Psalm 17:9

¹⁰They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.

Callous heart ignores rebuke because it cannot sense its beneficial effect. But by the grace of God, we listen to his admonition. Initially, the Lord instructed Prophet Jonah to preach against the wickedness of Nineveh. Initially, he disobeyed. But when he obeyed the Lord, he proved that the Ninevites were not callous somehow. It narrated in Jonah 3:5-10, ⁵The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. ⁶When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. ⁷This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. ⁸But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. ⁹Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” ¹⁰When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

When God sent Jonah to preach against their wickedness of the Ninevites, did he know that they repent? Certainly! When like Jonah, we assume that there’s no potentiality for people to believe, most often, we hesitate to share the gospel of Christ. We should be reminded that before we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we were also wicked somehow. But by the grace of our merciful God, he reconciled us to himself. As proof of reconciliation to God, he instructed us to reconcile people to him.

Lord Jesus, soften our callous heart and obey you.

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