Jonah 1:1-6 Running Away
God has spoken to Jonah and given him explicit directions. Jonah does NOT want this job so he is running away. God doesn’t give up.
We don’t know a lot of Jonah’s background. We know his father’s name and that he hears from God. We will see later that he is a Hebrew. In other words, he is a prophet from Israel or Judah. Another critical thing that we know is that he was arrogant, or dumb, enough to think that he could get away from God.
The first thing I really want to know about Jonah, beyond what we have already learned, is how long he had been a prophet for God. Was this his first assignment? Had he brought messages to his own people? Had people listened to him earlier? These answers would give me a little more insight into why he thought he could run away from God’s commands. If he had never been tasked with this kind of message before, I might find his ‘escape plan’ a reasonable idea. But if he was like Jeremiah, who said that the words of God “If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:9), I don’t have a clue as to why he thought he could get away from his mission from God.
Our story with Jonah starts with a CLEAR message from God. Jonah isn’t confused about this message. He doesn’t wonder if maybe he is mistaken or imagining this calling. He KNOWS God spoke to him. He KNOWS who the message is to and what it is about. There is NO doubt in his mind as to what he is expected to do.
Plain and simple, Jonah doesn’t WANT to deliver God’s message to this people. He doesn’t care about them and would like to see God deal severely with them. We don’t actually see his thoughts regarding Nineveh yet, but his actions speak louder than words. Jonah didn’t like the people of Nineveh at all! I say this because, if Jonah HAD cared about them even a little bit, he would have been more than willing to bring them God’s message.
When I think about Jonah’s attitude towards the people of Nineveh, I’m reminded of Jesus’ words to His disciples about forgiveness. Jesus said that if you don’t forgive others, your Father in Heaven won’t forgive you. He went so far as to say, if you are at the altar offering sacrifice and you remember something you have against your brother, go and set it straight IMMEDIATELY. You don’t want ANY unforgiveness against another between you and God. Jonah wasn’t going to ‘set it straight’.
I’m wondering what Jonah expected to find in Tarshis. This is a land FAR away from Israel. Maybe he thought that God wouldn’t find him there because the people didn’t worship Him. Sorry Jonah. God is EVERYWHERE, whether the people acknowledge that fact or not. David said that, even if he were in the depths of Hell, God was there and could find him. There is NO escape or place of hiding from God.
For us, this is a GOOD thing. It means that, even in our lowest places, we are NEVER out of God’s sight; even covered in sin so thick we can’t move any more. God SEES US! And He loves us enough to get our attention; just as He was about to get Jonah’s.
Jonah climbed on board the ship. He had paid his passage and expected to disappear. He even went below deck and fell asleep. It wasn’t a fitful sleep but a deep one. While the ship was tossed about, he slept peacefully. He didn’t think he had a care in this world. Boy was he wrong!
Thinking about Jonah sleeping in a storm-tossed boat reminds me of another who rested peacefully while the sea raged around Him and His companions struggled for their lives. You know the story I’m thinking of. Jesus was sleeping while His disciples struggled against the wind. When they woke Him, He had a completely different response after being woken up. Jesus calmed the seas. Jonah kept quiet, knowing what the problem was. BOTH knew the One who controlled the storms. One appealed to Him and the other continued to hide. What will we do when we are in the storm?
Father God, remind me of where to turn in the times of a storm. Remind me to stand forth and face You unafraid. Even when the storm is of my own making. Help me learn the lessons of the storm quickly so I too can hear You say, “Peace. Be still.” Remind me also that Jesus has also given me the authority to say those same words. Let me use them with confidence and faith. So often I’m afraid that I’m speaking something against Your will for my life when I speak to my ‘storms’.
Thank You for reminding me of the song and it’s meaning for my life. For, sometimes You calm the storm and other times You calm me. Sometimes You do BOTH at the same time!
