Cheryl Schatz

Dr. Willingham,
The prophesy of Jonah is very familiar to me as it came up often when I was witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses. They used to say that Jonah gave a false prophesy and therefore their organization could also give false prophesies without being called a false prophet.

However I used to take them to Jeremiah 18:7, 8

Jer 18:7 “At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it;
Jer 18:8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.

The prophesies that God gives regarding either good or evil are provisional so Jonah’s prophesy was not a false prophesy as many would like to claim, but a prophecy that had a condition on it.

You are right in that Jonah wanted the Ninevites destroyed but he also knew how gracious God is. ” for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. ” Jonah 4:2

I fully agree with you about God being Sovereign and that God can make exceptions to a general rule if he would like to. The exceptions always seem to show the righteousness of God and his gracious kindness. Allowing a woman to serve in the gift that He gave her would certainly fall into the category of kindness, graciousness, compassion and God’s Sovereignty.

Good words!