The God of the Second Chance
Introduction
You never get a second chance at a first impression,’ goes the saying. But social media profiles, online communities and virtual gaming provide, for some, an opportunity to seek a second chance in life.
‘Second Life’ is a virtual world. Over fifty million people have created a Second Life character, through which they can live in this new world. They are looking for another chance in life.
‘Second Life’ describes itself as a place ‘to connect… to change yourself, to change your mind, change your look… to be different’.
This virtual world is clear evidence of the longing of so many for a fresh start. Yet, in reality, God is the God of the second chance and third and many, many more. He gives us countless chances to turn back to him and enjoy his love again. God doesn’t just give us a ‘second life’ – he comes to us and transforms our real life.
Psalm 85:1-7
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 You, Lord, showed favor to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people
and covered all their sins.
3 You set aside all your wrath
and turned from your fierce anger.
4 Restore us again, God our Saviour,
and put away your displeasure toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
Commentary
Make a fresh start
Like so many of us, the psalmist wants an opportunity to make a fresh start in life. He cries out to God, ‘help us make a fresh start’ (v.6, MSG).
God is not wishy-washy. He hates sin. There is such a thing as righteous anger (v.5). It is one side of God’s love. But the psalmist knows that this righteous anger is not contrary to God’s unfailing love, and in this psalm we see both side by side.
God forgives: ‘You lifted the cloud of guilt from your people, you put their sins far out of sight… you cooled your hot, righteous anger’ (vv.2–3, MSG).
When you turn back to God he restores and revives you through his ‘unfailing love’ (v.7). The psalmist prays, ‘Restore us again… Will you not revive us again’ (vv.4,6).
Prayer
Romans 2:1-16
God’s Righteous Judgment
2 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath , when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honour and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favouritism.
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Commentary
Enjoy a radical life change
God loves you. He wants the very best for your life. He does not want you to mess up your life. Sin takes us ‘on a dark spiral downwards’ (v.1, MSG). ‘God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change’ (v.4, MSG).
Paul speaks of the ‘wrath’ of God (vv.5,8). This is God’s loving, righteous anger against sin. But Paul does not begin with the ‘wrath’ of God. He begins with ‘the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience’ (v.4). God is love. His anger is the very last resort – for those who are ‘self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil’ (v.8).
God loves everyone. He ‘does not show favouritism’ (v.11). He loves both Jew and Gentile alike. God is impartial. He is a righteous judge.
All of us have sinned and have no excuse: ‘Every time you criticise someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanours’ (v.1, MSG).
It is so easy to judge other people about the very things we do ourselves. We tend to look at ourselves through rose-tinted glasses and look at everyone else through a magnifying glass. A judgmental mind focuses on what is wrong with others, rather than on what is right.
The opening five books of the Old Testament establish God’s relationship with his people and give instructions on how to live. But ‘merely hearing God’s law is a waste of your time if you don’t do what he commands’ (v.13, MSG). So all of us will be judged by what we know. For some, that will be God’s law, for others their own consciences: ‘Something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong’ (v.15, MSG).
All of us need to repent. God’s kindness is intended to lead us to repentance. The moment you repent and turn to God, you get another chance, the possibility of a new life. Repentance is not just about turning away from sin but turning towards God.
Prayer
Jonah 1:1-4:11
Jonah Flees From the Lord
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish . He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
4 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. ”
10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)
11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.
Jonah’s Prayer
17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 2 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said:
“In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.
7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah Goes to Nineveh
3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion
4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
Commentary
Seize a second chance
Jonah is different from all the other prophets. As Eugene Peterson writes, ‘He is not a hero too high and mighty for us to identify with – he doesn’t do anything great.’
The book starts with Jonah disobeying God and ends with him complaining about what God has done. He is a man who suffered from severe depression. God works within and around Jonah’s weaknesses to accomplish his purposes.
Each of these four short chapters tells us something about God’s love:
God’s love will never let you go (Chapter 1)
You cannot successfully run away from God or from his call. Jonah was a well-known preacher (2 Kings 14:25). He is told to go to Nineveh (Jonah 1:2). Instead, he runs to Tarshish – which is now the Costa Brava in northeast Spain (but Jonah was not there for a holiday!).You can run from God, but you cannot hide. Jonah ends up in a mess. It is so easy to think that our own disobedience will not affect anyone but us. This story shows that our disobedience has consequences for other people.
Sometimes the storms we face in life are the result of our own disobedience. A storm rages, and Jonah knows it is his fault. He is prepared to die and demands to be thrown into the sea, but ‘the Lord provided a great fish’ (v.17). God’s love would not let him go.
God’s love can reach you no matter how far you’ve fallen (Chapter 2)
No matter how desperate or hopeless your situation may seem, it is never too late. When he hit rock bottom, from inside the fish Jonah prayed: ‘In my distress I called to the Lord… you listened to my cry’ (2:2).He recognised what we miss out on when we do not follow the Lord. ‘Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs’ (v.8). It is so easy to put our trust in something other than God. We can so often put our trust in the 'idols’ of money, success, fame or sex. Anything that takes you away from God prevents you from receiving the grace that can be yours.
There is no situation that God cannot rescue you from if you cry out to him.
God’s love means you get another chance (Chapter 3)
God was persistent in giving Jonah a second chance and when Jonah took him up on it, the result was an eternal impact on many people’s lives.Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you’ (3:2). The first time he messed up; the second time God used him powerfully.
Not only did God give Jonah a second chance, he also gave the city of Nineveh a second chance.
Nineveh was a great city (1:2; 3:2). It had more than 120,000 people (4:11). As a result of Jonah’s message, the people repented; they believed (3:5). The king believed (vv.7–9). Revival came as a result of one person’s preaching. Thousands were saved (v.10).
God’s love extends to all his creation (Chapter 4)
God loves everyone and wants to be merciful to every person, city and nation on earth.After all the success of his evangelistic campaign, Jonah fell into another deep depression. He was angry with God (4:1). Jonah was quick to anger, unlike God who is ‘sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!’ (v.2, MSG).
We see now why Jonah ran away in the first place. He was angry that they had repented. The Ninevites were cruel oppressors. They were into witchcraft, torture, greed and prostitution. Yet, they repented and God forgave them. Still, today, some find it hard when really evil people repent and God forgives them.
God sent Jonah a visual aid. He provided a plant to give him shade. He was thrilled with it. Then God destroyed it (v.7). But God pointed out his great love for all his creation (unlike Jonah’s concerns, which are rather narrow and selfish, vv.10–11).
One of God’s amazing characteristics is mercy. Mercy means being kind and good to people who do not deserve it. God has extended his mercy to you and me through Jesus Christ and his mercy never runs out.
Prayer
Pippa adds
Jonah 1:1–4:11
Jonah worried more about looking good than saving the lives of thousands of people. It matters what we do, not what we look like.
Verse of the Day
Romans 2:4,MSG
‘God is kind’
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References
Second Life quote cited in, Robert M. Geraci, Virtually Sacred: Myth and Meaning in World of Warcraft and Second Life, (OUP USA, 2014), p.101
Eugene Peterson, The Message, 'Introduction to Jonah', (NavPress, 1993), p.1265
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.