Jonah 1:1-3
Have you ever tried to run from God’s call on your life? I wouldn’t recommend it.
We tend to run where we think it’s “safe” or “better.” “I’ve had multiple times in my life when I tried to ignore a call. Each time, I learned how much better it was to let God work through me the way He wants to.
Adam and Eve struggled with it in the Garden. God told them not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge, and they ignored His clear command and ate it anyway. There were consequences that we are still dealing with today.
Sin is disobeying “Go,” whether it’s ignoring what He wants us to do or not going where He wants us to go.
A Reluctant Servant
In the book of Jonah, we learn how one of God’s prophets fleed from the calling placed on his life. Unfortunately, there is very little to admire in this book concerning Jonah. When you think he is finally ready to see things God’s way, his attitude takes a downward turn.
The scripture we are going to focus on is in Jonah 1:1-3:
“The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me. “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
When God Calls, Go
I will be clear: God is calling you now. He will always call. He has a purpose for us and knows what is best for our lives and those around us. When God speaks, answer. When God says, “jump,” your only response should be: “How high?”. Your job is not to evaluate and judge.
Our text has two parts: God’s call and Jonah’s response.
1. God’s Call
The word of the LORD came to Jonah… Arise, go to Nineveh….”
The first couple of passages gives us a hint about the background of Jonah. First, we learn his father’s name means faithful, and Jonah means peace. So, we get a sense of Jonah’s purpose: “peace, son of faithfulness. “But we quickly see how he neglects that call in his life.
Though Jonah was far from perfect and made many mistakes along the way, God continued to use him. He is a God of second chances, and no matter where we’ve walked in life, He can still use us for His glory. So as Jonah runs from the Lord, He continues to pursue His servant.
Jonah was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel under the reign of Jeroboam and decades before his people were taken into captivity in 722 BC by the Assyrian empire— the same people God is calling Jonah to reach.
This should give us some context. Think of their sworn enemy and the people who would soon enslave them; God called Jonah to deliver a message and offer grace and mercy if they repented.
God called Jonah to go to Nineveh to cry out against the wickedness there so that they might stop the hate and repent. It’s strange because God had never called a prophet to a foreign mission before, especially to an enemy of Israel.
History and theories tell us they were brutal, often mutilating their opponents to humiliate them or forcing loved ones to carry the heads of their murdered family. These were not people you would naturally want to save.
2. Jonah’s Response
It was a strange calling, and the odds of success looked slim. If we were called to this and didn’t have faith in God’s plan, we might call it a suicide mission. Why do it if it is doomed to fail? When God asks, we GO, even if we have objections. His plan is greater.
While Jonah did not say anything, his action provided enough to get a sense of his response: “Never!”. Jonah fled and paid a fare to head for Tarshish, attempting to escape God’s presence. Instead, Jonah did the opposite of what God wanted him to do.
When God talks to you, don’t get up until you are ready to go. Otherwise, you might get cold feet and fall into disobedience. Stay in prayer until your heart is prepared to say yes or no.
The hard truth: if you want to disobey the Lord, there will always be a ship ready to take you away.
Some scholars believe that “Jonah was in His presence” meant he worshipped in the temple. Jonah knew God personally and spent time with Him, and was still prone to wander.
We learn that Jonah had a tough time separating his worship of God from his national pride and commitment to Israel.
Jonah served under a king and must have committed to the national agenda. It was a time when the kings were wicked in God’s eyes, and I can imagine some of that pride rubbed off on the prophet. Israel was so focused on national prosperity that they forgot they existed to serve the Lord.
Jonah is a picture of Israel. He was constantly doing what was right in His own eyes. Yet, he chose his nation over the God of his nation.
The Downward Spiral
You can see the first twists of a downward spiral in 1:3. The first thing he did was go to Joppa to find a ship. Then he went into the boat. Finally, the ship took off in the opposite direction of Nineveh. God called him east, and he chose west.
Jonah went out of his way to run from God.
Before you start thinking bad things about Jonah, like “why would someone do that,” see it from your context. In what world would you be tempted to run away from God? It’s probably something so out of your comfort zone, security, and the idea of yourself that you would rather ignore it and live life as usual.
We know why Jonah ran. He thought he knew better than God. When you ignore God and do crazy things to run from Him, it’s because you think you know better.
“Rationalization is an excuse for sinful disobedience.”
This is where many connect the story of Jonah to the Prodigal son that we all know from Luke 15. A son left his home prematurely, asking for his inheritance. He blew it away, living the life of a sinner. When he returned feeling disgraced, he asked his father to be a hired servant. Instead, the father welcomed him with open arms and celebrated his return.
At the same time, the brother feels it unjust because he was “the good son” and did things the right way, missing the point of grace and God’s mercy and the victory of someone who returns to his call.
Jonah plays the role of both brothers.
He plays the role of the younger son who thinks he knows better than His father, claims his inheritance, and flees from the presence of God into sin.
Jonah also plays the role of the pharisaical son who gets mad when his younger brother returns home in repentance. He judged his father for allowing the prodigal son to return.
Jonah thought he knew best in fleeing from God and was pharisaical in his judgment of God wanting to save Nineveh. Isn’t that how every sin and act of disobedience begins? Thinking we know better than our Heavenly Father…
We are no better than Jonah running from God when we do this. Rationalization is an excuse for sinful disobedience. It does not honor God.
How are you running from God?
When God called, Christ answered. Instead of fleeing, He followed through. Jonah paid the price to board a ship of sin that would lead him from God. In contrast, Jesus paid the price on Calvary because we flee to sin so that we can be brought back to God. Put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. Then listen and obey.
Ask yourself if there is something God is calling you to do. Have you been ignoring it? Sometimes it requires mediation and prayer to search your heart— you’ve buried it deep inside. We’ve all tried to run from something God wants at some point in our lives. The difference is recognizing it and letting go— allowing God to take control.
