Jonah Chapter 1:1-10 Ignoring God Has Consequences

Jonah 1:1-10

The book of Jonah has to be one of the most interesting books in the Bible. It’s also one of the most relatable - as we can all find some of Jonah in ourselves.

Really, this book helps shed a lot of additional clarity into who God is, how He works, and what He desires for us:

• God’s grace is greater than ours - whether we want to believe it or not

• God may call us to more than a message of love & grace, but of warning

• God is not held back or limited by the science and nature of this world

• God is moved by a humble, repentant heart & acts that display it

• God disciplines those who ignore His words & calling

In this first study we'll read about God's calling to warn, and God's discipline when we ignore Him.

Jonah 1:1-2

To begin chapter 1 we find God calling to Jonah. God asks Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and warn them of their coming judgment for their wrong doings, because God has seen them.

God Doesn't Judge Without Warning

God sending out His people to warn both individuals and entire nations about their coming judgment is a common practice we see throughout the scripture. God does not keep His coming judgments a secret (Jeremiah 44:4-6, Amos 3:7). The scriptures actually explain that God desires for us to repent before any judgment is needed (2 peter 3:9, etc.). In other words, the warnings God issues through people such as Jonah are based on His grace and mercy toward us.

No matter what anyone says - God desires to forgive us, and desires for us to live before anything else. Always know that you can turn to God, repent, and be saved from judgment - gaining life for eternity in heaven (2 Chronicles 7:14, John 3:16-17)

Sin & Its Side Affects

Jonah 1:3-10

When God calls on Jonah to warn Nineveh about their coming judgment Jonah actually runs and even tries to hide from God.

Jonah's choice to run from God's calling points out two characteristics most of us can find very relatable:

• Afraid To Share God's Words

How often does God clearly call on us to share His words with someone and we try to avoid it? For many of us it is our first instinct - especially when it comes to talking about "sin" and the judgment it causes.

Remember, God may not be audibly calling on us, but His scriptures hold His personal callings on our lives. In other words, anytime we ignore what God has instructed us through the scriptures, we ourselves are being Jonah.

• Believing We Can Hide From God

In Jonah's effort to avoid sharing God's words with Nineveh he runs and seems to try to hide from God as he ventures off to sea. However, there is no getting away from God - God never lost sight of Jonah.

It's easy to think Jonah was being ridiculous for trying to escape God - we all know that's impossible right? Then why do we find ourselves so often sinning in "secret"? Is it because we also think that God can't see our thoughts, where we've gone, or what we do when no one else is around? Maybe we simply do not fear God, or maybe we believe His grace will cover our sins one way or the other (Romans 6:1-2). Well, no matter what our personal thinking is - we need to be honest with ourselves and know there is no hiding from God.

Now, what were the repercussions for Jonah's ignoring of God's calling?

Jonah fleeing from God leads him to being stranded in a boat at sea, no land or escape around, as storms thrash him about. How many of us have found ourselves in the same place? We ignore what God has called us to do in the scriptures through His laws, commands, and the example His Son Jesus set for us, and we end up in chaos.

Sin is messy, and not only has an amazingly negative impact on our own lives, but also it negatively spills over and affects those around us as well. Here in these verses we see that Jonah was not alone on that boat, but was with others who were also fearing for their lives due to the storm Jonah's sin caused.

It's amazing when you sit back and think about the pain and trouble the sin in your own life has caused - leading us to ask ourselves "what if you didn't get drunk that night", "what if you didn't have that affair", "what if you hadn't lied", the list goes on and on.

What's even more amazing is to think about the impact our sins have had on those who were unfortunate enough to be near it: mass shootings; sexual violence; hit by a drunk driver; family torn apart through drug addiction; and again the list goes on and on.

So if instead of running from God, we all sat and listened, and then followed Him - how much pain and chaos could be avoided for not only us, but also everyone around us? How many of us, if we didn't run from God, but followed Him, could potentially help save an entire nation from judgment like Jonah with Nineveh?

Wrap Up

Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have been called by God just as Jonah - only God called us through His words in the scriptures.

We also have the same trajectories in front of us as Jonah. We can save others by sharing God's message with them, or we can run from God and cause a storm for not only ourselves but also for all of those around us.