Have you ever watched the TV show, “The A-Team”? You can YouTube it. The episodes featured do-good mercenaries who always had a plan. Of course, things never went according to a plan. But in the end, the leader, Hannibal Smith, would poke a big cigar in his mouth and proclaim, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
We all like our plans to work.
You’d think that Jonah would be pleased that God’s warning had worked. Jonah’s warning s frightened the Ninevites. They believed that this new God could overpower any deities they had sitting on their shelves.
Amazing things that happened after Jonah’s warning:
- The great city of Nineveh was frightened.
- The people believed the message from Jonah.
- The people believed that God was more powerful than their own deities. They hoped he was more compassionate, too.
- They decided to change.
- The king of this great city stepped off his throne to join his people in the effort to convince God to change his mind.
- The king gave orders: “All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands.”
In other words, the king of Nineveh knew why the warning had been given, and he decided to make a change. His people agreed with him.
Who could have seen this coming? A great city within a powerful war-like nation listened to one foreign man who declared that doom and destruction are coming. Even the king believed Jonah.
I’m not sure I would have listened. Jonah probably looked like an ant shaking his fist at a human. Why listen to this guy?
Obviously, God knew something about this city that Jonah didn’t know.
Jonah had finally delivered the message of doom that God had directed him to give.
And now this: the people were making changes that might cancel the doom and destruction orders. The hail and brimstone might not fall. A fireworks display wasn’t likely.
Jonah wanted to see all those people turned to dust.
That’s an ugly trait for this leader. He could easily condemn an entire city because he decided they deserved destruction. God had already shown Jonah compassion but Jonah wasn’t ready to show mercy.
God was compassionate to a city, but Jonah didn’t approve. God knew the people were ready for a transformation and God was willing to give them a chance.
There are times when leaders have a strong opinion about what should happen next. But a leader’s strong opinion isn’t always the correct one.
[bctt tweet=”A leader’s strong opinion isn’t always the correct one.”]
We talk about leaders trusting their instincts at times, and there’s a place for that. But instincts are a gift that should be held lightly. Jonah is an excellent example of trusting his instincts over God’s plan.
He should have rejoiced over this city’s repentance. The plan wasn’t the one he approved of, and he pouted instead.
What do we do when a plan comes together? What if that plan wasn’t our plan and we predicted failure? How have you handled a situation like that?
