Sodom vs Nineveh

The Sodomites had the witness of Lot in their midst for several years, and enjoyed the deliverance from the kings who invaded the land. They were rescued by Abraham & his servants, & Abraham spoke directly with the king of Sodom. Gen. 14.
Then Lot warned them of their evil when they tried to rape the angels who came to rescue him & his family. Even his sons-in-law thought he was joking - and perished. Gen. 19

 

God is under no obligation to offer second chances, when He does it is due to his mercy and should not be taken for granted.

 

I do not see anything within the two cities themselves for why God saved one and condemned the other. One cannot say that Sodom did this so God judged them whilst Nineveh did this so God showed mercy and sent Jonah so they may repent.

 

18 So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will be hardeneth. Ro 9

 

The Scriptures are not a complete history of events rather Scripture tells the story in a way that relates to an intended message.

The story of Sodom in Genesis conveyed a message of God’s wrath and judgement
The story of Nineveh in Jonah was one of God’s mercy and grace.

How God may have dealt with the Sodomites or how he specifically prepared the Ninivites is not mentioned.

Rob

 

The city of Nineveh became the center of the Asserian (spelling?) Empire, the most powerful Empire just prior to the Babylonian Empire. God used the Asserrians to destroy the northern 10 tribes of Israel and send them into captivity for their rebellion against God. The northern 10 tribes basically disappeared, and the southern 2 tribes (Judah and Benjamin) merged into one.

So, imho, God showed them mercy so He could use them to punish the Northern 10 tribes.

 

God does what He wants.

 

Spelling is Assyrian.

So God did not destroy Nineveh for he had a future plan for the empire, and wanted it to stay strong to punish Israel. Interesting thought.


Certainly God used Assyria to punish Israel. Jonah was about 20 years before the invasion so timeline fits. Still Nineveh still didn't do anything that required God to show mercy or gave a reason why He showed mercy. It is possible that God didn't destroy Nineveh because He planned to use them for the takeover of Israel.

It's not something I considered but certainly interesting idea.

 

It was a lesson for the people of Israel to learn, as prophets beside Jonah were warning them that they were offending God by their sin. They were trusting in their status as God's chosen people, with the temple in their midst, showing God was dwelling with them.
But
They continued in sin, & rejected the prophets' call to repent. Read Amos.

Jesus confirmed the account, & used the repentance of the Ninevites who were simply given 40 days warning of destruction, without a "repent or perish" warning to warn the Jews of this generation. They were given 40 years, with a clear Gospel message.

Mat. 12:38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.’

39 He answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.​

 

They don't give us the progenitors of Melchizedek, either, and there is meaning in that.

 

God choose to exercise judgement one, and showed mercy unto another, pretty much same way is even today!
One could also say that the perversions those inj Sodom were full partaking and practing might fulfill the requirement Paul told us in Romans 1 regarding those who practice and approve such sexual sins will reap a harvest from God.