JONAH FLEES FROM THE LORD
Key verse: 3
NIV
Jonah Flees From the Lord
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah(A) son of Amittai:(B) 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh(C) and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran(D) away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish(E). He went down to Joppa,(F) 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.(G)
4 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.(H) 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.(I)
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call(J) on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”(K)
7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.”(L) They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.(M)
Cross references
- Jonah 1:1 : Mt 12:39-41; 16:4; Lk 11:29-32
- Jonah 1:1 : 2Ki 14:25
- Jonah 1:2 : S Ge 10:11; S Na 1:1
- Jonah 1:3 : Ps 139:7
- Jonah 1:3 : S Ge 10:4
- Jonah 1:3 : S Jos 19:46; Ac 9:36, 43
- Jonah 1:3 : Ex 4:13; S Jer 20:9; S Am 3:8
- Jonah 1:4 : Ps 107:23-26
- Jonah 1:5 : Ac 27:18-19
- Jonah 1:6 : Jnh 3:8
- Jonah 1:6 : S Ps 107:28
- Jonah 1:7 : Nu 32:23; Jos 7:10-18; S 1Sa 14:42
- Jonah 1:7 : S Pr 16:33
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord
1 Now the word of the Lord came to (A)Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to (B)Nineveh, that (C)great city, and call out against it, (D)for their evil[a] has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah (E)rose to flee to (F)Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to (G)Joppa and found a ship going to (H)Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to (I)Tarshish, (J)away from the presence of the Lord.
4 But (K)the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened (L)to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and (M)each cried out to his god. And (N)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, (O)call out to your god! (P)Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea
7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us (Q)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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Jonah 1:2 The same Hebrew word can mean evil or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jonah
Cross references
- Jonah 1:1 : 2 Kgs. 14:25
- Jonah 1:2 : Gen. 10:11, 12; 2 Kgs. 19:36; Nah. 1:1; Zeph. 2:13; Matt. 12:41; Luke 11:30, 32
- Jonah 1:2 : ch. 3:3; 4:11
- Jonah 1:2 : Rev. 18:5
- Jonah 1:3 : ch. 4:2
- Jonah 1:3 : See 1 Kgs. 10:22
- Jonah 1:3 : See Josh. 19:46
- Jonah 1:3 : See 1 Kgs. 10:22
- Jonah 1:3 : See 1 Kgs. 10:22
- Jonah 1:3 : Gen. 4:16; [Ps. 139:9, 10]
- Jonah 1:4 : [Ps. 107:25]
- Jonah 1:4 : 1 Kgs. 22:48; Ps. 48:7
- Jonah 1:5 : [Ps. 107:28]
- Jonah 1:5 : [Acts 27:18, 19, 38]
- Jonah 1:6 : [See ver. 5 above]; [Ps. 107:28]
- Jonah 1:6 : [ch. 3:9]
- Jonah 1:7 : [Judg. 20:9]
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
INTRODUCTION TO JONAH
Jonah was a prophet who lived in Northern Israel before the Assyrian invasion and destruction of Samaria. He prophesied that Jeroboam II would restore Israel's borders, and this happened (2 Ki 14:25). Perhaps he knew that his country would someday be destroyed by the Assyrians. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. So his hesitation in offering God's grace to Nineveh is understandable.
But Jonah had forgotten that God had called Israel to be a kingdom of priests, and that God wanted to use his people to bring all nations to repentance. God used a narrow-minded prophet to show his great world mission concern for all people. Jonah is like all of God's people who are ready to enjoy God's grace, but reluctant to share it with others.
In the New Testament, Jesus compared Jonah's three days and three nights in the belly of the fish to his own death and resurrection. Jonah's miraculous salvation from the raging ocean and from the belly of the fish is like resurrection from the dead. Jonah finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh with resurrection faith. Jesus praised the people of Nineveh for repenting when Jonah preached to them (Mt 12:39- 41). Through this reluctant prophet God saved a whole city of people and many cattle.
1. Go preach to Nineveh (1-3)
Jonah lived in Northern Israel at a time when the Assyrian Empire was a growing threat to Israel's existence. God's word came to Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and preach against the sin that was rampant there. Jonah didn't want to go. He didn't want to warn the people of Nineveh of God's judgment. He didn't want them to repent and be saved. So he bought a one-way ticket on a ship going to Tarshish--in the opposite direction. He thought he could flee from God and from God's mission.
2. The great wind (4-7)
Jonah boarded the ship, went below the deck and went to sleep. People sometimes sleep when they have a rebellious spirit. But God didn't let Jonah alone. He sent a storm so violent that the ship began to break up. The captain awakened Jonah and told him to pray. Then the sailors cast lots to find out who was responsible for their trouble; the lot fell on Jonah.
Prayer: Lord, forgive my narrow mind and take away my rebellious spirit. Help me to obey your command and accept your mission.
One Word: Go and preach to Nineveh
