Jonah: A Lesson To Walk Toward God, Not Away From God

When we think of the book of Jonah, there are two things we may consider: Jonah was swallowed by a “big fish” and the improbability of Jonah surviving three days inside a “big fish.”

Whether Jonah is simply a “fish story” or a “matter of fact” is settled once and for all by Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 12: 40, Jesus says, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Jesus confirms for you and me the events of Jonah as “matter of fact.”

Jonah 1, God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach. Jonah did just the reverse.

He ran away from God and boarded a ship going in the opposite direction. God sent a great wind on the sea; the ship Jonah was on threatened to break up and the sailors were afraid. It didn’t take the sailors long to determine Jonah was responsible for the “calamity” (disaster).

The ship’s captain told Jonah to call on “his” God, maybe He will take notice of us so we will not perish. Jonah told the sailors he worshiped the “God of heaven, who made the sea and dry land.” As the storm on the sea was getting rougher, the sailors asked Jonah, “What should we do to make this sea calm down?” Jonah told the sailors to throw him in the sea and the storm would become calm. Jonah said, “I know this is my fault this great storm has come upon you.”

God gave direction directly to Jonah; Jesus Christ has given us direction for our life. Like Jonah, we choose who we follow, our own desires or Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 64:8 helps us understand our relationship with God, “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” If clay doesn’t do what the potter wants, the potter makes a correction with the clay. The clay can’t rule the potter.

The calamity the sailors and Jonah experienced on the high seas was a spiritual and earthly “collision” of sorts. In Jonah 1:9 and 12, Jonah says he worships the “God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” and acknowledges this is “my fault this great storm has come upon you.” Although Jonah acknowledged he worshiped the “God of heaven,” his actions were not aligned with God’s direction.

The “collision” mentioned above resulted from Jonah saying one thing and doing something very different. He said he worshiped God but his actions were opposite of God’s direction.

Jonah boldly stated who he worshiped and took personal responsibility for the calamity by saying,” I know this is my fault…”. Seems as though there are many life lessons here!

The next time you experience challenging situations or “rough waters” in life, consider it an opportunity to take a page from Jonah 1; boldly state who you worship and if applicable acknowledge the calamity is your fault.

Just as God gave Jonah direction, our direction today from God is found in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

For some of us, it is time to stop walking away from God and start walking down the path of being “reconciled with God.”

Dennis R. Hixson of Fayetteville is a husband, father, teacher, business leader, author and mentor. Currently Dennis teaches an adult Bible class at Prairie Grove Christian Church and Practical Biblical Application class at the Fayetteville Salvation Army, Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program. Send comments and questions to: inmylife4@gmail.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.