Jonah - 5
Jonah Ran Away
We are looking again at the first chapter of the Book of the prophet Jonah as we continue to discover the practical lessons to be learned from this interesting and challenging Old Testament book. I've called this talk "Jonah Ran Away.” Let me remind you that in the opening verses of this book we read about God's command to Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. But this is what we read in verse 3: "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."
Jonah did not stroll down to the harbour that day, he fled! He made great haste and we have to ask ourselves, "Why? ” Why this rush to move out of the will of God? Was it a sense of his own inadequacy? Was it that he was very aware of the great wickedness of the city of Nineveh to which God was sending him? Perhaps he was afraid that he would lose his life in that city noted for its violence and cruelty. Many of God's prophets had suffered martyrdom for their faithfulness to God's word and Jonah would know this. So we must ask the question, "Why did Jonah run away from the will of God? ” Was it amazement? Was it astonishment that Gentiles, whom the Jews regarded as dogs, should hear the message of God and His mercy to those who repent of their sins? It could have been any of these things that made this man of God run away, but I believe the real reason is something different.
Jonah was always very honest about his feelings. If you look at Jonah chapter 4 and verse 2 you have something of an insight into the heart of this man. When Jonah eventually arrived in Nineveh something very remarkable happened as a result of his preaching. The people repented of their sins and turned earnestly to God, and God withheld His judgement. But Jonah was very angry and he prayed to the Lord: "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? This is why I was so quick to flee from Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."
What is this prayer telling us about Jonah? We find that Jonah had holy zeal for the glory and character of God, but he used human reasoning and human logic when it came to God's dealings with the people of Nineveh. When God's call came to Jonah, Jonah thought that if he preached judgement and the judgement was averted, then the people would misunderstand the character of God. They might regard Him as changeable in some way and easily swayed. Jonah was not afraid of death nor was he full of blind prejudice against Gentiles. His motive was sincere and genuine but he was very, very, mistaken. And because he was mistaken it caused him to disobey the word of the Lord to him. Almighty God, in his perfect wisdom, had commissioned Jonah, but Jonah had moved away from the word of the Lord. When God, in spite of Jonah's misgivings, showed mercy to the wicked city of Nineveh, Jonah could not come to terms with the situation and just wanted to die.
We need to proceed very carefully when we consider Jonah’s disobedience, after all he was a man of God and a prophet. He was loyal and concerned for God's glory and he had the highest view of God's character. Jonah did not want the name of the Lord to be dishonoured in any way. Is that true of you and me? But, the fact is that Jonah was wrong in his thoughts and in his actions, sincere though he may have been. What does this teach us? It teaches that we must do God's work in God's way. It is Isaiah who tells us that God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. When we begin to move away from God's Word we start to use human wisdom and human arguments. If only Jonah had just obeyed God! He brought so many trials upon himself and others because he thought his way was best. Christian friend, do not run away from the will of God, but carefully walk the pathway of obedience.
Before we criticise Jonah for running away or for his anger when h realised that God had shown mercy to the repentant people of Nineveh, we must examine our own hearts. We do not always understand or know the pressures or trials that other believers are experiencing. We have never walked in Jonah's shoes, nor can we tell how we might have reacted had we been given such a commission by the Lord. The Lord dealt firmly but graciously with this prophet who had questioned His will and purposes. We read in Isaiah 42 verse 3: "A bruised reed He will not break; a smouldering wick He will not snuff out.” This reminds us of the patience and gentleness of our God for He knows our weaknesses. How we need to pray with great compassion and understanding for our fellow Christians and particularly for those called to minister the Word of God. We should be humble and slow to judge for we are all weak. We need also to pray for ourselves. John Bunyan said, "Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice for God and a scourge for Satan."
Does this story of "Jonah who ran away” challenge you in some way? Has God been speaking to you from His Word concerning a service He wants you to do for Him? Has the Holy Spirit convicted you of something in your life that needs to be dealt with, repented of and forgiven? If so, do not harden your heart or try to close your mind to His prompting.
Perhaps you feel inadequate for the task placed in front of you. Perhaps you are afraid of the consequences of obeying God's will. Jonah's big mistake was that he ran away from the presence of the Lord. He ran away from the only one who could enable him to accomplish his God-given mission.
Whatever Jonah's motive for fleeing from God's presence, from the prompting voice of the Holy Spirit, he soon learned that God was not going to let him go. God was going to fulfil His purposes for Nineveh through Jonah despite the prophet's reluctance. How much better it would have been if Jonah had obeyed the first time. How much happier he would have been and what dangers and trials he would have avoided if he had gone straight to Nineveh. May we discover this lesson, that when the Lord calls He enables and He has promised His abiding presence with us. Are you on the way to some Tarshish today? Running away from God's will for your life? If you are, then turn back to the Lord and ask His forgiveness and commit yourself to doing His will. Only then will you find fellowship restored and real peace. Don't be a "Runaway Christian".