Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Jonah 1 Devotional

No Ticket Far Enough

““I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.””Jonah 1:9 (BSB)

God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against its wickedness, and Jonah gets up and heads the opposite way, paying his fare to sail as far from the LORD's presence as he can (1:2-3). The chapter traces his path downward: down to Joppa, then down into the lowest part of the ship to sleep (1:3, 1:5). But the LORD hurls a great wind onto the sea (1:4). Jonah can buy a ticket. He cannot buy distance from God.

The pagan sailors pray while the prophet sleeps. Jonah tells them he worships the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land (1:9), the very God he is fleeing across that sea. Even here God is merciful. By the end the sailors fear the LORD and offer him sacrifices (1:16), and God has appointed a great fish, not to destroy Jonah but to keep him alive (1:17). The God you cannot outrun is also the God who will not let you go.

To think about: Is there something God has made clear that you have been moving away from instead of toward?

About Jonah 1: Jonah Runs from God

God sends Jonah to warn Nineveh, but the prophet boards a ship for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. The LORD sends a fierce storm, the sailors learn Jonah is the cause, and when they throw him overboard the sea grows still, the crew worships the LORD, and a huge fish swallows Jonah.

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