So, there he is, minding his own business. Well, as much as you can when you're under occupation by the most terrifying dictator on the planet. Then God comes along and says 'go to the capital city, confront the tyrant, tell him that in 40 days, I will show him who really has power'.
Unsurprisingly, Jonah declines the offer. But not because he is afraid. But because the nature of prophesy is no mystery to him.
Jonah knows that what God has prophesied is not a peeking into the future to declare what He has seen will happen, but a warning of what can yet be avoided. And Jonah does not want the Ninevites to avoid it. He wants the wrath of God to fall, He wants to see revenge for his family, his friends, his people who have been raped, murdered, exiled. He doesn't want to warn them, he wants to witness their destruction.
It's a harrowing reality and we, like Jonah, need to come to the point of trusting God to ultimately judge fairly. We know how the story goes. Jonah ends up having a whale of a time and after that diversion brings the prophecy. Remarkably, the people from the King to the lowest slave repent and God witholds His anger. Which makes Jonah angry. 'You see, that's why I didn't want to come. I knew that if they repented, you would not do what you said you would'.
He knew that prophecy is not about a God fast-forwarding to a point in the future followed by a quick rewind to let some prophet know what will happen. It's not a fore-telling, it's a telling forth of God's character and nature. 'This is what God is like and unless you respond to that, the following will happen'. Even when the 'if' or 'unless' are missed out, the prophets knew they were implied.
There'd be no point in prophecy otherwise. If what was being prophesied was now inevitable, there would be no point in telling anyone (unless you took perverse pleasure in saying 'told you so' as calamity struck). 'In 40 days you will die'. Yup, they did.
'Woah' I hear you cry. But some prophecy is really specific. Surely for that to come true God must have had a peek at what to us is the future? 'Hmmm' I respond (playing for time as usual).
We've seen in a previous blog that all observation affects the outcome. So, you could guarantee a future outcome by looking to see what happened - but looking would affect the outcome. What happens in the future must be based on what happens now and if you tell someone what to them is going to happen, that will influence what they do, potentially changing the future you foresaw - meaning that what you told them would happen may result in it not happening. Except of course that you did see it, which must mean they didn't act on your message, thus making the message pointless... If you followed that you've probably had more wine than is good for you... Maybe an example will help...
Fred buys a Jag. (Can you be jealous of a character you just made up?) God sees Fred's future. It involves a horrible Jag related accident (I'm not jealous anymore). God speaks to Fred in a dream 'don't buy the Jag, it will only lead to trouble'. There are now only two options. Either Fred heeds the warning (which presumably is what God hoped would happen) and doesn't buy the Jag - in which case God did not see him buy it, making the prophecy redundant... Or, he goes ahead and buys it, making the prophecy redundant (well pointless at least).
Deep breath. So Mr Smarty Pants, get out of that one. Well, for what it's worth, here goes.
God expresse His nature (what He can do) through His character (what He chooses to do). The Lord - (power, knowledge, reach) is expressed through His character - my shepherd. His power isn't used to control, but to shepherd. His knowledge is not used to trip us up but to guide our paths. His reach is not to find us out for punishment but to seek us for salvation.
Sometimes, for the sake of real and meaningful relationship, might He choose not to do things which are within His ability? So even where there are things which He could guarantee through knowing them, might it be that instead, He chooses to bring them into being by weaving our free, unknown choices into the ends He desires?
Do we think God is big enough, clever enough, wise enough, loving enough to do that? Rather than guarantee the future by reading the last, already fixed page, might He not guarantee an outcome because He knows that He can take the good choices His people make along with all the ungodly ones and weave them ultimately to that end? Might He not be able to guarantee the destination without minutely controlling the route?
God promised Israel a land. It was an 11 day march from the Red Sea to the land of promise. Did it have to take 40 years? Could it have been less painful?
'One of you will betray me'. Could it have been Peter? Was it possible for Judas to see Mary's worship and allow his heart to be melted, for us now to read of his repentance and how he was instrumental in establishing the church?
Not by might, nor by power - but by my spirit says the Lord.
More tomorrow. (That's an aspiration not a guarantee based on my certain knowledge of the future obviously).
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