For what reasons would anyone run away, far away?  Fear or anger or unwilling to face life?

Jonah chapter 1  Jonah was a prophet of the living God.  God wanted Jonah to go and preach to the oppressive country that was hated by the Jewish nation of Israel.  He ran away from what God called him to do.

Jonah wanted nothing to do with Nineveh… sure he could go and preach to them and if they repented of their evil ways, God would forgive them.  No way!

Joppa: very close to the city of Tel Aviv, Israel today.
Jonah went to the port city of Joppa, Israel, got on a ship to go to Tarshish… Jonah told the sailors he was running away from the living God.  Jonah 1:10
Then he went down into the hold of the ship and went to sleep.

Mediterranean Sea:  A fierce storm came up, the sailors and captain feared for their lives.  Jonah was awakened from his sleep by the captain and told to call on his god.  The sailors found out Jonah was the reason for the storm… Jonah told them to throw him overboard then the Creator God would calm the storm.  The sailors did not want to do this… but finally did what Jonah told them after they prayed to the LORD and threw him into the raging waters.  The wind stopped blowing, the waves calmed down as Jonah sank beneath the waves.  God was there to rescue Jonah and sent a great fish to swallow Jonah.

Jonah chapter 2  Jonah was in the very large fish for three days.  For all practical purposes he was in his grave.  At the end of three days, he prayed, knowing God heard him, even in the depths of the sea.  He remembered the LORD and prayed.

When you are in dire straits, do you remember to pray to the living God, knowing He hears?
Jonah knew that “Salvation is from the LORD” when he was spit out onto dry land.  Jonah 2:9

Jonah chapter 3  Nineveh, Assyria
God again called Jonah to go to Nineveh… to warn the people of God overthrowing that city. Even the king listened to Jonah and put on sackcloth and sat in ashes – he called for all the citizens to fast, wear sackcloth and turn from their wicked ways.  The king believed “God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”  Jonah 3:9

God saw, He heard and relented and did not bring calamity on them… for they had repented.

Jonah chapter 4
Jonah sulked!  Do you sulk when your worst enemy is forgiven by God?

Jonah did not like the fact that God forgave this wicked people.  Do you accept the fact that God forgives you when you ask His forgiveness, repent of those things which are sin?  What about those people who are also repentant but you remember the vile things they did in the past?

~ Take it to heart ~

When you run, run to God!
Forgive as God forgives – completely, absolutely.