God says Go, Jonah says No

Jonah 1:1-3 “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 and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.”

The Book of Jonah opens with a divine commission from God to go to Nineveh and preach, a task the prophet was not willing to undertake. Nineveh, was the capital city of the Assyrian empire. They were enemies to the Israelites and were particularly known for their brutal practices and ways. Nineveh was about 550 miles northeast of Israel.

Why did God want to send Jonah to Nineveh?

“Because its wickedness has come up before me”

Although the Assyrians did evil and seemed to gain more power and oppress the Israelites, appearing as though that they were not held accountable, these words of God assure us that He is fully aware of the injustices occurring in the world. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God desires for all to come to Him. Although we wish for Justice to be expeditious, we can trust that every hurt, pain, tear and cry is seen by our Heavenly Father, and He will act in His timing and His wisdom.

Nineveh was a pagan nation where Jonah was sent to prophesy. Prophets often spoke about foreign nations, usually to the Israelites, either as reassurance of their destruction, as a promise of deliverance from oppression, or as a caution against forming alliances. When the Israelites erred, God sent prophets to admonish them and spare them from His judgment. What does God do when He sees a pagan nation do evil? He sends a prophet in very much the same manner to save people. This demonstrates His compassion and concern for ALL humanity.

God says go East; Jonah goes West.

Jonah flees from his God given commission and in doing so endeavors to flee from the presence of the Lord. Jonah, goes down to Joppa and finds passage on a ship, aiming to distance himself as far as possible from where God intended him to be.

Where does Jonah intent to flee – to Tarshish. In Isaiah 66:19 we get to read a bit about Tarshish. “I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.” Tarshish is depicted not as a haven for God’s people, but as a place where God’s name was neither heard nor glorified. Jonah was willing to go there in his pursuit of following his own willful mind.

Jonah’s disobedience to God was not a mere hesitation but an active rebellion against His command. It was a case of willful defiance rather than doubt. Despite the likely significant cost of his journey to Tarshish, given the distance from Joppa, the expense did not dissuade Jonah or give him pause to reconsider his decision.

Disobedience to God literally cost Jonah, and similarly, disobedience to God can cost us in various ways. We may have conflicting visions of how our lives should unfold, who deserves what, and how God’s grace, mercy, and judgment ought to manifest. If God calls us to endure something we dislike or resist, would we still choose obedience?

The presence of sin can cause us to flee and hide from God. We see that in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God in the garden. And we see that in Jonah too, trying to flee from God. But God does not give up on Jonah.

We continue next week and see what happens on the waters and how God was unwilling to give up on His prophet.

God Bless.