Jump Start # 1432

Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarhish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”

  Most of us know the story of Jonah, the run-a-way prophet who was swallowed by a large fish, spit out on dry ground and eventually did what God wanted him to do. Many of us grew up hearing these lessons in VBS and Bible classes. A couple of thoughts before our verse. First, this is more than just a STORY, it really happened. Jesus referred to this as a historically real account. Many would like to discount this. Many believe there is no way that this could happen. They are right, if you are looking for a natural story in a natural setting. It couldn’t.  God was involved throughout this. It was God who caused the storm. It was God who prepared the fish. It was God who caused Jonah to be swallowed and kept alive. It was God who made the fish spit Jonah out on dry land. God, God, God. Second, this is in our Bible, not for children, but for adults. God didn’t write a “children’s section” of the Bible. These are not the teen devos section. All the Bible is written to develop, build and sustain faith in the Lord. This section does just that.

Our verse today is amazing. God told Jonah, in the previous verse, to go to Nineveh and preach. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians. They were mean and pagan. In time, it would be the Assyrians that would march on Israel and capture them. But here, God is opening a door to a foreign country for repentance. Jonah was commissioned and sent. Jonah ran the other way.

In our verse Jonah decides to go to Tarshish, about as far in the opposite direction as he could go. We are not told the reasons why Tarshish, but a good guess would make us think that it would be too far for God to send him. He would have to find another prophet. Jonah wasn’t going, and that was that.

How interesting that Jonah, deciding that the spot he’ll run to would be Tarshish, just happens to find a ship going there. His plans would have been crushed had there been no ships heading that way or had he literally “missed the boat.” Not only did he find a ship going where he wanted, he was able to pay the fare. We are not told how much it cost to get to Tarshish, but ole’ Jonah must have had just the right amount. Again, imagine Jonah finding the right ship, but the fare being way to expensive for him. God’s fingers could have done all of that. No ship. Missed the ship. Too expensive to get a ticket. But God allowed Jonah’s little plan to come together. Our verse ends with Jonah going down inside the boat, confident that he had out maneuvered God and won the battle of the wills. He dug his heels in and refused to go and it looks like he won.

Rather than moving on through Jonah, we need to stop and see some lessons here.

First, a person tends to find what they are looking for. If a person is looking for a ship going away from God, one will be provided. Satan will do that. He’s always ready and eager to take someone away from the Lord. People see what they are looking for. Some, always seem to be in trouble. Why is it that way? They found what they were looking for. Others tend to lean to the negative side of life. They see what’s wrong. They can walk into a building, even a church building, and these folks spot the cobwebs in the corners, a piece of paper left on the floor and they will see things from the negative side. Others would never see what they see. Why is it that way? They found what they were looking for. When a person is compelled to go do something that they don’t want to do, they will find the negative. They will have reason to complain. The wait was long. The price, expensive. Too much of that and too little of that. They found what they were looking for.

Now, imagine that concept driven in the right direction. Imagine a person finding God in the house of worship. Imagine the joy and warmth of fellowship that he found in the house of God. The smiles would fill his face. The happiness would warm his soul. Cobwebs aren’t even worth mentioning when you are talking about praising God. You tend to find what you are looking for.

Second, Satan always provides. He’s good at that. If you are set on doing wrong, Satan will provide not only the opportunity for you to do wrong, but also a crowd to join you. A person doesn’t have to do wrong by themselves. There is a fellowship of wrong doers. Satan arranges that. Get a young person who wants to go out at night and do some meanness, a couple of phone calls later and he has several who will join him. Satan provides. A man who is thinking about stealing, an opportunity will come up. A man who is thinking about leaving his marriage, there will be an occasion to do that. Jonah wanted to run. He did. He was given the chance. The boat was there and the fare was affordable. All just right for one who wanted to do wrong. Satan provides.

Third, you can never leave the presence of God. Jonah, hiding in the belly of that boat, lying on his bunk, must have thought, “Now, I’m ok.” He wasn’t. God knew where he was. God had Jonah in sight the entire time. The same goes for us. The man who walks away from church and declares that I’m done with religion and this Bible stuff, hasn’t left the presence of God. The Lord still sees him. The Lord still has him on His radar. We may run from our obligations and responsibilities, but we can never escape the presence of the Lord. A person can deny the Lord, He is still there. A person can rebel against God, He is still there. A person can run, the Lord is still there.

Fourth, you and I have things that God wants us to do. Like Jonah, we may not feel like doing them. Some things are easy and nice, such as loving our family and raising them right. Others are difficult and we may not want to do them. Those things would include worshipping God regularly, being the light of the world, telling others about Jesus. It is some of those things that may make some of us to head to the harbor and start looking for a boat. We can’t “cafeteria” God. We cannot pick out the nice things He wants us to do and ignore the difficult ones. I’m sure Jonah would have made a fine prophet in Israel. God wanted him to go to Nineveh. It’s easier for us to blend in with the world than to stand out. It’s easier for us to be silent than it is to speak out. It is easier for us to hide in the church than it is to be a soldier of Christ in a world that doesn’t care. Run like Jonah. Hide like Jonah. Or, simply do what God wants us to do.

There is a path to Nineveh or there is a boat waiting down at the dock. Which one are you going to be taking today? Easy isn’t always right. Convenient isn’t always the best. Trust and obey or run the other way…

Roger