Charles Spurgeon Commentary Jonah 3:5-9

"And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. And the tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water; but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?" — Jonah 3:5-9 (ASV)

Note that the only message they had heard was a prophecy of impending judgment. God had sent his servant to warn them of the coming destruction; and since he had warned them that he meant to destroy them, they could infer that he might possibly intend pity towards them should they repent, but there was yet no verbal declaration of mercy or hope. These people went to God with nothing better to sustain them than this: "Who can tell?"

How much more guilty than these Ninevites are those who refuse to humble themselves before God, even when they have distinct injunctions from God, and explicit promises that whoever shall confess and forsake his sins shall find mercy!

These men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment against the men of London, and the men of this generation, and condemn them, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now men do not repent even at the testimony of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

To despise the prophet Jonah would have involved these people in certain destruction; of how much sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy who despise the Christ of God, and do despite unto the Spirit of grace.