Running From God

Mar 8

Read Jonah 1

As a prophet, Jonah is called to share God’s heart and message with His people. However, from the beginning of the story, we see Jonah refusing:

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah ran away from the Lord… (Jonah 1:1-3a)

Not only does Jonah refuse to carry the message to Nineveh as instructed, he intentionally moves in the opposite direction, boarding a ship that is headed toward Tarshish. But Psalm 139 reminds us that there is no running from God:

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” (Psalm 139:7-12)

Jonah certainly has reason to dread a confrontation with the people of Nineveh. Nineveh is the main city of the Assyrian Empire, which had brutally subjugated many other people groups. Assyrians were known for their wickedness and cruelty, making them a greatly feared enemy of the Hebrew people.

This leads to at least two good explanations for Jonah’s futile attempt to run from God and the mission he had been given. First, the thought of entering Nineveh would have been terrifying enough, without the added burden of preaching against the wickedness of the Ninevites. But, later Jonah hints at what is likely his real motivation for fleeing:

“Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” (Jonah 4:2)

Here, Jonah seems to say that he ran from God’s mission to the Ninevites because he knew that God was compassionate and slow to anger. He didn’t want the people of Nineveh to be warned, because he knew that God would respond mercifully if they decided to repent.

My children summarized the lessons from the first chapter of Jonah as follows:

Always listen to God, even if you’re scared.
Always follow God, even if He leads you to a faraway place
Always choose God’s way of love, even when it’s your enemy

And, as only God can do, even Jonah’s disobedience is ultimately turned for good. After witnessing the terrible storm, followed by instantaneous calm, the sailors recognized the power and presence of the one true God. Jonah 1 ends with the sailors praying and sacrificing to the Lord.