The 1939 American Classic, Gone with the Wind, became the highest grossing film of its day. Set in Civil War America, the movie tells the story of the failed romance of Scarlett O’hara and Rhett Butler. The movie won Best Picture and critics raved how it displayed the realism of a failed love. Rhett Butler, Clark Gable, uttered one of the most memorable lines in American cinema history, but it was the next line that sadly has become a staple in how people deal with their problems. Butler puts on his hat and walks into the fog leaving Scarlett grieved and alone and she says to herself, “There must be some way to bring him back.” Then she utters, “I can’t think about that right now. If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow.” In the movie, tomorrow never comes.
Sadly, many approach their relationship with the Lord like Scarlett O’hara silently saying, “I can’t think about that right now. If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow.” Are you a Scarlett O’hara? Do you avoid your problems by choosing not to think about them? Are you running from them? Are you running from the Lord?
Jonah was the fleeing prophet. God gives him a task he does not want to do; so he runs. He avoids it. He pulls a “Scarlett O’hara.” As we begin studying Jonah’s life, I pray you would not pull a “Scarlett O’hara.” I pray you would not put off what the Lord has asked you to do. I pray you would learn from Jonah to run to God rather than from him.
Are you running from the Lord? (v.1-4)
We should never take for granted the opening words of the book. “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai.” God speaks to his people. The Creator of the Universe, the Lord Most High, condescends to us with words. He wants to be known and obeyed. Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (782-753 B.C.) 2 Kings 14:23-27,
[23] In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. [24] And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. [25] He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher. [26] For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. [27] But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
Israel had a wicked king leading Israel to sin. Life was not pretty, but the Lord was faithful to his people. Look at 2 Kings 14:27 again, “But the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them.” The book of Jonah is a story of God’s gracious act of salvation. Israel did not deserve to be saved. Jonah did not deserve to be saved. We do not deserve to be saved. But God is faithful. Jonah, the son of Amittai, means, “son of my faithfulness.” Jonah, the unfaithful, fleeing prophet, was a son of the faithful love of God. God’s faithful love to Jonah should give us hope.
The Lord intervenes in Jonah’s life with the words, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” Nineveh was a large formidable city of the Assyrians. The Assryians were known for their brutality and cruelty. As one scholar highlights two of their ruthless leaders, “Ashurbanipal, the grandson of Sennacherib, was accustomed to tearing off the lips and hands of his victims. Tiglath-Pileser flayed victims alive and made great piles of their skulls.” They lived without the fear of God ruthlessly living in utter wickedness. The Assyrians ignored God, but God did ignore them. Friend, if you are living in defiance of God, please know he sees all. Your sin and mine goes before the Lord.
Jonah hated the Assyrians. He did not even want to give them a chance of repentance. He wanted their destruction. So he “ran” from the Lord. Verse 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.” The author, either Jonah himself or one who recorded the story from Jonah, underscored Jonah’s attempt to flee from the presence of the Lord. The text also repeats, “he went down,” to Joppa and he “went down” into the boat both a euphemism for death. Jonah went down away from the presence of the Lord implying, as one scholar notes, “each step away from the presence of the Lord is one step closer to ‘going down’ to death.”
Are you running from the Lord? Are you fleeing from his presence? It was foolish for Jonah to think he could actually accomplish his goal. Psalm 139:7–12,
[7] Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
[8] If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
[9] If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
[10] even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
[11] If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
[12] even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
It is impossible to flee from the Lord. He is always there. Jonah acted against logic. He tried to accomplish something impossible. Sin is illogical. And how often do we act like Jonah? We may not leave town, but we chose not to think about it. We chose to put it off until tomorrow hoping that tomorrow never comes. How foolish are we? It is as if we are playing hide and seek in an open field and when we close our eyes, we think no one can see us. We cannot flee from the Lord, but we try. And yet, God is patient with us. He knows our frame. He knows we are but dust.
Friend, you may be running from the Lord today. You may be trying to avoid him, believing your ignoring him means he is ignoring you, but friend that is not how the Lord works. The Lord pursues us even when we are running from him. The Lord is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to him. The main character of the book of Jonah is not Jonah. It is the Lord. God is the main character of this book and every book of the Bible. Jonah is fleeing from the presence of the Lord, verse 4, “But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” The Lord pursued Jonah with a storm.
Are you sleeping in the Lord? (v. 5-6)
The Lord hurled a storm at Jonah. He would not allow him to flee. God is in complete control of this world. He is in control of every leaf following to the ground, the beat of every heart in this room, and every gust of wind on the earth. He is sovereign. The storm was not a normal one but one that caused the sailors to fear for their life. Jonah 1:5–6,
[5] Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. [6] So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
The storm was so fierce the sailors started to toss the cargo into the sea to give them a chance of success. All the while, Jonah had ‘gone down’ into the ship and was fast asleep. Jonah had resigned himself to die. He was in the belly of the ship asleep so God had the pagan sailor repeat God’s command, “Arise, call out to your god!” Jonah cared only for himself while this sailor cared for his crew.
