Jonah Flees from the LORD (Nahum 1:1-15)
“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me.” Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
The Great Storm (Jeremiah 6:10-21; Jeremiah 25:15-33; Acts 27:13-26; Romans 1:18-32)
Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart. The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
The captain approached him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call upon your God. Perhaps this God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” “Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
“Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”
“I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Jonah Cast Into the Sea and Swallowed
Now the sea was growing worse and worse, so they said to Jonah, “What must we do to you to calm this sea for us?” “Pick me up,” he answered, “and cast me into the sea, so it may quiet down for you. For I know that I am to blame for this violent storm that has come upon you.”
Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was raging against them more and more.
So they cried out to the LORD: “Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life! Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased.” At this, they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm. Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him. Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.”
God wants Jonah to head east to Nineveh to preach to the Assyrians, one of the most wicked nations going and one for which Jonah has no use. Rather than being obedient and heading east 550 miles to Nineveh, Jonah heads to the seaport of Joppa and boards a ship for Tarshish (Spain), 2500 miles to the west.
But God knows how to handle rebels. While Jonah is down in the deepest part of the ship taking a nap, God stirs up a violent storm that threatens to tear the ship apart. The sailors are panicking, calling on their various gods and throwing the cargo overboard in hopes of saving the ship.
The captain wakes up Jonah, demanding that he call on his God; meanwhile, the sailors are casting lots to see who might be responsible for the storm. Much to Jonah’s chagrin, the lot casting points to him as the cause of the problem. The sailors demand information, and Jonah admits, “I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.”
The sailors throw Jonah overboard, begging God to save them, but they don’t stop there. These sailors are so frightened that they offer a sacrifice to God and make vows. Jonah finds himself inside a large fish, where he remains alive for three days and nights. Is this fish a whale? There have been all kinds of arguments ever since this story first was written. The actual fish involved is not nearly as important as the fact that God preserves Jonah for 3 days and nights, despite the digestive juices in the fish’s stomach.
APPLICATION: How far would you go to run away from God? Before we criticize Jonah too severely, let’s remember that the Assyrians were incredibly cruel. The Assyrians commonly skinned their prisoners alive and also split them open while they were alive. In an age when it was common for conquering armies to murder a king’s sons while he was watching and then blind him, the Assyrians must have set new standards for evil.
Little wonder then, that Jonah was revolted at the idea of preaching to the Assyrians. Jonah may also have been terrified that the Assyrians would torture him as they had so many others. When God called Jonah to preach to the citizens of Nineveh, He made no promises about keeping Jonah safe. All God did was to order Jonah to go; God left no room for argument.
What did Jonah think he was accomplishing by running away to Tarshish? Jonah told the sailors that he worshiped “the God of the heavens who made the sea and the dry land.” David wrote in Psalm 139:7-12 “Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest 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 is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.” Jonah knew these truths; yet, he tried to run anyway.
“I’ll go back to the hospital, but if You don’t give me the words to say, I’m going to stand there with my teeth in my face.” I was in General Surgery residency, and I had just made it home when one of the wards called. A lady whom we had already discharged was complaining of pain and they wanted me to come back and do something somehow. I was tired and I did NOT want to go, but I felt God insisting that I should. I was anything but a model of obedience; however, I went. But that meeting was a divine appointment. This lady was suffering pains because there were people whom she needed to forgive, and she needed to hear that God could forgive her as well. God did give me the words, and I also prayed with her. By the end of a short conversation with a prayer, the lady felt wonderful. Ten minutes after I finished talking with this woman, the people who were to send her home picked her from the hospital. God delayed this lady’s departure just long enough for me to speak with her and pray for her.
Perhaps God is prompting you to go to someone and be reconciled with them. God may be nudging you to speak words of comfort or encouragement to someone who has hurt you deeply. Remember that hurting people hurt people. Go ahead and have those conversations. You never know what God can do with you if you give Him a chance. You may make the difference between someone finding their way out of a bad situation or succumbing to despair and committing suicide.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to listen to You and to be obedient, even when we don’t want to. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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