NOTES for Jon 3:10
Sometimes, when reading the Bible, one can think that God makes His decisions in the same way people do: first He plans to punish a person or an entire people, and then sometimes, depending on the circumstances, He takes pity and changes His mind, changing His decision. When it comes to people, there is nothing surprising in such an algorithm for making a decision: a person may not know something, or may overestimate certain facts, or may simply acknowledge a mistake and replace an erroneous decision with the one that now appears right.
But God is not a human being! What, then, is going on? What can He fail to take into account when making a decision? Is there anything that can make Him change His mind?
Only one thing: people's decisions. This can appear incredible, but this is exactly how it is: God can change some of His decisions depending on the choice made by an individual person or by an entire people. After all, He really has given us freedom and treats it with complete seriousness. And if we ask Him for something with all our heart, even if the matter is forgiveness for sins we have committed, He will not leave it without attention.
Then any changes are possible in His decisions. After all, He does not want sinners to perish because of their sins; His task is not to punish, but to save. Sometimes He can hand an individual person or an entire people over to their own fate if they do not want to see Him and let Him into their life; after all, as everyone knows, love cannot be forced. But as can be seen, one turning and repentance is enough for Him to intervene again. Then the disaster hanging over a people can disappear like smoke. And the people receive a chance for salvation and for new life.