Welcome back to our exploration of Jonah 1. Today, we're examining Jonah's response to God's call - a response that many of us might find surprisingly relatable.
“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him.”
– C.S. Lewis
Jonah 1:3
"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."
Have you ever received an email or a text message that you didn't want to deal with, so you just ignored it? Jonah takes this avoidance to an extreme level. Instead of responding to God's call, he literally tries to run away.
The text says Jonah fled "from the presence of the Lord" (v. 3). The Hebrew phrase here, "millifne Yahweh," carries the idea of fleeing from the face of God. It's as if Jonah is trying to hide from God's gaze, to escape His all-seeing eyes.
Notice the repeated use of the word "down" in this verse. Jonah went "down to Joppa," then "down into" the ship. This downward movement foreshadows Jonah's spiritual descent. When we run from God, the only direction we can go is down.
Tarshish, Jonah's chosen destination, was in the opposite direction of Nineveh. It represents the farthest known place in Jonah's world. In essence, Jonah is trying to get as far away from God's call as possible.
But here's the irony: Jonah, a prophet of God, should have known better. Psalm 139, which he would have been familiar with, clearly states that there's nowhere we can go to escape God's presence. Yet in his desperation to avoid God's call, Jonah seems to have forgotten this fundamental truth.
Friends, we might not board a ship to Tarshish, but we often have our own ways of running from God. Maybe it's burying ourselves in work, or indulging in distractions, or simply ignoring that nudge in our spirit. But like Jonah, we'll find that running from God never leads us to where we truly want to be.
Can you identify any "Tarshish" in your life - places or activities you turn to when trying to avoid God's voice?
Reflect on a time when you tried to run from God. What was the result?
What step can you take today to turn towards God rather than away from Him, especially in areas where you've been resistant?
Running from God is futile and exhausting. True peace is found not in fleeing from His presence, but in surrendering to it.
Stay Dialed In,
Jonny Ardavanis