The Consequences of Our Decisions and Actions

Few stories are as fascinating as Jonah’s. I still remember how, in children’s Sunday school, we used to sing the little chorus about this Hebrew prophet and his encounter with the enormous fish. And all because he “didn’t heed the word of God.” But this story is a little more complex

than the lyrics of that children’s song. In fact, this account has much to tell us about the consequences of our decisions and actions. In this story, Jonah defies God’s command both in his decision (refusing to obey) and in his action (setting sail in the opposite direction from his assigned mission).

The account tells us that, once they were out at sea, a violent storm broke out. Amid a raging sea and waves that battered the boat were one man who had disobeyed and a group of other people who had absolutely nothing to do with the cause of that storm. Jonah’s was only one of the lives in danger. Here is one of the principles of this story! Our disobedience always has consequences for those who live alongside us. We are not beings disconnected from our social context. What I decide and do affects not only me but also my spouse, my children, my neighbors, my church, and my society.

It is important to recognize that this was also the reality of the people of Nineveh. The wickedness that prevailed in that city brought about a divine decree of mass destruction. God issued that decree even though children, elderly people, animals, and plants certainly lived in Nineveh. But just as Jonah’s bad decisions had negative consequences for those traveling with him, the collective decisions and actions of a people also brought consequences for everyone in Nineveh.

Now, God could have let Jonah drown and found another messenger. God could also have annihilated the people of Nineveh without warning after all the harm they had caused the people of Israel. Here is another important principle concerning God’s character. In his absolute sovereignty, God chooses to enter into dealings with human beings even when we do not deserve it. Yet the story does not end there.

Both Jonah and the people of Nineveh had to assume a degree of personal and collective responsibility in response to God’s decree for their lives. After his encounter with the great fish, the prophet set out (almost begrudgingly) for the city he still detested. It is important to note that, after fulfilling his mission, Jonah still needed to continue his process of transformation. The people of Nineveh, for their part, had to grapple with terrifying news of destruction, which led them collectively to amend their bad decisions and actions.

“…let everyone put on rough clothing as a sign of grief, and cry out to God with all their strength. Let each person turn away from their evil conduct and the violence they have committed until now; perhaps God will change his mind and his anger will subside, and then we will not die.”

Today, we can conclude that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is the most compelling proof of God’s desire to redeem the lives of all human beings (1 John 2:2, 1 Timothy 2:4). The salvation God grants is an undeserved gift, the result of his grace through faith, which is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8). Yet we must understand that fulfilling God’s will for our lives, which encompasses much more than our personal salvation, requires our willingness to renew our minds and the actions that flow from them (“…change the way you think so that you may change the way you live…” Romans 12:2).

Perhaps our challenge today is individual, like Jonah’s: to change our attitudes toward a task God has entrusted to us. Or perhaps the challenge is communal, like Nineveh’s: to amend our misconduct collectively as a people and stop the violence perpetrated against those around us. Whatever our challenge may be, let us allow the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to begin a new movement in our lives—a movement that expands the boundaries of our understanding so that we can bring our decisions and actions into harmony with God’s absolute sovereignty.