Devotions

Rev Gav

Repentance

Jonah 3

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, ‘Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.’ So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, ‘Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.’

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Reflect

God changed their mind? Really?

We have this idea that God’s will for humanity is immutable however, throughout the Bible, we see God responding to the actions of humans. How can both be true?

From the perspective of the ancient Jewish worldview, God was and is in everything, therefore, if a community (like Nineveh) was heading for calamity then it would be at the behest of God. In our worldview we would say it was the result of our own actions. The point is that humans deviate from God’s plan and there are consequences, but there is hope!

God’s ultimate will and purpose for all creation — to be reconciled to God — is unchanging and unwavering, for God cannot stop loving or being love, yet the method for us getting there is up for grabs. Whenever humans stray from the path of reconciling love, God is ready and willing to accept us when we get back on course. As we explored a day or two ago, when we put ourselves first and get in a pickle, prophets (like Jonah) remind us of the consequences of our actions. This is all part of God’s plan to get us back on track.

Some theologians liken our relationship with God to playing chess against an unbeatable world champion. We can make moves on the board, and the champion will respond to our moves, but ultimately the champion will win. In the same way, God’s love will win in the end.

This still doesn’t answer the question, “Does God change their mind?” In an ancient world-view, yes, but in our modern world-view we would say that God responds to our actions — but always for good and in a way, path, or trajectory towards love and reconciliation. This should come as no surprise because humans and God are in a relationship, and as we know, relationship requires give and take from both parties. It is just that in our relationship with God, God is perfectly loving, stable, faithful, and committed!

This is good news! It means that no matter how many times we mess up, God is ready and willing to forgive, welcome, and accept us. God’s love will win!

Pray

Holy God
Thank you that
no matter how many
times I mess up,
you stand with
open arms ready
to welcome me home.
Thank you for
those who gently
remind me of
your unending love,
and who call me
back to repentance.
This day and forever.