Useful Bible Studies > Jonah Commentary > chapter 3
God sees and knows all things (Psalm 139:1-12).
Until Jonah came to Nineveh, its people did not know the true God. However, the declaration of God’s judgment against them was a great shock for them. Now, they knew that God had seen their wicked behaviour. So, suddenly, the fact that God sees all things became, for them, more important than anything else. God had seen them and he had declared them guilty (Psalm 14:2-3).
However, Nineveh’s people turned from their evil deeds, and God saw that too. He had seen their humble acts towards him; he heard their desperate prayers.
Nineveh’s people had changed their attitudes towards God. That caused God, in his great kindness, to change his attitudes towards them, too. God is eager to forgive those people who turn from their wicked behaviour (Exodus 34:6-7). He does not want to bring upon anyone the punishment for their evil deeds. He urges even the most evil people to turn to him so that he can forgive them (Ezekiel 18:21-23). His love is not just for Israel’s people; it is for people from all of the nations (Genesis 12:3; Romans 1:16).
So, in the end, Nineveh’s people at the time of Jonah did not suffer the punishment that Jonah had declared against them. As we shall see in chapter 4, God’s decision about Nineveh upset Jonah greatly. Jonah should have been pleased that so many people had turned to God (compare Luke 15:7). Instead, he became angry. He seemed to think that these people should still suffer some kind of punishment for their evil deeds.
Next part: The reason for Jonah's anger (Jonah 4:1)
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