Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me." But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. (Jonah 1:1-3)
How do you flee from the presence of the Omnipresent? It's a self-answering question - you don't. God doesn't play hide-and-seek. Where's Waldo? How about "where's Jonah?" No. It doesn't work like that and Jonah, as a prophet, knew this well. I don't think he was running scared. I think he was running because of anger, frustration, and rebellion. He wasn't afraid of what God was asking, he was mad about it. God's call didn't fit in with Jonah's agenda.
So Jonah changed his itinerary. Instead of Iraq, he went to Spain, possibly to run with the bulls. The way verse three is worded, it almost sounds like God's presence didn't reach to Tarshish.
I wonder if Jonah thought that God was giving him a way out. I mean, there was a ship available to take him to the western-most part of the (known) world. It must have looked like a blessing to Jonah. Maybe he thought that God was indifferent to his disobedience.
How often do we think this way in our own lives? Do we justify our sins and rebellious attitudes by thinking that God will actually provide a way to escape His conviction? That doesn't sound like a God of infinite love to me.
Sometimes things arise that seem like providence. We probably ascribe to God things that He wants nothing to do with. The truth is this - there are no shortcuts with God. The situations he uses to correct, discipline, and restore us cannot be dodged. He will never bless or honor our disobedience. Providences to the contrary of His word are not from Him.
So here's my heart on this matter --when we disobey God, it's like a chain-reaction. The first time is the hardest. After that, it gets easier to say no to Him. And we won't always recognize the things He is doing. But we won't recognize what Satan is doing either. What seems like a good opportunity may be a trap.
"...for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
(2 Corinthians 11:14)
