Relent

"And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them...When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it." (Jonah 3:5,10)

Ever notice how the simplest phrase can change an entire conversation?  It doesn't take   much, just the willingness to say it.  Consider this:  a man and a wife are getting ready to go out on a date.  Bustling around getting the kids dinner, small versions of chit chat about the days events, and all is going along just fine when she asks "Does this look ok?"   The dynamic of the conversation changes.  Not because there is an offense (though it certainly can affect the overall direction of the evening) or even because there is something wrong.  It's just that certain phrases elicit different responses.  Couple that with the natural tendency most people have to react irrationally and we have a recipe for disaster.  However, every once and a while we think through the implications. 

 

The story of Jonah continues with the reluctant prophet traveling somewhere close to five hundred miles from the seashore.  Plenty of time to reflect on the depth of his great message and force with which he must bring it.   Then he arrives in Ninevah, takes a day to speak to different people and then proclaims quite clearly:  "Forty days and you will be overthrown."  Thanks for your time, tip the waiters, and make sure prepare for the fallout.   When the people of Ninevah heard this - they "believed God".  They stopped killing people, abusing each other, eating and drinking in hopes that God would not act in anger.  The king of Ninevah heard about the coming disaster and posted a quick status update: 

"OMG, we all gonna die. Eat or drink nothing.  Don't feed your dogs.  Put on your mowing clothes- the dirtier the better.  Strange as it might sound, put some dirty towels on your animals.  Bombard God with endless messages -text, IM, Facetime (if that's possible), VOX, SMS, email, you could even pray.  Stop viewing life like its one big MMA cage match and treat people like they matter. Who knows maybe God will see we are serious, pull back and not destroy us."

You know what I find strange here:  Jonah spoke a simple message and then stepped  out.  The decision is completely on the hearer.  Now it is likely true that Jonah had different motives for his simple message (we'll take that up on another day), but what is clear is that God -who isn't even identified in the message- knew something Jonah did not.  When people are confronted with their own mortality, some will own it and realize that changes must be made.   Jonah offered no hope in his message and yet, the people of Ninevah believed that a reprieve may have been an option.  By design, they understood: Maybe if we do what's right, God will relent. It's almost as if someone asked: "Does this look ok?" and God said "No" and they changed.

We know that Ninevah didn't stay forever "changed."  The Scriptures certainly speak of the demise of this city (Nahum), but the space and time between seems to be fairly long.  Let's not miss the point:  God will not be muted out.  He still speaks to us and calls us to examine our lives. (2 Corinthians 13:5) Not certain if He is going to "destroy us", but very confident He is more than willing to overthrow us.  He will be God, whether we want Him to be or not.