Jonah and Ninevah - Pt 2

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, everyone from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’ (Jeremiah 18:1-11 ESV).

When the Lord saw the response of Nineveh to His word, He relented from the disaster He had announced (cf. Jonah 3:10). It is essential to recognize that God’s prophecies often have implicit conditions built into them. Our reading today gives us clear direction that God is willing to relent from destruction as people respond in faith. There are two errors that must be avoided when we see this truth. First, we cannot understand this truth to indicate that God is somehow a fickle prankster. God does not make his decisions on a whim. On the contrary, he has woven his grace into our lives since the beginning of time. His desire is to redeem. Second, just as the clay has no affect on its end, so we do not have the power to respond until we are born again. With that in mind, we also see that since the Lord knows all things and has ordained whatsoever comes to pass (cf. Ephesians 1:11), the repentance of Nineveh did not take Him by surprise. He knew that Nineveh would believe His word and that its citizens would respond appropriately. In fact, He announced judgment through Jonah in order to put the fear of God in their hearts and lead them to repent so that He would not have to destroy the city. God’s Word always achieves the purpose for which it is ultimately intended (cf. Isaiah 55:10-11). Sometimes His promise of judgment prompts people to repent, as it did when Jonah preached it to Nineveh. Sometimes it makes people harden their hearts against the Lord, as it did when Moses spoke to Pharaoh. In both cases, however, it did what it was supposed to do. We can likewise be confident that His Word will achieve His purposes when we faithfully preach His gospel. Our call is to speak of the gospel. It is God’s responsibility to save. The death of Jesus proves the deep desire of God to do just that!