Running where and why?

 

                                                                  Jonah, the prodigal prophet

When we run from God, something else will consume us! 

When we turn around and run to him, he welcomes us into his loving arms.

If you were a Christian doctor, would you go to the Congo to treat Ebola patients if God prompted you? Perhaps you’d be afraid. If they died regardless of your intervention, would the trip have been worthwhile? An Alaskan cruise through icy waterways, snow-capped mountains, and spectacular marine wildlife would be far more appealing, and after a busy year, you’d want to relax. You’d book the cruise, fly to Vancouver, and sail north through God’s amazing creation, but you can’t escape the media reports or God’s constant whisper in your ear.

 Seven hundred years before Christ, Jonah prophesied God would restore Israel’s borders during Jeroboam 11’s reign, and it happened. Jonah knew God, and he presented Jonah a fresh mission field.

 “Go to Nineveh and preach against it, because it is wicked.”

 Nineveh was the largest, most powerful Assyrian city. It posed a threat to Israel, and Jonah wished for God to annihilate it.

 What was God thinking?

 The prophet boarded a ship in Joppa (modern day Jaffa) and sailed to Tarshish at the western extremity of the Mediterranean, to Spain, far from the Lord’s temple, God’s presence, and Nineveh.

 Why didn’t Jonah realise he couldn’t escape from God?

 A mighty storm erupted, battering the ship. The sailors pleaded with their gods, but Jonah slept below deck. While the prophet was on holiday, they could deal with the crisis.

 “Wake up, Jonah? Get up and call on your god! If he listens to you, we may survive. Who are you anyway?”

“I’m a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God who made the sea and the dry land.”

 “What have you done?”

 “I’m running away from God.”

God had sent this storm, and it wouldn’t end until Jonah cast himself on God’s mercy, the very compassion he’d lacked toward the Ninevites.

 “Toss me into the sea and it will become calm.”

 Since the men didn’t want God to hold them accountable for Jonah, they did their best to row back to land, but the storm intensified. They tossed Jonah overboard, and the sea subsided into gentle ripples. Despite Jonah’s off duty approach, the sailors worshipped God and offered him sacrifices. They became God’s converts and Jonah’s first reluctant mission field.

 As for Jonah, a massive fish swallowed him, and in that gloomy pit of acidic, fishy digestive juices, he was close to death, and there was no possibility of fleeing. He longed for serene moments in God’s temple, and Jonah prayed while the seaweed wrapped around his head. He sank to the pit of that enormous stomach. He needed God’s compassion as much as the Ninevites. God heard his cries. Jonah had done an about turn.

If God wanted Jonah in Nineveh, God would rescue him to preach that salvation comes from the Lord.

This same message has resonated throughout the centuries. Jesus is God’s path to salvation from sin, death, and hell, and no one meets God except through his son’s death, burial, and resurrection as payment for their sin. The most righteous person and the worst sinner on planet Earth have both disobeyed God.

 Who hasn’t a Nineveh in their life? Where are the places you’d rather not visit, or who are the people you’d prefer to avoid? Jonah’s anger prevented him from obeying God’s call. Fear of the future or prejudice from a hostile world may hinder us from speaking up for God. We’d do anything for God except what we can’t handle. We forget or resist his help. If we’re honest, our fears or anger loom larger than our compassion for our neighbours or those who offend us. When we run from God, we are the ones who have changed direction. God will continue to pursue us.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? If I rise to the heavens, you are there! If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Even if I rise on the wings of the dawn and settle on the far side of the sea, your hand will guide me and hold me fast.” From Psalm 139:7-12.

 Nineveh was evil, and God had endured their prolonged crimes against his people. Jonah was supposed to present them with a fresh opportunity to repent, to receive God’s mercy.

I ask myself what I find difficult to accept from God. I’ve always known him, but am I obedient? Jesus understands my weaknesses. He was tempted, but he didn’t sin. Let’s commit ourselves to him, forever calling on his power and strength.

 After Jonah’s confession, God commanded the fish to vomit him onto dry land. God’s compassionate for Nineveh and Jonah remained, and he would be God’s messenger.

 What follows? In the next episode, we will discover Jonah’s response. His name means ‘a dove.’ Did Nineveh heed the warning and find peace with God?