Jonah ran away from the Lord.
—Jonah 1:3
God ordered Jonah to “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it.” Jonah didn’t cotton to the assignment. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel’s despised enemy.
So Jonah hightailed it in the opposite direction—went to Joppa, found a ship sailing for Tarshish, bought a ticket and scampered aboard.
We’re not spectators in this story; we are participants. The assignment stinks: a call to love someone we don’t like; to submit to someone we can’t stand; to help someone we don’t think deserves it.
So we avoid the assignment and hotfoot it to Tarshish, distancing ourselves from God.
Jonah became fish food. Running away from God always ends badly.
When God says do it, never say no.