Jonah | A Man On The Run

A Man on the Run | Jonah 1

1. God gave Jonah a mission.

Jonah 1:1-2 “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 

2. Jonah rebels against God.

Jonah 1:3 “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.”

Gath-Hepher to Nineveh = 500 miles  |  Joppa to Tarshish = 2500 miles

Possible explanations why Jonah wouldn’t go to Nineveh:

Jonah hated the Ninevites with a passion.

Israel was attacked by the Assyrians.

3. Jonah becomes THE problem.

Jonah 1:4-5a “Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.”

Jonah 1:5b-6 “But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

Key Point: You do not have because you do not ask God.

James 4:2-3 “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

4. The Sailors tried to figure out WHY the storm was happening.

Jonah 1:7 “Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.”

Jonah 1:8 “So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

Jonah 1:9-10 “He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)”

Charles Spurgeon “God never allows his children to sin successfully.”

Jonah 1:11-12 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

Jonah 1:13-16 “Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.”

5. Jonah is thrown overboard.

Jonah 1:17 “Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

Two Take Aways from Jonah Running from God:

1. Always obey God’s plans.
2. Share God’s love.
   

Pass It On “It only takes a spark to get a fire going, And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing; That’s how it is with God’s Love, Once you’ve experienced it, You spread the love to everyone. You want to pass it on.”

God loves all people.