Jonah 4:11 – “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”
The last verse of Jonah in today’s Old Testament One Year Bible reading is revealing about the heart of God for lost people. God had send a reluctant prophet to Nineveh to pronounce judgment upon this great ancient city. Jonah doesn’t want to do it and actually tries to run away from God’s call on his life (anyone been there?). He eventually shows up (thank the whale) and does what God calls him to do. The people end up repenting and turning to God so that the judgments are averted (for the time being). Jonah gets upset that God isn’t going to zap them so he goes and sulks underneath a tree. Our verse is God’s response to Jonah’s “give it to ‘em” attitude.
This passage is very revealing and encouraging. We learn from it that God’s pronouncement(s) of judgment are meant to cause people to turn to Him. He really doesn’t get pleasure in hurting us and seeing us suffer. He wants to bless us and wants us to turn from our evil ways. This has been God’s way of dealing with mankind for millenniums. If we as humans will simply turn to Him and acknowledge our sin, He is merciful to forgive us and to not only reverse the judgment, but to bless us as well.