There are different kinds of sleep in the Bible. There is a confident humble sleep showing one’s trust in God. There is a neglectful, ignorant sleep showing one’s rejection of God. There is a sleep showing rejection of God like in 1 Thessalonians 5 and Ephesians 5 and a sleep showing trust like Mark 4:26-29. Jonah was sleeping to avoid God rejecting his responsibility before him, while Jesus was sleeping showing his trust in his Father. Mark 4:35–41,
[35] On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” [36] And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. [37] And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. [38] But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” [39] And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. [40] He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” [41] And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
The wind and the waves obey the words of Jesus. The Lord hurled the storm at Jonah and the Lord calmed the storm a word. The Lord rebuked his disciples for a lack of faith for they acted like the pagan sailors. They did not trust in the Lord.
Jonah knew the Lord was in charge of the storm, but also knew his rebellion deserved death. He chose to sleep and ignore the Lord. Jesus chose to sleep because he trusted the Lord. The storm came upon a group of pagan sailors who did not know God. What an opportunity for a prophet to tell them about the Messiah and promised land! Instead of embracing this opportunity, Jonah squandered it, because he only cared about himself. The storms of life are designed to wake us from our slumber. They are designed to teach us to trust God. They are designed for us to turn from our idols and false hopes to the true God who delivers us from the wrath to come.
The Lord is working in the midst of the storm. And the pagan captain understands,
“Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” The Lord used the disobedience of a prophet to show these sailors of his faithful love and power. God does not want anyone to perish but that all should reach repentance. Friend, are you in a storm right now? Are the waves of uncertainty and confusion crashing down on you? Are you being thrown back and forth by pain and doubt? Maybe that storm is calling out to you to arise. Do not say, “I can’t think about that today. I’ll think about that tomorrow.” Today is the day of salvation. Call out to God and he will save you. Trust in Jesus Christ who calms the waves with a word. Trust in Christ who is pursuing even when you are running from him! Trust in Christ. Repent of your sins and believe in him.
Christian, maybe the storm you are facing is to remind you of the Lord’s presence in your life. He is with you. He cares for you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. The disciples were with the Lord Jesus but they were acting like the pagan sailors. When the storm hits, let your hearts know God is with you and he will use the storm as he sees fit and to reveal you are a child of his faithful love.
Are you fearing the Lord? (v. 7-16)
Are we fearing the Lord with our lives or with mere words? Faith without work is dead. Many people confess Christ with their lips, but deny him by their actions. Jonah 1:7–10,
[7] And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. [8] Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” [9] And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” [10] Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Jonah had a right profession, but his heart was far from God. He claimed to be one of God’s people that he feared the Lord, who made the sea and the dry land. Beloved, let us never be those who have the right profession, but who have hearts far from God. We are not saved by merely having the right verbal profession of faith, but living in accordance with that verbal profession. Our good works do not save us, but our good works reveal we are saved. Good works are not the root of salvation but they are the fruit.
The sailors knew Jonah was fleeing from the Lord and they realized how much trouble they were in. They knew that God, the Creator of the world, was displeased with his prophet and sent the storm for him. Jonah 1:11–13
[11] Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. [12] He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” [13] Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
The storm raged and Jonah knew what must be done. He must be thrown into the sea if the storm would cease. Jonah knew it was pointless to fight against his Creator. And the men knew that it was evil to throw Jonah overboard leaving him to die. So as an act of mercy they tried to get to dry land, but they could not. There was no human effort that could save them. Jonah 1:14-16,
[14] Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” [15] So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. [16] Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.
The sailors got it. They confessed the Lord has control over the earth. He has done what pleased him. They hurled Jonah into the sea and the storm ceased. The men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice of trust to the Lord and vowed to serve him. They got it. They knew there was only one God who created and sustained life. They believed he was the Lord and their lives changed in response.
Jonah knew that he must die so that the others could live. Jonah was not innocent. He rebelled against God but as a prophet he knew that sin had to be punished. He knew the only way the storm would cease and the sailors to be saved was if he paid the penalty for his crime. And in this we get a glimpse, a fading glance at the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jonah is far from Jesus Christ, but in his act of sacrifice we see a picture of the gospel. One man dies so others may live. Jesus Christ, the divine Creator, the eternal Son, came to be with us. One of the greatest things about Mark’s account of Jesus calming the storm was the fact he was in the boat. Jesus came to be with us. The storm was raging and Jesus Christ came to stop the storm. The storm was raging and Jesus Christ stepped up and said, ‘throw me into the sea.” Let me pay the debt so that others could go free. Let me die so others could live. At the cross, Jesus Christ died for sinners, the righteous for the unrighteous.
Friend, there is a storm coming. The storm of God’s wrath against sin will come. My fear for you who do not believe in Jesus Christ is that you will hear this message and say, “I can’t think about that today. I’ll think about that tomorrow,” but that tomorrow won’t ever come. Friend, Jesus Christ is the only one who can stop the storm. He is the only one who can take your sins and pay your debt. He is the only one who can save you. Do not put it off until tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation. Repent of your sins today so that you will be prepared for tomorrow.
Jonah ran from the presence of God. But God ran after him. You may be running from God today, but he is running after you. He does not want you to perish in the storm but to turn to him in faith. Jonah knew he deserved death. He knew the storm was a result of his disobedience. He resigned to die, but God had other plans. God wanted to use Jonah to give us a greater glimpse of the gospel. Jonah was hurled into the sea, but God appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights. “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40). Behold, someone greater than Jonah has come.
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