God is grieved and pained by the necessity to punish humans.
Jonah 3:10 B (Amplified Bible)
God revoked His sentence of evil
that He said He would do to them ---
for He was comforted and eased
concerning them.
Probably like you, I've read the account of Jonah many, many times. But this particular time as I read this particular portion of the verse,
"He was comforted and eased
concerning them;"
I was deeply and strangely impacted.
I say - strange - because I could not get my mind around it. What wealth of insight trembles in these few words. Of course God's mercy and willingness to forgive are amazing and wonderful but that was not my focus at that moment.
I was gripped by a disturbing question. Why would the Sovereign, Almighty, Master of the universe need comfort? Here is a sacred look into the loving heart of our loving Creator. He is so grieved and pained by the necessity to punish humans ... not just at Nineveh but any and all humans, that He longs for the comfort which can only come by way of their repentance.
A glimpse into the heartbreak of the High and Holy One when He can no longer restrain judgment on those who are the precious workmanship of His own hands.
We do sin, we do fail, and often. When we are feeling greatly weary, over-burdened, overwhelmed, it is seductively easy to relax the vigilant discipline of our thoughts. We can allow ourselves to be glutted with junk food for the mind; or to fall back into the sin which so easily besets us.
And then (do we realize?) we stop singing. At just such a time, is it not awesome to think that where we have grieved God and caused Him pain, we can actually bring Him, --- the Immortal, Omniscient, Omnipotent, --- actually bring Him comfort by our repentance?
In tenderness, compassion, condescension, He stoops low, so very low, and is comforted by me as I repent of the very things which distressed Him.
My Lord and my God,
He receives comfort from me.
As I said, I cannot fully get my mind around it.