Running Away: The Reluctant Prophet
You know the story. Even if you haven’t read it, you’ve heard it. Jonah and the whale. But what does it mean? Is it just another story for kids, like Aesop’s fables? Is it a fictional account that is meant to carry a life lesson with it? Or did it really happen? Why is Jonah even in the Bible? It seems so different than the other minor prophets.
At first glance, it’s a riveting tale of a rebellious prophet and a ginormous fish, but it’s so much more than that. Jonah is a powerful narrative that is full of essential truths about God, humanity, and our purpose in life. This story reveals:
God’s Immense Glory: The God who controls the universe with absolute authority.
Human Brokenness: The pervasive brokenness of our world due to sin.
God’s Grace: The incredible, rescuing grace of God.
Purpose Beyond Ourselves: Our lives are meant for something greater than ourselves.[1]
As we dive into Jonah 1:1-3 today, let us open our hearts and see that Jonah's story is a reflection of our own struggles, our need for God's grace, and our calling to live for His glory.
Jonah 1:1-3 – 1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah was a prophet of God.
Jonah didn’t need an introduction because he was already known. He was a prophet of God in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (around 800 years before Christ came to earth). Jonah had delivered a prophecy about the restoration of Israel’s borders, which came true during Jeroboam II’s reign. This is the first time we hear the name of Jonah.
2 Kings 14:25-27 – 25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher. 26 For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. 27 But the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
So, Jonah was already known, and he already had a ministry as a faithful prophet. He was a prophet of grace. He had a previous ministry of delivering good news. Despite the fact that King Jeroboam II was an evil king, God chose to show grace to Israel, expanding their borders and granting them victories. And Jonah delivered that word from the Lord.
The word of the Lord came to Jonah again. That’s what prophets do. They hear from God and deliver messages from God. In verse one of Jonah, we see the word of the Lord come to Jonah again with a clear command: "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me."
Unlike the previous word from God, the command to go to Nineveh represented a mission that went against Jonah’s nationalism. Israel was God’s people. Nineveh was not. It was the capital of Assyria and was known for its brutality and idolatry. The Assyrians were notorious enemies of Israel.
So instead of obeying, which is what a good prophet should do, what does Jonah do? Jonah fled in the opposite direction.
Hear what Sinclair Ferguson says about this and let it pierce you where you’re at right now.
“No past privilege, nor all past privileges together; no past obedience, nor fruitfulness in service, can ever substitute for present obedience to the Word of God…Past privileges and blessings serve then only to magnify the shame of our disobedience.”[2]
You cannot rely on past faithfulness for present fruitfulness. Though Jonah was a prophet of God, he fled from God. What caused Jonah to flee?
Jonah had a warped understanding of the character of God. God’s mission reflects God’s heart.
Jonah knew God's character—gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (Ex 34). He didn’t want his enemies, the Assyrians, to experience any of that mercy. It was one thing when he was bringing the word to Israel. He wanted to see God’s grace extended to them. But God’s enemies? That’s another story.
Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire and was infamous for its brutality and wickedness. It was located about 600 miles northeast of Jonah's home, near present-day northern Iraq. Assyria was a constant threat to Israel, often engaging in warfare and raids. The Assyrians were known for their extreme cruelty, including practices such as tearing off lips and hands, skinning victims alive, and heaping up piles of skulls. They were known for their ruthless military campaigns and oppressive rule. The prophet Nahum describes Nineveh as a city of bloodshed, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims (Nahum 3:1). Their reputation for brutality included horrific acts such as flaying their enemies alive and displaying their skins on city walls.
God called Jonah to prophesy against Nineveh because its overwhelming wickedness could no longer be ignored, making Jonah's mission both dangerous and shocking. Jonah knew that if he went to Nineveh and proclaimed God’s message, there was a chance that the people would repent and that God, in His mercy, would relent from sending disaster. Jonah’s struggle was not just with the mission of God but with the heart of God. Jonah correctly understood God as a God of mercy and grace, but what he misunderstood about God’s character was who God’s mercy and grace was applied to.
