TOPIC :  “ HIDING FROM GOD?“

Text:  Jonah 1:1-17

1. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

4. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

5. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

6. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

7. And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

8. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

9. And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

10. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

11. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

12. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you; for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

13. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not; for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

14. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

15. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and the sea ceased from her raging.

16. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

17. Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

KEY VERSE: Jonah 1:3

“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”

MESSAGE

In their fallen state, Adam and Eve thought the best thing they could do was to hide “themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). Hundreds of years or perhaps thousands later, a prophet of God thought that the best way to avoid God and the task He gave him to do was “to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD”. Both parties were to later discover that no one could flee from God.

Jonah’s reluctance to go to Nineveh at God’s command might not be unconnected with the fact that Nineveh was the capital of an “enemy nation”. He paid the fare and was on his way to Tarshish, but God sent a tempest into the sea that shook the mariners to their wit’s end. They did all they could but the storm persisted until Jonah was thrown into the sea. That action ended the tempest and the mariners feared greatly and gave glory to God. Meanwhile God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah who had to be in the whale’s belly for three days.

Jonah’s unwillingness and subsequent fleeing to Tarshish is condemnable. Today, many Christians have abandoned Christ’s mandate to “go… and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), and have fled to “Tarshish” of business, education or even idleness. The Lord is concerned about the salvation of all men. He wants us to “Occupy till [He] comes”. Abdicating the duty of preaching is sin.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Soul-winning is a wise spiritual enterprise.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Habakkuk 1 – 3

Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM). It is an extraction of God’s Word designed to draw the sincere seeker closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word.