I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word together with Your name.
(Psalm 138:2 AMP)
I recently reread the story of Jonah. As a kid, I only knew the basics: Jonah was swallowed by a huge fish, prayed inside its belly, and then was spit out onto dry land. But there’s so much more to this short Bible book—just four chapters—that’s worth exploring.
Here’s how Jonah’s story breaks down into 10 parts:
- God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim judgment on their wickedness.
- Jonah refuses and flees in the opposite direction, boarding a ship to Tarshish.
- A violent storm threatens to destroy the ship.
- Jonah tells the sailors to throw him overboard to calm the storm, and they do.
- Jonah is swallowed by a great fish, where he prays and repents for three days.
- The fish spits Jonah out onto dry land.
- God commands Jonah again to go to Nineveh, and this time he obeys.
- The people of Nineveh repent.
- God shows mercy and relents from judgment.
- Jonah complains about God’s mercy, and God confronts him.
Nineveh was the capital of the ancient Assyrian empire—likely the largest city in the world then, with a population over 120,000. In Jonah 1:2, God says, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim judgment against it, for their wickedness has come before Me.” Despite their evil, God’s mercy led Him to send Jonah to warn them and offer a chance to repent.
Jonah, however, knew well the Assyrians’ brutal reputation, especially their harsh treatment of conquered peoples. He likely feared for his life and resented the idea of them escaping God’s wrath. Historically, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed and Judah later fell under Assyrian control. Perhaps Jonah’s preaching—and Nineveh’s repentance—delayed or softened Assyria’s conquest of the Hebrew people.
One verse jumped out at me this time: “But Jonah ran away to Tarshish to escape from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3 AMP).
Really, Jonah? You were a prophet, chosen and trained by God, who knew his voice—and yet you ran away from his presence? Why would someone familiar with God’s calling flee from his very presence?
Sometimes, God asks us to do things we don’t understand. A young couple recently moved here from Florida with four kids, no jobs, no home, and no church, simply because God told them to. They obeyed in faith, trusting God’s plan despite the challenges. Over time, I believe their faithfulness will bring great blessings.
Jonah, though, didn’t show that same trust. He fled God’s voice and calling—and the consequences were serious. God appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, where he stayed three days and nights (Jonah 1:17 AMP). I imagine it was dark, uncomfortable, and frightening, not knowing what would happen next.
But in that dark place, Jonah prayed and repented. Jonah chapter two is his prayer of praise and repentance. Despite the misery, he remembered who God is—his greatness, mercy, and voice that gave him hope.
Then, when God told Jonah to go, he obeyed.
May we, too, be people who go when God says “Go.”
God,
Salvation and mercy are from you, O Lord of Hosts. You are the God in the darkness who calls us into Light; you are the One whose Voice calls us to respond to your love with our obedience. Forgive us when we do not obey, and remind us of the benefits of fulfilling our covenant with you. May we never try to escape from your Presence, but instead always run towards you. We pray these things in Jesus’s name, AMEN.