So, Jonah went in the opposite direction. He found a ship going to Tarshish, paid what was due, and got on board.
I want you to really understand how serious Jonah was. So let’s map it out (all credit to Tony Evans, because me and Geography are not friends). Nineveh was about 550 miles east of Israel. And Tarshish? 2500 miles West. My man Jonah was really ready to travel 2500 miles, instead of the 550 miles in God’s will. We say, “I’m going to do it my way”. But a lot of the time, “my way” is a long, twisted road, where really and truly, God wants to spare us that extra mileage.
But there’s more. Yes, it’s a long trip out if we defy God, but what happens when you change your mind after you’ve gotten there? You’ve now got 2500 miles between you and where you started – now add on that 550 to get to where God wants you to be. 3050 miles vs 550 miles. Logic would tell you the latter, but human logic would also tell you to avoid Nineveh. There’s gonna be so many times when God’s will seems illogical and unreasonable. And we can see why Jonah felt this way.
Jonah did what he felt he had to do; he pulled out his coins and told God “I understand this is my idea, so I’ll cover this one myself”. Many of us are paying a high price for our “Trip to Tarshish”, when if we did its God’s way, he would’ve covered us. That’s the good thing about obeying God, He always supplies that which he demands.
If we’re being real with ourselves, I’m sure that there’s many of us who are carrying heavy emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual baggage from refusing to let go and let God, I know I do.
As we saw with David, Moses, Ananias and Sapphira, God wasn’t about to let Jonah get away with his rebellion; you’d think that logic would tell Jonah that this was a stupid plan. Just imagine God looking down at Jonah, “You’re sailing on the sea that I made, through the air that I control.” So “the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.”
Unfortunately, rebellion tends to hurt those around you.
5 All the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
Let’s take the focus off Jonah for a minute.
These sailors were delivering cargo to Tarshish. If the cargo doesn’t get there, how will they get paid? How will they feed their families? As I said before, rebellion tends to hurt those around you.
While this storm is happening, and people’s livelihoods are at risk, Jonah has gone below the deck, to take a nap. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
Jonah was so content and adamant in his choice, that he didn’t even realise that God was after him. To him, this was just a storm. Though they were pagan, the men on the ship knew there was something supernatural going on. So, they cast lots to see who got them on this mess “and the lot fell on Jonah”. Jonah was so oblivious to his rebellion that God used the lots to make him realise.
The sailors end up interrogating Jonah, eventually realising that Jonah was not only the problem, but that if they don’t think of something soon, they were all going down with him. They tried rowing harder. But against God, this was always going to be a losing battle.
14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.
Focussing once again on the sailors. We know they were not believers because earlier they were praying to their own gods (verse 5), but even though Jonah wasn’t complying, God still used him to lead these men to faith. This should be a reminder that God is sovereign in accomplishing his will, whether we want to cooperate or not.
I’m sure Jonah didn’t enjoy the Sailors’ conversion, and would have preferred it under different conditions, but once he started rebelling, he lost that privilege.
My Sunday Skl 