(Text and Audio)
Title: A Throne for Ashes
Two of my Dreams: The first about 6 months before I was saved (vacuum tubes), the second about 6 months after I was saved (small room with mirrors).
We have demonstrated extensively how the book of Jonah is a forerunner for Jesus Christ, and in those discussion, most of what we have talked about has been how Jonah himself has served as a Christ figure.
So let’s do a little bit of review, as we have now been in the Book of Jonah for about five month now. (Can you believe it’s been five months?! Our first sermon in Jonah was December 10th of last year!)
How Jonah can be seen as a Christ Figure:
- God’s Chosen Messenger
- The Message is “Repent!”
- Gives up his own life for the sailors.
- Three days/nights in the belly of the great fish
- Others?
But in today’s message I want to suggest to you that the Unnamed King of Nineveh is also quite a Christ Figure in his own right. So let’s dig into that today:
(Read/Pray)
The King of Nineveh: Who was He?
Nothing of the history or person of this ruler is given to us in the book of Jonah. For Jonah’s purposes, it is detail enough that we know the king is powerful, and his response to Jonah’s message was perhaps the most remarkable of all.
But J.I. Packer provides an interesting note here
Packer:
Apparently this is a reference to the mighty king of Assyria. Although it is highly unlikely that Assyrian records would note this unusual occurrence, some scholars have associated this event with the religious reforms of Adad-nirari III (810-783 BC)
This concept fascinated me and as I dug a bit deeper in my research I came across something I wanted to share with you:
In his book titled The Ancient World From c. 1400 to 586 B.C., Francis Nicole makes the following observation:
“A strange religious revolution took place in the time of Adad-nirari III, which can be compared with that of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ikhnaton. For an unknown reason Nabu (Nebo), the god of Borsippa, seems to have been proclaimed sole god, or at least the principal god, of the empire. A Nabu temple was erected in 787 B.C. at Calah, and on a Nabu statue one of the governors dedicated to the king appear the significant words, ‘Trust in Nabu, do not trust in any other god’.”
“…and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.”
This king, presumably Adad-nirari III, voluntarily renounces two things that make him and his office special; his throne (the seat of his power) and his robe (the signifier of royalty).
Just as facinating, however, is what he then exchanges this seat of power and robe of royalty for…
The throne is exchanged for a seat in ashes.
The robe is exchanged for sackcloth.
$25,000 Question
(Money is for example only, HBC does not give cash prizes for corrected answers. Pastor Ben stopped this practice when he unexpectedly had to buy Josh Ronk a Christmas present three years ago…)
Q: What does this king now look like?
A: Everyone else in Nineveh.
$50,000 Question
Q: Is he ACTUALLY like everyone else though?
A: Yes and No. In office and designation, no. (He is still the King). But in the eyes of God, yes. (He is a sinner like everyone.)
$100,000 Question
Q: How does this make the King of Assyria a PERFECT Christ figure?
A: Christ laid aside the greatest royalty of all time (the right hand of the father) to become a common man, a sacrifice, to become sin itself.
Closing Questions:
- Why is this concept of the King becoming sin so important to our faith?
- What happens to Nineveh if the King of Nineveh does not count himself amongst the filth?
- What happens if Jesus does not count himself as sin for us?
Pray
Q&A