Jonah 1:3

"But Jonah rose up 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 its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD."

Key Reflection

Jonah 1:3 depicts Jonah's desperate attempt to evade God’s will by fleeing to Tarshish, a journey that would take him far from Israel and away from the divine presence he sought to avoid. For the original audience, this act was seen as profoundly rebellious, as it represented a willful rejection of Yahweh’s command and an attempt to escape his authority, highlighting Jonah's initial resistance to his appointed mission.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

But (And) Jonah rose up to flee ... from the presence of the Lord -literally “from being before the Lord.” Jonah knew well, that man could not escape from the presence of God, whom he knew as the Self-existing One, He who alone is, the Maker of heaven, earth and sea. He did not “flee” then “from His presence,” knowing well what David saidPsalms 139:7,Psalms 139:9-10, “whither shall I go from Thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall Thy hand lead me and Thy right hand shall hold me.” Jonah fled, not from God’s presence, but from standing before him, as His servant and minister.

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