In Jonah 4:1-3, we see Jonah’s true feelings after God spares Nineveh:
“1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
What we see in Jonah’s heart is the danger of allowing personal grudges or nationalistic pride to interfere with our obedience to God’s will.
Hear what Tim Keller, in his book “The Prodigal Prophet” says about this:
“When Christian believers care more for their own interests and security than for the good and salvation of other races and ethnicities, they are sinning like Jonah. If they value the economic and military flourishing of their country over the good of the human race and the furtherance of God’s work in the world, they are sinning like Jonah. Their identity is more rooted in their race and nationality than in being saved sinners and children of God.”
We are to love our enemies. You know that, right? Who said it? Jonah? No. The One whom Jonah points to said it. Jesus. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us. That is the character of God. That so often is not the character of us. Jesus didn’t just say it, but He modeled it. As He was being nailed to the cross, He prays, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”[3]
God desires the heart of your enemy as much He desires your heart. Keller again profoundly says, “Unless Jonah can see his own sin, and see himself as living wholly by the mercy of God, he will never understand how God can be merciful to evil people and still be just and faithful.” We are in just as much need of God’s mercy and grace than our greatest enemy is.
Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh because he knew God might show mercy to his enemies. He didn't desire their repentance; he wanted them to be condemned. Unlike the spirit of Jesus, Jonah didn’t wish well for his enemies, nor was he willing to bless those who cursed him.
Archeological evidence of this tension is captured on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, where we see King Jehu of Israel bowing and paying tribute to the Assyrian king. This happened in 841 BC. This artifact tells a story of real oppression and the relentless pressure Israel faced under Assyrian rule. Jehu’s act of paying tribute highlights the heavy burden and constant fear the Israelites lived with.
The Black Obelisk was discovered in 1846 during British excavations of the Assyrian capital of Kalḫu, biblical Calah (Genesis 10:11), and is now on display in the British Museum. Above each scene is an epigraph which tells the viewer what is depicted below. The text above the relief scene of Jehu bowing down to the Assyrians explains: “I received the tribute of Jehu son of Omri: silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden tureen, golden vessels, golden buckets, tin, a staff of the king’s hand, and spears.” The other panels in this scene portray a connected procession of Israelite tribute-bearers, led by Assyrian officials, terminating at the image of Jehu bowing down.[4]
In 2 Kings 9, an unnamed young prophet is sent from Elisha to anoint Jehu. Jewish tradition says this young prophet was Jonah.[5]
The presence of Jehu on the obelisk not only verifies the historical reality of Israel's subordinance to Assyria but also gives us the background of why Jonah was reluctant to go to Nineveh. As a prophet of Israel, Jonah knew the extent of Assyrian cruelty and the threat they posed to his people. The idea of God extending mercy to Nineveh, a symbol of Israel's enemies, was repugnant to Jonah. But God wanted to extend them grace and show them mercy, if they would repent.
Don’t let your prejudice get in the way of God’s mercy and grace. Our disobedience to share the grace and mercy of Christ our neighbors doesn’t just hurt those that we don’t share with. Our disobedience hurts us as well.
Disobedience to God separates us from the presence of God.
Jonah didn’t just seek to flee from God’s will and God’s presence; He set sail to the farthest known geographical point: Tarshish.[6] He boarded a ship to Tarshish. The author wants to make that clear. We see Tarshish said three times in verse 3. Not only was he fleeing to the farthest known point in the opposite direction, but he was doing it because he was attempting to escape "from the presence of the Lord." Notice that phrase. We see it twice in verse 3. Turning away from God's Word leads to separation from God’s presence.
This isn’t just true of Jonah; this is the truth of sin from its very inception. In Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve sinned, the first thing they did was run and hide from the presence of God. Their disobedience created a chasm between them and God, leading to fear and shame. Just like Adam and Eve turned from God’s Word, so did Jonah. “The word of the Lord came to Jonah.” And then Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah's attempt to flee from God's presence was useless. It is futile to hide from your Creator. He knows your heart. He knows your every thought. He knows how many hairs are on your head. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your inclinations. He knows your pet sins. He knows the deep dark places in your heart. He sees all and knows all. You can’t hide anything from God.
