Jonah 3:10

"And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not."

"God repented ..." For a full discussion of the questions raised by this, see in the introduction under the subtitle, Purpose, in the last three or four paragraphs, above. All of God's promises, whether to bless or to destroy, in the last analysis, are conditional; and one of the purposes of Jonah is to exemplify that principle. See Jeremiah 18:7-10. In fact, Griffiths said that, this passage from Jeremiah "is a general rule, demonstrated in the particular case of Jonah."[37]

"And God saw their works ..." It is most significant that the sparing of Nineveh was altogether contingent upon their good works, and this in no sense meant that they had earned any respite from the punishment which was justly due them; and God's sparing them was an act of grace, despite the fact that if they had not repented and turned he would never have blessed them. "It was not until the repentance of Nineveh was manifested through works that their salvation was effected by God."[38] This is a plain doctrine of both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and it is opposed in every way to the popular misconception which alleges that people are saved "through faith alone."

Some have complained that there is no archeological or documentary testimony regarding this wholesale repentance in Nineveh, but no thoughtful person could really be surprised by that. "It is very unusual in monumental history to find mention of any events except wars and the execution of material works."[39] Those who allege that "There is no ancient documentary proof of the great repentance in Nineveh," are profoundly mistaken. There is documentation of it in the Gospel of Matthew; and there has nothing ever come out of antiquity that is any more historical than the sacred gospels. Jesus Christ himself said, concerning the Ninevites, that, "They repented at the preaching of Jonah" (Matthew 12:41). To be sure the critics have tried every device known to them to get rid of that testimony in Matthew; but, as Bruce said, "The verse cannot be challenged on critical grounds."[40]

Before leaving this verse which has the record of God's sparing Nineveh, it should be remembered that the punishment was merely deferred, not cancelled, and that, in time, after the people had turned again to terror and violence, God indeed executed his wrath upon them. Keil summed up that point thus:

"The punishment was therefore deferred by the long-suffering God, until this great heathen city, in its fuller development into a God-opposing imperial power, seeking to subjugate all nations, and make itself the mistress of the earth, had filled up the measure of its sins, and had become ripe for that destruction which the prophet Nahum predicted, and the Median king Cyaxares inflicted upon it in alliance with Nabopolassar of Babylon."[41]

That final overthrow and total destruction of Nineveh is usually dated in 612 B.C. See introduction for the record of the utter removal of Nineveh from the face of the earth.