[:en]SCRIPTURE: JONAH 1
INTRODUCTION:
Jonah was a prophet called by God to preach repentance to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyria empire. The Assyrians were cruel people who showed no mercy to the Jews. So Jonah ran away from God’s calling because he wanted the destruction of Assyria. He boarded a ship to Tarshish but the Lord sent a great storm causing him to be thrown into the sea and swallowed by a fish. When the fish returned him to land, He went to Nineveh and warned the people about God’s judgment.
“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me. But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, 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” (Jonah 1:2-3)
“The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you” (Jonah 1:11-12)
JONAH FLEES FROM THE LORD
God called Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach because its wickedness is beyond measure. But Jonah tried to flee by boarding a ship bound for Tarshish. The Lord sent a great violent storm that threatened to break up the ship. All the sailors threw cargoes into the sea to tighten the ship but there was no effect. Jonah was into a deep sleep. So, the sailo woke him up and told him to pray to his God. Then they drew lots to determine who was making the trouble. The lot felt on Jonah. Jonah knew it was his fault so he told them to throw him into the water. The sailors were hesitant at first but because the sea grew wilder than before, they threw him into the sea. And the raging sea grew calm. The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah and Jonah was inside the first 3 days and 3 nights.
No one is capable to flee from the Lord. A believer out of fellowship with God can encounter a great deal of trouble. Let us learn not to ran away from God but submit to His will.
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