(Jonah 1:1-2) Our refusal to follow God’s command does not change His command. Jonah hears God’s call (1-2) The Word of the Lord Jonah, the son of Amittai God tells Jonah Where, What, and Why Jonah hears clear instructions (2) Get up You cannot go with God and stay where you are Must cooperate with God Go to Nineveh Built by Nimrod Pagan Goddess worshipped Today is Mosul (East bank of the Tigris river, 220 miles north of modern Bagdad and over 50o miles northeast of Israel) Defined by God as “that great city” Hebrew word “gadal” 14 times in Jonah Call out against it God calls Jonah to inform them they were accountable to a Holy God, Yahweh Because God will bring judgement and He desires repentance Their evil has been noticed by the Holy God Hebrew word “ra’ah” Can mean evil, disaster, or discomfort Found in 1:2,7; 3:8,10; 4:1,2,6 (9 times) Jonah flees to Tarshish (3) Jonah rose up to flee Jonah is displeased because they repented Jonah tells us why in 4:1 (He knew they would repent and God would forgive) Because Jonah had a problem with them. From Moments With the Book, The evil of Nineveh was legendary in ancient times, and it was often experienced firsthand by the Jewish people (see Nahum 3:1-5). Still, at the root of Jonah's unwillingness to go to the citizens of Nineveh was a great hatred for them. They had proven themselves again and again to be the enemies of Israel. To Tarshish (repeated three times) Emphasizes the completeness of Jonah’s disobedience A place far away from Nineveh Jonah “paid the fare” Sin always cost us more than we know “Went down”, “Went on board” same word. Euphemism for death. Each step away from “the presence of the Lord” is a step toward toward death He wishes to escape the “presence of the LORD” Conclusion: How serious do you take your own sinful disobedience? What keeps your from sharing God’s message? What will be your personal response to God’s call for you?