Jonah Fled To Tarshish

Jonah was the son of Amittai from Gath Hepher. He served the Lord from 840-810 BC, from the reign of king of Israel, Jerohoam (2 Kgs 14:23-25). The city of Nineveh of the Assyrians became very wicked. God sent Jonah to warn the people to turn from their iniquity lest God should destroy the city. But Jonah disobeyed God’s command. Instead he went down to Joppa and boarded a ship heading for Tarshish (Spain) in order to flee from God (Jon 1:1-3).

After Jonah boarded the ship, God caused the sea to be tempestuous. The sea became so rough that the ship was about to wreck. Both the crew and the passengers panicked - not knowing what to do. Each one started to pray to his own god for safety. They jettisoned their belongings but to no avail. Jonah realized the cause of the disaster. He knew that the tempest was sent by God. Being conscience-stricken, he told the people to throw him over-hoard so that the sea would be calm again. So they lifted up Jonah and threw him into the sea and truly the sea was calmed (Jon 1:4-15).

God prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. He repented and he prayed. The Lord listened to Jonah’s prayers and had mercy on him. He caused the fish to vomit out Jonah on dry land (Jon 2:10). God sent Jonah the second time to preach to the people of Nineveh saying, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” The people of Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a fast and put on sack cloths from the greatest of them even to the least of them. God saw that they had turned from their evil ways and so He withdrew the disaster that He had said He would send unto them (Jon 3:1-10).

God is righteous. But God is also merciful. He will not despise one with a contrite heart. On seeing that the people of Nineveh had repented and had turned away from their evil ways, He had mercy on them and forgave their iniquities.

Jonah did not expect the people in Nineveh to repent. But his warnings caused the whole city of Nineveh to repent appeasing the anger of God. In this end time, there are innumerable cities in this world where their wickedness are worse than that of the city of Nineveh.

Perhaps you are a Jonah. Jonah wanted to flee from God and yet God pulled him back. So please do not make any excuse but turn back to Him to be commissioned.