Why Did Jonah The Prophet In The Bible Run Away From God?
The Bible tells us that the Lord God is slow to anger and full of compassion. He wants all men to repent from their wicked ways and so be saved from sin and death. Everyone who believes in and loves God should know this.
One of God's prophets in the Old Testament, Jonah, knew this so well. He knew that God was so merciful and patient with everyone so that they could come to know His grace. So why did this prophet run away from his assignment?
It's because he knew exactly that God was merciful – even to the people he hated.
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Blatant disobedience
Jonah's story gives us the perfect example of how merciful God is, yet how cruel we Christians could be. We read right at the start of the short book of Jonah what happened when God commanded him to preach to a wicked people:
"Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, "Get up, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it, because their wickedness has come up before Me." But Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found there a ship going to Tarshish. He paid its fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." (Jonah 1:1-3)
God wanted his messenger to bring His message to the people of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. Jonah, however, ran away to a place far away: Tarshish. This place is situated more than 2,500 miles away from Israel, in the direction opposite Nineveh.
Now what made Jonah run so far away, even spending money on his escape?
A vengeful desire
Nineveh is the capital of Assyria. Its people, the Assyrians, have long been a threat to Israel. They are known for their brutality, killing enemy armies and humiliating the people they leave alive.
Such people, no matter how cruel, matter to God. And Jonah knew this! He knew that God would show mercy to Nineveh if they repented, sparing them from His wrath. Jonah likely wanted God to destroy them instead.
But God brought Jonah to Nineveh just the same. We know that God sent a big fish to remind him that He was serious about what He commanded (see Jonah 2). Even still, Jonah's heart didn't change; he wanted Nineveh destroyed.
Jonah did obey God's orders to preach repentance, but waited for God to destroy Nineveh anyway. Merciful as He is, God relented from His anger. (see Jonah 3) This displeased Jonah.
"Now this greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord! Is this not what I said while I was still in my own land? This is the reason that I fled before to Tarshish, because I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in faithfulness, and ready to relent from punishment." (Jonah 4:1-2)
Of course, God rebuked him for his attitude (see Jonah 4:4-11).
God's Heart for all who are His
Friends, God wants all who receive His grace to extend it to others (see Matthew 10:8). He wants all men to be saved, wicked or not (see 1 Timothy 2:4). It's right that we ask Him for His heart and spread His love to all men.
