OUR FATHER WHO RESPONDS TO HUMBLE REPENTANCE

Jonah chapter 4 verse 11 says this;

And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

This last verse of the book of Jonah is a question that the Lord God asked Jonah.

At the start, the Lord had directed the reluctant prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to warn them that God's judgement was going to visit them because of the evil being done in their city.

At first, Jonah tried to evade the directive by fleeing the opposite way but famously, a vicious storm overtook his getaway ship and the sailors were forced to throw Jonah overboard to save their own lives. 

A large fish swallowed Jonah and when he cried out to the Lord, he was vomited out after three days and given his  instructions again.

Upon delivering the news of the coming judgement to the people of Nineveh, Jonah found a lofty spot where he could watch what was about to happen to the city but the people of Nineveh from every strata of their society including the king,  caught the Lord's attention by humbling themselves in sack-cloth and dust.

Jonah, perched on a viewpoint above the city, was granted a shady plant by the Lord to protect him from the heat of the sun. Jonah was very happy to have the plant. As the day passed, the plant was eaten by a worm and it wilted thus exposing Jonah to the heat of the blazing sun as well as the heat of a scorching east wind. Jonah was deeply vexed by that.

Meanwhile, the Lord responded to Nineveh's wholehearted repentance and relented from bringing judgement on the city.

Jonah, while being tormented by the heat of the sun and the hot winds on his prime viewing spot, was greatly angered and said that he knew that coming to Nineveh was unnecessary because he knew that God would relent from destroying its citizens.

The Lord responded to Jonah's anger by pointing out to Jonah that the city contained more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who were unlearned in even the basic things of life. 

The Lord also pointed out to Jonah that he had been concerned about a mere plant that had shaded him from the sun and wind.  The Lord then asked Jonah that if he had been concerned about the life of a plant, should he not also  be  concerned for all the human beings along with all the animals who lived in the city?

Bless our Lord who is moved by humble repentance and shows mercy on those who ask it of Him.

Amen.