THE MERCY OF GOD TOWARDS PEOPLE WHO DO NOT KNOW HIM
In Jonah, 4:11,
YHVH GOD tells Jonah his prophet (2Kings 14:25), to go and preach repentance
over the Assyrian city of Nineveh, in Iraq, otherwise, YHVH would call them to
accounts, and destroy the city and all his inhabitants.
Once the people,
from the King to the last beggar repented as one, YHVH GOD decided to forgive
them, and that was something that Jonah refused to accept, as he saw GOD, as being
‘too good’ and senseless his call of warning towards Nineveh, because he knew
YHVH would forgive them anyway (Jonah 4:1-2).
To teach Jonah a
lesson, YHVH made a tree grow and die in 24 hours, to give Jonah shade, and
then take it away, for which Jonah even became more upset.
But the blessed
answer of GOD, touches the hearts of all humans.
YHVH 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 demonstrated
Jonah, just how as much as Jonah regrated the death of the tree that gave him shade,
how much GOD would not regret the death of more than 120,000 people, and also
the death of a large number of animals that inhabited that city, because Jonah
did not create the plant, neither planted it, but YHVH created the plants,
Nineveh and all the people and the animals there. Obviously, GOD will be more
moved to mercy as a FATHER, than Jonah, and that should not be a surprise to
him.
But even more,
the reasons GOD gives for his mercy, apart from the fact that they repented, is
that they were ignorant. They did not know right from wrong, because they did
not have the Torah, and his consciences were also contaminated and dull, to distinguish
good from bad. (Jonah 4:10).
YHVH is the most
merciful being in the universe.
All capacity of
mercy in humans, or any other created intelligent being, is a pale resemblance
of GOD’s mercy and pity towards his children, either angels, humans or animals.
Our sovereign
GOD feels pity for those who have a blinded conscience, due to their own
faults, and even though their dull conscience is direct product of bad choices
and spiritual contamination, GOD has pity on them, because their ignorance
drove them to that mistake and way of life.
Let us then, lean
towards YHVH for mercy, because as HE granted it to the Assyrians who repented,
without any blood sacrifice, without a temple or priesthood to offer them, and
without the payment of anything or intermediary of any kind to obtain it; YHVH
forgave the sins of Nineveh, and can also equally forgive us, if we come to HIM
with confidence, knowing that HE knows all our weaknesses and fears, because HE
made us, and HE also knows the future, and knew about our sins, even before we
committed them.
Because YHVH invented
mercy. HE is the Father of Mercy.
OFR
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