Jonah 3:5-6 “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. 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.”
Mercy and Humility
Who is the worst person you have ever known? Does he or she deserve God’s mercy? If so, why? If not, why not? Better yet, why do you deserve God’s mercy? If you don’t think you need it, you are in trouble! If you think you deserve it, you are in big trouble! By very definition, mercy is undeserved. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve.
If you would have known the king of Nineveh, you would’ve probably considered him the most evil and powerful person. He would be the man least deserving and the most unlikely candidate for God’s mercy!
Guess what? He received God’s mercy! Why? Because you don’t receive God’s mercy by being innocent; you receive God’s mercy by being humble. The Bible tells us that “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (James 4:6) In Jonah chapter 3, the wicked king of Nineveh responded to God’s message through the prophet Jonah. He didn’t see himself as good; he saw himself as needing mercy! The revival started with the king and spread “from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”
It amazes me that some people can be so proud of being good. Have you ever met someone who was proud of how honest they were? You won’t impress God by how good or deserving you are. Ironically, the one thing you can’t be proud of is being humble! Humility is submissively seeing yourself as God sees you. You will never come to the start of God’s mercy until you come to the end of yourself.
No one can receive mercy without being humble. You don’t receive God’s mercy by being innocent. You don’t receive God’s mercy by being good. You receive God’s mercy by being humble.