People have been looking so hard at the great fish that they have failed to see the great God.
Go to Nineveh (v. 1-2)
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”
The Rebellious Prophet (v. 3)
3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
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- Psalm 139:7-8 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
The Storm (v 4-6)
[I’ll summarize this section rather than reading it]
Overboard (v. 7-16)
- (v. 9) 9And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
- (V. 14-16) 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
Seeds of Salvation (Acts 10)
Acts 10:1-5 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.
- 19-20 “And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.’”
Two men are told, Arise and go. I don’t know what God is calling each of you to do. Your commissioning may look like Jonah’s. You have a city or vocation in mind, and that’s great. Yours may look more like Peter’s commissioning. God speaks something to you in prayer and you share it with someone in a home. Regardless, I want to leave you with this. Two men are told arise and go. One man attempts to run away from the presence of God, while the other man steps into the presence of God. Which one are you?