Jonah 1:3—“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”

Jonah’s disobedience was deliberate. God had plainly commanded him, “Arise, go to Nineveh” (Jonah 1:2), but Jonah set out in the opposite direction. Nineveh lay to the northeast; Tarshish was far to the west. Jonah was not confused about God’s will, but he was resisting it.

Jonah’s determination to flee is evident in the deliberate steps he took. He went down to Joppa, found a ship sailing to Tarshish, paid the required fare, and boarded it “to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD”. He deliberately arranged his journey in the opposite direction from the place to which God had sent him. 

Twice this verse says that Jonah sought to flee “from the presence of the LORD”. The expression therefore describes Jonah’s attempt to withdraw from the place and service to which God had called him. He wanted to escape the responsibility God had laid upon him.

Yet, God did not abandon His disobedient servant. He sent the storm, prepared the great fish, and brought Jonah back to obedience. Divine chastening was an expression of sovereign mercy.

Believers must therefore beware of resisting God’s revealed will. We cannot escape His eye, His authority, or His purpose. Obedience may sometimes be difficult, but fleeing from God is never the safer path. Blessed is the believer who says, “Teach me to do thy will” (Psalm 143:10).