Jonah Boards a Ship to Tarshish
Jonah made his way to the port city of Joppa, determined to run away from the mission God had given him. There, he found a ship preparing to sail to a distant place called Tarshish, which was in the opposite direction of where God had commanded him to go. Desperate to escape, he paid the required fare and boarded the vessel, hoping that by putting distance between himself and his homeland, he could also distance himself from God.
As the ship set sail, Jonah may have felt a sense of relief, believing he had successfully evaded God’s call. Perhaps he thought that by traveling far away, he could disappear from God’s sight and avoid the responsibility placed upon him. However, Jonah failed to understand a fundamental truth—no one can truly run from God. His presence is everywhere, and there is no place, no matter how far, that is beyond His reach.
As Psalm 139:7 beautifully expresses, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” This verse reminds us that no matter where we go, whether to the ends of the earth or the depths of the sea, God is always there. Jonah was about to learn this lesson in a way he never expected.