Nowhere to run
Jonah chapter 1:1-1:7
This morning we will look at the familiar passage of the prophet Jonah running from God and what can happen if you choose to run from him.
This passage will speak to each of us because all of us have attempted to run from God, hide from God and some are still hiding from God and wondering why we are having a rough time of it.
Illustration-
Recording of my old answering machine
Hi, you’ve reached the home of Tony and Becky Zibolski, I’m sorry no one is home, but if you would leave your name, number, and a brief message we will call you back as soon as possible. Jonah message to God when God called him to Nineheh went something like this- Hi, this is Jonah, I am not available right now, but then there is no need to leave your name and number, because I have no intention of calling you back.
Jonah chapter 1:1-1:17
Why would we think that we can find a place where God could not find us?
People hide in churches because they can get lost in the crowd, people won’t ask questions or ask them to do something, but Jonah was not running from people, he was running from God.
Prophet Jeremiah records - “Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them.”
Writer of Hebrews-
“Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
We cannot hide from God and certainly cannot run from God. Jonah attempted to do both, but quickly learned it is not possible.
Background-
Jonah was a prophet along with Amos and Hosea of his day. They were called to the nation of Israel to draw the people back to a right relationship with God. Jonah already had issues with God because he was opening up and showing compassion for others instead of just being for the Jews.
Verse 1 is what sent Jonah to flight.
“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 before me.”
How dare God call and commission a prophet of God to go to “those people”
“Go” is an action word, to warn those people that God was not happy with them.
I heard it said that for Jonah to go to the Ninevites was like the Jews coming to Hitler during the World War II and telling him that God loved him. He hated them and not only did not want to warn them but would have taken great joy if God’s wrath would have fell on them.
God called this prophet to “go” to Nineveh and preach against their rebellion. He was to tell them the God’s good news and the bad news if they did not.
Jonah is not happy that God called him to do that and he flees and runs from God.
Why would he run?
He didn’t like what God had asked him to do. He rebels.
He thinks it is more than he can handle. He runs.
The bottom line is that he is being disobedient.
So if you are taking notes, disobedience will cause you to hide or ride away from God.
Disobedience can come in all kinds of boxes.
You can blatantly disobey and not care what others think including God.
You can secretly disobey God -God knows you’ve walked away from Him but to everyone else you are the perfect Christian.
You can disobey and you battle inside to do the right thing and be praying that God and others will help you.
You can disobey because you do not like what God is doing because you are selfish and only thinking about yourself.
That is where Jonah was at the time- he was a Prophet, he cared about the things of God but he could not do what God had asked him to do so he ran away from God.
Jonah hated the people of Nineveh.
The people were nasty and cruel.
They tortured their captives.
They gloated the power they had over the people.
They cut the tongue out of their mouths and skinned people alive for something to do.
They built pyramids out of human skills outside of the city.
Jonah felt justified to disobey God because he did not feel the same way about those people as God did.
God had compassion for them and Jonah hated them.
Jonah disobeyed God because he had no compassion for Nineveh.
He felt God should not even consider redeeming “those people” to a relationship with God.
Why warn them, give them what they deserve while enjoying the grace and mercy of God for himself.
He disobeyed God so bad on this one that God said go to Nineveh that Jonah got on a boat and went to Tarshish.
One east and one west.
He was going to go in the opposite direction.
I’ll fix you God, you say go that way and I’m going that way.
Instead of going 500 miles to Nineveh, he went 2000 mile in the opposite direction.
He heads to Tarshish which was as far known to him away from Nineveh as he could possible go. He went to the edge of the earth as he knew it.
Anyone know what I’m talking about?
Instead of compassion, he had comprehension. Instead of heeding the call to go, he was running in the opposite direction. Up till this point Jonah was asked to be a local evangelist, people around Jerusalem, but now was being asked to go out of his comfort zone. For each of us our comfort zone is different , but for each of us when we are taken out of it, it becomes hard.
God asks you to downsize so you can help more people instead of just yourself.
Change jobs where you had it made.
Instead of a Lincoln, you drive a Pinto
Big church to a little church. Staying at Little church instead of taking a big church.
Tithing when money is tight.
Stepping out to help a neighbor when you have no extra time.
Our comfort zones are different, but when we are taken out of them, it gets hard.
He gets on that boat and he has had enough.
He is getting as far from God as he can.
“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.”
Disobedience becomes spiritual warfare when we have to decide whether we are going to obey God.
There is a spiritual picture here- he was running from God and had sunken to the bottom of that ship to hide from God.
When we are in a right relationship with God He raises us up and moves us toward Him.
Jonah knows what is happening here, even those around him knew. It doesn’t take long for the crew to figure out that Jonah is running from God.
They begin asking some questions- which people on the run don’t like. Who is responsible? What did you do? Where do you come from? What people are you? What should we do about this?
Jonah never thought that he would be in the belly of that ship running from God, but running from God will take you places you won’t like and places you’d never thought you would go.
(Repeat)
(3) “After paying the fare”, Jonah had to pay the cost of running away. Even if he thought God provided the money, doing the wrong thing in a decent manner is still wrong.
I rob you but I do it politely, it is still wrong.
When you run away from God, you never get where you are going and you will always pay your own fare.
God won’t bless your mess!
When you do it the Lords way, you will get where you need to be and God pays the fare.
Finally, Jonah comes clean with God- What is happening here is my fault. I am running from God, He is pursuing me. He will not allow me to keep going this way.
The sea is getting rougher.
They do everything they know to do to calm the storm, including getting rid of some of their possessions.
He admits to them and to God that he was wrong.
The storm keeps raging. What should we do?
(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 us.”
That what all of us would do, give ourselves sacrificially right? Wrong!
That is not what most would do, but that is what a repentant person would do if they are tired of running.
God prevents Jonah escape- you can run but you cannot hide.
(4) God sent the storm
“Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god.”
“They cried out to their own gods”, Jonah knew who he needed to call upon. He knew the Lord would not let him escape, he knew the sea would be calmed if he went over the side.
When in trouble, man wants to fix it, in this case throwing things overboard, seeking superstitious gods, but Jonah knew what it would take.
The men tried everything they knew to prevent Jonah from going over the side including a prayer to Jonah’s God to have mercy on them when they throw him overboard.
God sent the storm to prevent Jonah from escaping and keep running.
God will use that same storm to rescue Jonah from himself. (repeat)
Jonah being in the belly of the great fish and vomited up on dry land is a sermon in itself. But at least acknowledge that God will get our attention and he can rescue us from the storm if we will allow him too.
Lastly, let me wrap this up,
If you are running from God for any reason it is being disobedient, and God will not bless it until you make it right.
it does not matter how we justify it, weather we are mad at God for decisions we have made or feel God has made for us, running from God will only have a happy ending when you stop running.
Running from God
Will take you to places you don’t want to go, and will cause you to do things you thought you’d never would.
You will be self destructive because you know what you need to do and you choose not to.
It always involves hurting people who are around you and care about you- everything you do to yourself effects other people in some way.
Only repentance will change and calm the storm inside of you and rescue you.
You have a choice to make today and right now.
Amen.
