Jonah and the Big Fish - Running from God

Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria - one of the most powerful and feared nations in the world at that time! The Assyrians were enemies of Israel. They were known for being cruel and violent. They worshiped false gods and did terrible, wicked things. God saw all their evil and wanted to give them a chance to turn away from their sins.

But Jonah did NOT want to go to Nineveh! He didn't like the Assyrians. They were Israel's enemies! Jonah didn't think they deserved God's mercy. He was afraid that if he preached to them and they repented, God might forgive them - and Jonah didn't want that! So Jonah decided to do something really foolish - he tried to run away from God!

Jonah went down to the seaport city of Joppa and found a ship that was going to Tarshish - the complete OPPOSITE direction from Nineveh! Jonah paid the fare and got on board, hoping to escape from the LORD. But can anyone really hide from God? Of course not! God sees everything and is everywhere!

The ship set sail across the Mediterranean Sea. But then the LORD sent a powerful storm! Huge waves crashed against the ship! The wind howled! The boat was tossed up and down like a toy! It was such a violent storm that the ship was in danger of breaking apart and sinking!

The sailors were terrified! These were experienced seamen who had been through many storms, but they had never seen anything like this! Each sailor cried out to his own god for help. They started throwing the cargo overboard to make the ship lighter, hoping it would help them survive. Everyone was panicking and praying - everyone except Jonah!

Where was Jonah during this terrible storm? He had gone down into the lowest part of the ship, laid down, and fallen into a deep sleep! Can you believe it? The captain found him sleeping and shook him awake! "How can you sleep?" the captain shouted. "Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us and we won't die!"

The sailors said to each other, "This storm isn't natural! Someone on this ship must have done something to anger the gods! Let's cast lots to find out who is responsible!" So they cast lots (kind of like drawing straws), and the lot fell on Jonah. Everyone turned to look at him!

"Tell us!" they demanded. "What have you done? Where do you come from? What is your country? What is your occupation?"

Jonah answered, "I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

Then Jonah admitted the truth: "I am running away from the LORD!" When the sailors heard this, they were absolutely terrified! "What have you DONE?" they cried. The storm was getting worse and worse! "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down?" they asked.

Jonah knew the answer. He said, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."

But the sailors didn't want to throw Jonah overboard! They were kind men who didn't want to hurt him! Instead, they tried even harder to row the ship back to land. But they couldn't do it! The storm was too powerful! The waves were too high! Finally, they cried out to the LORD: "Please, LORD, don't let us die for taking this man's life! Don't hold us accountable for killing an innocent man!" Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the raging sea.

Immediately - instantly - the sea stopped raging! The storm ceased! The waves became calm! The wind stopped blowing! It was suddenly peaceful and quiet! When the sailors saw this amazing miracle, they were filled with awe and reverence for the LORD! They offered a sacrifice to God and made vows to serve Him!

But what about Jonah? Was he drowning in the deep, dark sea? No! God had a plan! The LORD provided a huge fish - maybe a whale, maybe a giant fish we don't even know about today - to swallow Jonah! GULP! Down Jonah went into the belly of the great fish! And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights!

Can you imagine what it was like inside that fish? It was dark, wet, smelly, and scary! Jonah was surrounded by seaweed and who knows what else! He couldn't escape! He thought he was going to die! But in that desperate place, Jonah finally did what he should have done from the beginning - he prayed to the LORD his God!

Jonah's prayer was beautiful and honest. He said, "In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me! From deep in the grave I called for help, and You listened to my cry! You threw me into the ocean depths, and the currents swirled about me. All Your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, 'I have been banished from Your sight, yet I will look again toward Your holy temple!' The water closed over my head; the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. But You, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit! When my life was ebbing away, I remembered You, LORD! Salvation comes from the LORD!"

Jonah was sorry! He repented of running away from God! He thanked God for saving his life! He promised to do what God had asked him to do!

When Jonah finished praying, the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land! Can you picture it? Jonah came flying out of that fish's mouth and landed on the beach, probably covered in fish guts and seaweed! He must have looked and smelled terrible! But he was alive! God had given him a second chance!

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." This time, Jonah obeyed! He got up and went to Nineveh. It was a huge city - so big that it took three days to walk through it!

Jonah entered the city and began to preach: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown!" He warned them that God was going to destroy the city because of their wickedness!

And you know what happened? The people of Nineveh believed God! From the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on sackcloth as a sign of repentance! Even the king of Nineveh got off his throne, took off his royal robes, put on sackcloth, and sat down in the dust! He issued a decree: "Let everyone call urgently on God! Let them give up their evil ways and their violence! Who knows? God may yet relent and turn from His fierce anger so that we will not perish!"

When God saw what they did - how they turned from their evil ways - He had compassion on them! He did not bring the destruction He had threatened! The entire city was saved!

But Jonah was angry! Instead of rejoicing that thousands of people had been saved, he was upset! He said, "LORD, isn't this what I said when I was still at home? That's why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity!"

Jonah had a lot to learn about God's mercy and love for all people - not just the people Jonah liked, but everyone! God gently taught Jonah this lesson through a plant that grew up to give Jonah shade, then died. When Jonah was upset about the plant, God said, "You cared about this plant that you did nothing to make grow. Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, with more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left?"

This amazing story teaches us so many important lessons! First, we can't run away from God! He sees us wherever we go! Second, when we disobey God, our sin can hurt other people too - like the sailors who were endangered by the storm! Third, God gives second chances! Even though Jonah ran away, God rescued him and gave him another opportunity to obey!

Most importantly, this story shows us that God loves ALL people - even our enemies - and wants everyone to turn from their sins and be saved! God's mercy is bigger than we can imagine! He is patient, kind, and forgiving to everyone who repents and turns to Him! Just like God had compassion on the people of Nineveh, He has compassion on us too! No matter how far we've run from God, He is ready to forgive us when we turn back to Him!