Jonah: Big Fish, Bigger GodSýnishorn

God loves all people

Why would Jonah run? “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘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” (Jonah 1:1-3). Running from the Lord, who is everywhere all the time, is about as dumb as Adam and Eve trying to hide from God, who is always behind every tree. Why did Jonah do it?

You might assume he was afraid. After all, Nineveh was known for decapitating, impaling, and peeling the skin off of its enemies. Would you want to march up and down its streets all alone, preaching fire and brimstone? Spoiler alert!—Jonah didn’t run out of fear of being flayed. He ran out of fear that God would forgive. This prophet knew enough about God’s character that if, by some miracle, the people of Nineveh would repent, the Lord would certainly relent. He would save them by grace. That thought—“those people” saved—was so abhorrent that Jonah sprinted in the opposite direction of God’s call.

Is there anyone you know whom you wouldn’t want to be saved? As we journey deeper into the book of Jonah, wrestle with these questions: Who don’t you pray for? Who wouldn’t you share the gospel with? And why? I pray that this book, saturated with God’s love for the world (and you!), inspires you to love the world too.