But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭7‬-‭14‬
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Jonah running from God seems so preposterous. It makes me think of two worlds colliding. There is this sinful world and its man-made definitions of honor, success, power, and importance. Where a fairness doctrine is at play. I call this comparative righteousness. The logic goes like this: “Compared to them, I am a pretty good guy.” Or, “At least I don’t do those evil things that they do!” And I believe Jonah, a prophet of God, got caught up in this kind of worldly thinking.

The other world (or system of life) at play here is the spiritual one. This is where God reigns. Jonah knew this world too, because God spoke to him as a prophet.  When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah knew that one potential outcome could be that these evil people would repent of their sins and God might have grace upon them. How did he know this? Because this is the very nature of God.  And so … Jonah ran.

Before I get into judging Jonah too harshly, I must look inwardly and seek out areas I run from God too. When he prompts me to be compassionate and share my resources with others, do I give with a generous heart? When the opportunity to love someone who has hurt me deeply comes, what do I choose — will I love them or run away from this opportunity? When I hear a falsehood or see evil in the world, will I call it out and stand for the oppressed, or will I look the other way?

In reality, the story of Jonah running from God is the same story of me running from God at times. It might have different circumstances and players, but the heart of rebellion and the lack of trust and obedience is the same.  This is David’s point in Psalm 139. Running from God is pointless and leads to wasted time and temptation to do evil.

The Bible doesn't say whether Jonah was tempted on the way to Tarshish in other ways. Maybe the sailors around him swore, took God’s name in vain, gossiped about others, visited houses of ill repute? I would be willing to bet he was tempted, and he probably fell in some of these areas too. It has been the pattern in my life for sure. When I run from God, I take back the reigns of my life from God. And with me steering, as a selfish man, sin works its way in.

How am I running from God’s will for my life today? How can I be more obedient to him in my thoughts, attitudes, and actions?

Lord, thank you for the example of Jonah running from you. I repent of the ways I have run from you in the past. Build in me a peace that worry cannot penetrate and a steadfast hope in your love and provision for me. A strong love for you overwhelms any doubt I have.   You will always come through with greater glory, when you call me to serve in tough assignments!