Jonah Ch 1
The account of Jonah demonstrates the futility of trying to run away from God.
The Lord called Jonah to preach against the wickedness of the city of Nineveh but instead he headed in exactly the opposite direction – boarding a ship bound for Tarshish (probably in Spain).
But the purposes of God cannot be thwarted in spite of the disobedience of His people.
God sent a storm into the path of Jonah’s ship and the crew decided to throw him overboard as a scapegoat or sacrifice to placate the gods. The sea calmed and Jonah was swallowed by a giant fish.
One of the results of this episode was that the sailors on the ship came to believe in the God from whom Jonah was trying to escape.
The hand of God was certainly on Jonah, however much he wished to escape. He was rescued from the fish and eventually Jonah arrived in Nineveh where he preached so effectively that the citizens repented and fasted. As a consequence, God did not destroy the city.
The great love and mercy of God are evident in the life of Jonah and demonstrate that ultimately no one can succeed in running away from God.
