“Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (vs10).
God's great glory is that He saves sinners who're rightfully cursed, TURNING from the harm that He promised us. He paid for sins in Christ, and when sinners turn to Him, no matter what we've done, then He RELENTS and TURNS from our destruction and chastisement. He does us good, when we've turned from sin.
Turning means going in the Lord's direction, with your sins, admitting that you're wrong, and asking His mercy (vs5). We read, “So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them”. We turn from sins to Jesus Christ. It is not turning from sin to good works immediately, but through the blood of the Lamb and by forgiveness, we get STRENGTH to live new and improved. He says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This turning, as Nineveh illustrates, is the result of faith. God commands us to believe His judgment is coming, we do, and then we seek mercy, being SORRY for our sins.
Nothing can make you and I quit sin except God. Only He can stab us in a way that we willingly admit ourselves SINNERS and seek reconciliation. We read, “Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ” (vs6-8). Only He can make us SEE that we deserve death, while giving us hope in the mercies.
Don't think turning is a one time thing, but it is the continual hope of believers, that though I’ve been wrong, perhaps for years, the Lord is a turning God: He'll pull back the judgment promised. We read, “ Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said” (vs9-10)?” He will forgive, hear our prayer, and He sees the changes that faith makes. A man beats his wife, a woman cheats on her husband, children are proud and hateful, and yet, when they see their destruction, they say, “I'm sorry. What I’m doing is wrong. Forgive me, and make me live your way!” There is no repentance without a turning away from sin, and this is the gift of God, that we're WILLING to reject sin, so that we might be saved: we value our souls and thereby DESPERATELY want Christ.
Where are you now? Are you one who's been wrong for a long time, or are you fresh in sin today? What will you do? Separation has come and Judgment Day is approaching. We read, “And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown (vs4). Admit that God is right to punish you, but BELIEVE on Him to forgive and bring forth works that show your faith is real. Paul said that he, “declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20). Hate yourself, hate what you've done, and confess that you're willing to live godly by grace and power from God.
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