Why did Jonah flee? Why was he trying to run from God’s presence? Well, we saw that he didn’t want those in Nineveh to experience the grace and mercy of God. But, why would he not want that? Many think it may be because he thinks that if they are spared, that they would wipe out Israel. They had been enemies so long. What does that tell us, though, about Jonah? It tells us a he a problem that many of us often have. He thought he knew better than God. He wasn’t going to walk in God’s will, because he thought God’s way wasn’t best. “By fleeing the Lord’s presence” one commentator said, “Jonah announces emphatically his unwillingness to serve God. His action is nothing less than open rebellion against God’s sovereignty.”[7] Let that not be said of us. May we follow God in everything that He says. And let us not do it begrudgingly. But let us joyfully follow and serve the Lord. Let us serve the Lord with gladness.[8] As Sinclair Ferguson said in his book on Jonah, “We cannot escape from God’s presence, even if we will not live joyfully in it.”[9]
No matter how hard you try, you can’t escape the presence of God.
You can’t outrun God.
The distance between Nineveh and Tarshish is significant. Nineveh was approximately 500 miles northeast of Jonah's location, while Tarshish was about 2,500 miles to the southwest. This vast distance underscores Jonah's desperation to avoid his mission. He chose the farthest possible destination within the known world, hoping to flee from God's presence and avoid delivering a message of mercy to Nineveh.
Despite Jonah’s disobedience, God’s mercy is evident. He sent a storm. Sometimes the storms in our lives are the mercy of God leading us to Him. The storm was a severe mercy, designed to wake Jonah from his spiritual slumber and bring him back into God’s will. God’s relentless pursuit of Jonah show us His desire for repentance and restoration. Even as Jonah ran, God was actively working to draw him back. Even as you run from Him, God is actively working to draw you back.
Jonah’s story illustrates that no matter how far we try to run from God, we cannot escape His presence or His plans. God’s grace leads us to repentance, often through difficult circumstances. The path to repentance is not always easy; it may be fraught with "wind and waves." Yet, through these trials, God draws us back to Him. Jonah’s journey teaches us that God’s mercy is relentless, and His desire for our restoration is unwavering.
We can’t escape from His presence. He is omnipresent. God’s omnipresence means there is nowhere we can go to escape Him. We can’t outrun Him. Psalm 139:7-10 beautifully captures this truth:
“7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”
One commentator asks what these first three verses say about God.[10] This is an important question to think about as we close. He gives three basic answers to this question. First, God calls people to his service. Here Jonah is called to preach to a foreign city, Nineveh. Second, God cares enough about sinners to send a word of hope, love, and grace. Finally, implied here and told later in the story, no one can run from God. “You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me” (Ps 139:5). And certainly if our misdeeds are never hidden from him, so also are our needs ever before him (cf. Isa 40:27).[11]
You can’t run from Him. So what you must do is turn to Him. And follow Him. And He will be with you. And He will show you as much mercy and grace as He freely gives to all who turn to Him. But turn to Him, you must.
[1] https://www.paultripp.com/bible-study/posts/jonah-summary
[2] Sinclair B. Ferguson, Man Overboard! (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2008), 8.
[3] Luke 23:34
[4] https://tyndalehouse.com/explore/articles/the-black-obelisk
[5] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-kings-9
[6] John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, Old Testament, The IVP Bible Background Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2000),777.
[7] Jonah, in Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah, TOTC [Leicester, UK: InterVarsity, 1988], 101.
[8] Psalm 100:2
[9] Ferguson, 18.
[10] J. Limburg, Jonah, OTL (Louisville: Westminster, 1993), 46–47.
[11] Billy K. Smith and Franklin S. Page, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, vol. 19B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 228.
