A Jonah Meltdown… An Attempt to Run From God!

Jonah 1:3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord .

Have you ever had a meltdown with God and decided to take the next ship out of town?

Jonah did.

Jonah was a little different than the majority of us, in that, he wasn’t mad at God for sending him on an IMPOSSIBLE street evangelism mission, nor was he afraid to bring the message to these people. He was mad because he knew the people of Nineveh would repent and God would SAVE THEM instead of destroying them. Whereas we run away at the first hint of failure, Jonah did not want to succeed.

Let me make one thing clear, through this whole meltdown, Jonah didn’t give up on God nor did he turn away from his faith in God. And might I also say, God did not give up on Jonah nor turn away from his love of Jonah.

It was childish anger (tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine), not love, that formed Jonah’s plan of action. Go figure…

So Jonah went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord… and had promptly lain down and fallen asleep. Those tantrums really do wear us out!

But God…

The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”  Jonah 1:4,6

It was terrifying!

Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “ Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” Jonah 1:7-8 

One thing could be said about Jonah, he was honest about his little adventure…

Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “ How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. Jonah 1:10-11 

It seems Jonah’s nap dispelled his anger and he KNEW God was calling him out. He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” Jonah 1:12 

They didn’t WANT to, but having rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. Instead they PRAYED… to God, NOT their faux gods!

Had we been there we might even had heard they angels celebrating and praising God for His NEW BELIEVERS! Then they called on the Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord , have done as You have pleased.” So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. Jonah 1:14-16 

Hello! What Jonah thought would serve God right for asking him to do something he did not want to do, God used for good and brought even these sinners to repentance. What some might think as terrible punishment for Jonah and causing innocent victims to suffer, some would be TERRIBLY WRONG!

God is good ALL THE TIME!!!!

We think in terms of earthly suffering and death, but God through Christ, conquered ETERNAL death and suffering. In comparison, this momentary light affliction we experience on earth (every day has enough trouble of its own) will be forgotten in the eternal glory of God’s Kingdom. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 

By faith… even in Jonah’s day. Romans 10:10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

The storm and the high seas were not to “punish” Jonah nor harm his fellow travelers. It was discipline given in order to train up a child in the way he should go. God wasn’t beating Jonah for being angry at Him. But God didn’t (and wouldn’t) give up on Jonah either. Just like so many of our parents, God, being The GOOD Father, went along with Jonah on his runaway adventure, and along the way, saved some sailors that Jonah hadn’t even considered in his evangelistic ministry.

ALL THE TIME God is good!!!

After a leisurely (*sarc), stay in a one star hotel called “Big Fish”, Jonah came to the conclusion that you can’t run from God nor should you. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said, “I called out of my distress to the Lord, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. Jonah 2:1-2

With just a little bitterness left toward his calling to Nineveh, “Those who regard vain idols Forsake their faithfulness, But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving”… Jonah was ready to obey, “That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.” Jonah 2:8-9

And there was REVIVAL in the land of Nineveh!

Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it. Jonah 3:5,10 

One would think that obedience AFTER the meltdown would bring renewed joy… again one would sometimes be wrong… But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. Jonah 4:1

He obeyed but he also POUTED about it. He prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” Jonah 4:2-3

REALLY!? In order to forestall God’s grace and compassion, “Let me die, now!”.

As a parent, I guarantee I would not have been as patient or gracious as God was with Jonah and IS with all of His children. The Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?” Jonah 4:4 

Jonah’s answer? He went off and pouted some more. God went with him and provided a huge plant for shade. God also provided a worm to ruin the plant and therefor the shade He provided, which caused Jonah more pity for the little Pity Party he was enjoying(?). He became angry about the plant… Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” Jonah 4:9 

A GOOD REASON… The difference between God and us…

Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” Jonah 4:10-11 Mmmm… sound familiar? My way or God’s way? My will or God’s will? My love or God’s love?

If you ever find yourself having a meltdown over what God, your Father has asked you to do, consider two important TRUTHS… !) It’s Not Always About You! And the second one… You can run but God will still be with you!

Jonah had his own opinion about how God should proceed. Might have been a little better had he taken his opinion captive and replaced it with God’s Word…

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. 

And all God’s people say… THANK GOD!!!!!!!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.