It is often difficult for us to know whether God is leading us in a particular direction or whether we are merely following our own inclinations. Even when we know that God is leading, we sometimes have difficulty understanding just exactly what He is trying to say to us. Many times we seem to recognize God’s leading only in retrospect. But God understands our weakness. In the book of Proverbs it says, “If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this;” doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?” (Proverbs 24:12) It is a mark of God’s grace that He doesn’t judge people for not doing something that they didn’t have a reasonable opportunity to find out about. Jonah, however cannot use this as an excuse for his behavior. “Now the word of Yahweh [that is, God] came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”” (Jonah 1:1-2) Please notice the following five things: 1) There was no doubt about who was speaking – God himself gave the message. 2) There could be no mistaking to whom the message was directed – it was explicitly given to Jonah. 3) Jonah was told precisely where to go – to the city of Nineveh. 4) He was told exactly what to do when he got there – to preach against the city. 5) He was given the reason for the command – because it was a wicked city.
“But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.” (Jonah 1:3) The message to Jonah was very clear. Why then did he disobey? The fundamental reason for deliberate disobedience always is that we choose to harden our hearts. As it says in Psalms, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Psalm 95:7b-8 NIV)
Perhaps at this point you are thinking, “But, I am not a prophet. How can I hear God’s voice?” The key is wanting to do God’s will. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God, or if I am speaking from myself.” (John 7:17) God communicates in many different ways, but we will mention just two of them. One way that God speaks to us today is through the words that He has already revealed to His prophets. In the book of 2 Peter 1:20-21 it says, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” This is why it is so important for us to regularly read and study the Bible. As it says in Psalms, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
Another way that God speaks is through His Holy Spirit. The same Spirit through whom God spoke to the prophets, is living in each Christian. As the scripture says, “Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) In another place it is written, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16-18) But whether God speaks to us through His Word, His Spirit or some other means, it is essential that we do not harden our hearts to His message as Jonah did.
Now let’s consider the results of disobedience. In Jonah 1:4-10 it says:
“But Yahweh [that is, God] sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty storm on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was laying down, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us, so that we won’t perish.” They all said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?” He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.” Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.”
One of the tragedies of hardening one’s heart is that we become insensitive to what is going on. Where we once were able to clearly hear Gods “still small voice” we are now unaware of the hurricane that is threatening our destruction. It seems incredible that Jonah could be totally oblivious to what was happening, yet while the ship is in danger of breaking up around him, he is deep in slumber. We should learn a lesson from this. Do we often find ourselves in unexpected trouble? Is it difficult for us to hear God’s voice? If so, it might be that we have ignored or refused what God has already told us.
Notice too, how callous Jonah is to the other men caught up in this situation. He shows no anxiety or concern for them. In verse 12 Jonah says, “I know that because of me this great storm is on you,” yet shows no sorrow or remorse either for what he has done or for the loss and damage he has occasioned. The idea is prevalent in much of modern society that it’s alright to do whatever you like as long as it doesn’t hurt somebody else. Unfortunately, there is no sin that doesn’t harm others. If our sin does not bring actual harm to someone, then it at least withholds some good, that would have been theirs if we had not sinned. Jonah’s sin caused major financial loss and put lives in jeopardy. The fact that God brought great good out of the situation does not alter the fact that other people were badly hurt. Each one of us should ask ourselves if we too have become hard like Jonah. Do we care about the hurt our sin causes other people?
Disobedience also destroys our prayer life. How astonishing that a prophet of God has to be admonished by a pagan sailor to pray! One would think that the very shame of the situation would have caused Jonah to repent. But this didn’t happen. Jonah did not begin to pray again until he was on the verge of drowning. In chapter two, verse seven he says, “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you LORD, and my prayer rose to you…” (NIV) Do we wait to pray to God until our life is almost gone? How much better to repent and enlist God’s help before our lives are in danger!
Another lesson we can learn from Jonah is that our example and testimony to unbelievers is ruined by our disobedience. We need to be very careful that the way we live matches what we say. Scripture asks a very important question: “You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “You who glory in the law, through your disobedience of the law do you dishonor God? For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you…”” (Romans 2:23-24) How incredibly absurd for Jonah to claim to worship the God who made the sea and land and yet try to run away from Him! Surely he was aware of Psalm 139 where it is written, “Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol [that is, the grave], behold, you are there!” (Psalm 139:7-8) But knowledge and faith are two different things. Sin will always expose our inconsistencies and foolishness. Perhaps Jonah knew that he could not hide from God, but thought that he could disrupt God’s plan. Perhaps he thought that by running away God’s message would never get to Nineveh or would get there too late to avert its destruction. In that case he should have paid more attention to what is written in Proverbs 21:30: “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh.”
Jonah ran from God. But he discovered that while you can turn your heart away from Him, it is impossible to escape from Him.