Where Are You Going, Jonah?
“Though they hide
themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them.
Though they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the
serpent to bite them” (Amos 9:3).
The
city of Nineveh had done evil in the sight of Jehovah El Roi. Its wickedness
had reached Him just as it did with Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore, God planned
to destroy the city as punishment for their sins but not before giving them a strong
warning. The Lord told His prophet, Jonah, what he planned to do and gave him instructions
to go preach to the city and warn them about their upcoming judgment. The Bible
says, “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to
his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). This warning was to give them a chance to turn
from their wickedness. God never wants to punish anyone, but when He
does, it is His ultimate desire to have reconciliation back to Him. The Bible
says, “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,
torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then
I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at
another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,
and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider
the good I had intended to do for it” (Jeremiah 18:7-10).
Jonah
was given the task to go to Nineveh to preach against it as a warning for them
to turn from their wicked ways or destruction was imminent. Unfortunately, Jonah
had plans of his own and that was to avoid doing what God had commanded. He did
not have any concern for the people of Nineveh, nor did He want to be obedient
to the Lord. He decided to go on the run in an attempt to hide from God. Jonah
paid for travel on a ship going to the city of Tarshish. Nevertheless, his
plans did not work for Jehovah El Roi saw him and sent a storm to threaten the
safety of the ship and all aboard. The Bible says, “Then
the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the
ship threatened to break up” (Jonah 1:4). Jonah’s disobedience to
Jehovah El Roi caused trouble not only for himself but for others.
Jonah
had fallen asleep below the deck of the ship, while the storm was threatening
those on the higher deck. The men were afraid and knew that this was no
ordinary storm, but this was a storm brought about by anger. The Bible says, “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
1:7). The men aboard the ship knew that they were in trouble and that
someone had brought about the wrath of a Supernatural force. They did not know
the God of Jonah, but they knew that He was angry, and they began to question
him. The Bible says, “He answered, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship
the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.’ 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” (Jonah 1:9-10).
Jonah
had the men to throw him overboard so that they wouldn’t suffer for what he had
done. They did not want to do this, but due to the storm getting worse, they went
ahead and did as he requested. The storm immediately ceased and Jonah was
swallowed by a big fish. The Bible says, “But the Lord provided a great fish to
swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah
1:17). Jonah prayed while in the belly of the fish, and Jehovah El Roi
heard his prayer. The fish vomited Jonah up on dry land and then Jehovah El Roi
gave Jonah the command again, and this time, he obeyed.
Jonah
somehow had the notion that he could run from Jehovah El Roi. It seems crazy
that he would even think that he could run from the God of the Universe who
created every little crevice in it. However, Jonah found out that there was
nowhere that he could go where Jehovah El Roi wouldn’t see. We too cannot hide
from Jehovah El Roi. He is everywhere. This is why we must be obedient to His
will because He sees all and there is nothing concerning us that is hidden from
Jehovah El Roi. The Bible says, “Where can I go from your
Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are
there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of
the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will
guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness
will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not
be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to
you” (Psalm 139:7-12).There is no place on earth or in the skies above
where we are able to hide from our God. Many people spend a lifetime running
from God just as Jonah did. Yet, in the end, they will either submit to Him with
humble hearts, or continue to run and face the storms alone – ultimately,
leading to their destruction. Which one will you choose?
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