“When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented ...” (3:10). When Nineveh’s king heard Jonah’s warning, he proclaimed a fast and called on God (3:9). God showed mercy, but to Jonah, “this seemed very wrong” and he was furiously angry (4:1,9). Jonah wanted God to be “gracious and compassionate” in his own case – rescuing him from the fish’s mouth – but not for the Ninevites (4:2-3). Yet God revealed his heart of concern for the thousands of people without knowledge of him (4:11).

God is “slow to anger and abounding in love” (4:2), even when we are not. He calls us to act as His sons and daughters by extending his love to those we consider undeserving.