah 3:1-10
If you lay Jonah 3:2 on top of Jonah 1:2, you'll notice something. The first seven words of these verses match exactly. God didn't change His mind at all. He told Jonah the same thing the second time. If God's not going to change, it seems that we ought to do it right the first time. Jonah is now stinky and ugly-and he still had to preach. Since God is not going to change, we might as well do it His way up front. Since He's not going to adjust, His second word (3:1) will be the same as the first. The beauty of Jonah 3 is that God is the God of the second chance. Even if you have fled to Tarshish, and God has had to bring a storm into your life, even if you have been thrown overboard and you're drowning, God can give you a second chance. That's the part people love to hear. But here's the part they don't want to hear. The return trip is going to be inconvenient. See, people want to try and escape God's will and then avoid the inconvenience of the return trip. But you can't do that. You cannot run from God and then expect to have a convenient return trip. It's great to have a second chance, but it still costs something. Well, Jonah finally got the message. He's now ready to head for Nineveh. The text doesn't say so, but I think God took Jonah back to his port of departure. Jonah left from Joppa, so God said, "I'm going to drop you back off in Joppa, and we'll see which way you go.
Would you like another boat to Tarshish?" God often brings us back to the point at which we messed up so we can get the mess fixed and move on. That's the grace of God. He reinstated Jonah and sent him to Nineveh, and Jonah's preaching sparked one of the greatest revivals in human-history. God can give you a second chance to put your marriage back together. He can give you a second chance to obey Him in whatever He has asked you to do. But you've got to do it His way. Think About It You are messing with unchangeable territory when you deal with God. He's not adjustable. He is unchangeable.
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