The book of Jonah is a story about a prophet that lived in the time of Jeroboam II, a king of Israel. The nation of Israel found themselves in a time of peace with their major enemies weakened. Nineveh was a city of one of those major enemies, the Assyrians. In the past, Assyria, had been a fear to many nations because of their big military campaigns and cruel warfare. A passage of the annals of an Assyrian king says:
"I captured the city. 800 of their warriors I struck down with the sword. I cut off their heads. Many of the men I captured alive. The rest I burned with fire. Their heavy spoils I carried off. A pillar of living men and of heads I built in front of their city gates. 700 men I impaled on the stake in front of their city gate. The city I destroyed, I devastated, I turned it into mounts and ruins. The young men I burned into flames."
The Israelites had suffered this as well, just like other surrounding nations. But in the time of the book of Jonah, Assyria was more focused on their own nation with many rebellions and internal conflict. Israel could enjoy a time of peace. In this time, God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh, a big foreign city, far away from his hometown. Jonah knew God called him to go to this city to warn the people of the destruction that is going to happen if they don't change their ways. He knew that he was going there to give the people a chance to change their ways. But how could Jonah give them a chance when they had done so much evil? So much hurt to his own people, to his neighbors and his friends?
We know the story of Jonah. He refused to go at first, but after God saving him from death, he ends up going to Nineveh after all. He warns the people: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" "Yes, justice for these evil people!" is probably what he was thinking. But the people repent and show the fear of the LORD. They respect Jonah's word in awe of a God that they don't know, and God does not destroy Nineveh. All God needed was repentance and then he forgot all evil.
And the Lord said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?"
Jonah 4:10-11
God's commission for Jonah showed his mercy and compassion for the people of Nineveh, and his last words to Jonah in chapter 4 verse 10-11 passionately proclaimed that concern for every creature, man or animal. Not only does God save them but he takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but (rather) that the wicked turn from his way and live" (Eze 33:11; see Eze 18:21-23). Jonah and the people of Israel traditionally rejoiced in God's special mercies to Israel but wished only wrath on their enemies. God here rebukes such hardness and proclaims his own grace and goodness.
God doesn’t want evil to continue in this world. He doesn’t want people to die, to be tortured, or to be abused. He doesn’t want corruption and injustice. He doesn’t want depression and fear. He doesn't want the evil of Nineveh. But still we live in this world with evil and hurt. Why? Why did Nineveh continue to exist? Because of God's patience and mercy. God's judgment on evil is accompanied with a love for his people. That is why we now today have to deal with an imperfect world. He is waiting for people to come to Him but He came to us first. Jesus Christ came to break the separation between God and people. God first was only for the Jews, but after Jesus Christ, the news spread over the entire world. God is warning His people now because He loves them. It is important to remember in our everyday life that evil is not God's will, but for now it is here because of his patience.
Just like Jonah came to Nineveh to speak God's message, Jesus was called to proclaim the message to the world. And just like God had patience with Nineveh, God has patience with the world. Jonah made his way through the city, preaching God's message and now the gospel makes its way across the globe. In the mean time, evil is still going to exist because of God's patience, but as we know, we can have hope because God has a plan.
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