You cannot run away from the Lord.

Jonah was called to go and preach again Nineveh wickedness, but instead RAN away from the Lord (“so he thought”).

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 1:3

*He even paid his own FARE to facilitate his running away* Some are looking for this fare to take the Gospel to today’s Nineveh (World)***

*He doesn’t want to leave Israel and be a missionary in Nineveh – some people don’t want to leave the church comfort and go into the market places.

v 4 God causes a shake up to his comfort through a mighty storm that shook the ship – notice in v5, how deep in sleep he was. (Comfort zone).

A chaplain evangelist must be willing to leave his comfort.

* Oh Jonah, people are calling on gods who are not God and you are sleeping instead of calling on the true God you are running away from; v 9 – The LORD you worship, God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land?***

How many times do we see people calling on gods who cannot answer and we don’t direct them to the God of heaven, who made the dry land and the sea?

When we run away from God, we cause trouble for others. In v 7, they cast lots to find out who was responsible for causing this TROUBLE.

God still used Jonah – not in his comfort but in the rough and wild waters – The people who had called on gods now in v14 call on the LORD and in v16 they fear and even make vows to him. They had seen God’s salvation, and we can say they were saved for they feared him and called on his name.

From on board a shop to onboard a fish

In v17 we see God providing a huge fish to use Jonah to take salvation message to Nineveh.

God provides the means, and commands any creature to facilitate in mission work* He commanded ravens to facilitate in Elijah’s mission, a donkey to thwart Balak’s wicked Mission, a dove as a sign to Noah and, upon Christ to signify the Holy Spirit.

Jonah had an attitude, personal entitlement to salvation – but in 2:9, he confesses he will say “salvation belongs to God”.

Not to us to decide where we shall proclaim it, but ours is to proclaim it

An evangelist arrived in Nineveh dry land from on board a fish – 2:10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

* The evangelist and the Gospel can arrive by the most unexpected means or Model – of importance, he and the Gospel arrive to ‘Nineveh’

Jonah has experienced God’s power and has surrendered his will to him.

God doesn’t get tired of reminding him, the mission for Nineveh: GO!

“Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah 3:2

v3 He now obeys – realizes it’s God’s mission not his.

For how long shall we try to hinder God’s mission, through our own opinions***

Three days (3:3) of an Evangelist walking in the streets, brought revival to a whole city.

The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

Jonah 3:5

How simple the message was – not complicated – v4 Forty more days and Nineveh will be other overthrown.

*Gospel message is not complicated*

The Harvest was Ripe. The king upon hearing Jonah message decreed:

This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

Jonah 3:7 – 9

God saved them from judgement:

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah 3:10

In chapter 4:1 Jonah becomes angry for Ninevites repentance (When we feel entitled to who receives God’s mercy or not, that becomes a source of frustration)

v2 He confesses this was actually the reason he was running away! For he knew God is compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and relents from sending calamity.

It’s God’s Gospel, not ours.

v3 Jonah was feeling it’s better to die than see Nineveh salvation

v4 God tells  him  he doesn’t have to be angry – through the teaching of the plant which sprouted overnight and gave Jonah shade and withered the following day – God was reminding Jonah – I have mercy on who I have mercy, salvation is mine not yours – just like you have enjoyed shade from a leafy plant you didn’t tend or make grow, the Ninevites will receive salvation they didn’t work for. v 5-11

And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

Jonah 4:11

The evangelist must rather rejoice that 120,000 people have repented…. angels rejoice too – come on Jonah.