Jonah 3 - The Desire of Every Prophet

This chapter tells of a result that every prophet of God should desire.

That their message from God should be taken to heart, action taken and repentance accepted.

We know in Jonah's case he did not want this outcome....

Jon 1:1  Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

Jon 1:2  Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

Jon 1:3  But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

Jon 4:1  But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

Jon 4:2  And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/kjv/Jonah.3

Jon 3:1  And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

Jon 3:2  Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

Jon 3:3  So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

Jon 3:4  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

Jon 3:5  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

The People of Nineveh Repent

Jon 3:6  For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Jon 3:7  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

Jon 3:8  But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

Jon 3:9  Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

Jon 3:10  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Paul makes this statement.

Rom 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

John Gill writes...

for it is written, Deu 32:35;

vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord; vengeance belongs to God, and to him only; it is proper and peculiar to him, not to Heathen deities, one of which they call δικη, "vengeance"; see Act 28:4; 

nor to Satan, who is of a revengeful spirit, and is styled the enemy and the avenger; 

nor to men, unless to magistrates under God, who are revengers and executioners of his wrath on wicked men; otherwise it solely belongs to God the lawgiver, whose law is broken, and against whom sin is committed: 

and there is reason to believe he will "repay" it, from the holiness of his nature, the strictness of his justice, his power and faithfulness, his conduct towards his own people, even to his Son, as their surety; 

nor will he neglect, but in his own time will avenge his elect, which cry unto him day and night; and who therefore should never once think of avenging themselves, but leave it with their God, to whom it belongs.