I 'm currently preaching a series on the OT book of Jonah.

The main themes of Jonah include forgiveness, obedience and the power of God.  God called Jonah to go and preach word of repentance and hope to the Ninevites but Jonah got into a boat and headed the other way.  He ran away from God’s clear call because he couldn't believe that God would even consider offering forgiveness to his enemies.   Jonah struggled with the compassionate, forgiving heart of God.

Some lessons we can learn from Jonah’s disobedience:
-The road to Joppa was downhill:  you remember Jonah went to the port city of Joppa to buy a ticket to get out of town.  When a person is running from God, the road at first is downhill and seems easy.  The road we travel to follow Jesus is often narrow and difficult and uphill; it goes against our fallen nature and secular culture but the end result of obeying God is love, joy, peace and eternal life.  The road away from God may appear peaceful at first: the seas may be calm, the ship is loaded and ready to sail to a distant port, life is good,  but a storm will eventually come and turn our world upside down.  The road away from God may begin downhill but eventually it leads us into a powerful life storm that will stop our world cold.

-Jonah in his disobedience paid full fare but never reach his destination:  he paid for a ticket to Tarshish in Spain but he never got there.  Before he arrived he was thrown into the ocean by the sailors.  That’s the nature of running from God.  We pay full fare but never get there.  The Bible puts in simply:  “the wages of sin is death.”  The idea is that Satan and the world offer us fun, freedom, adventure but what we get is addiction, despair and death.  My own experience with disobedience and sin is that I’m always left feeling empty and miserable.

-Disobedience hardens our heart. Every time we hear from God and don’t obey, our hearts become more hard and less responsive to the Spirit's call.   Jonah probably knew of Psalm 139 where it says, “Where can I go from your Spirit and where can I flee from your presence, O God?”  The Psalmist concludes: there’s nowhere I can go, O God, that you wont' find me.  Jonah knew what he trying to do was futile but the nature of disobedience is that we get to a point where we can can’t see or feel what is right and we don’t care what God thinks.  We’re going to do what we want and not even God is not going to stop us.  Every time you hear from God and don’t respond, your soul dies a little.  Our prayer has to be:  God open my eyes and help me see the world as it is and not jusd as I want it to be.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto went camping in the woods. After they got their tent all set up, both men fell sound asleep. Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, 'Kemo Sabe, look towards sky; what you see?' The Lone Ranger replies, 'I see millions of stars.'  'What that tell you?' asked Tonto.   The Lone Ranger ponders for a minute then says, Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Theologically, the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What's it tell you, Tonto?'  'You dumber than buffalo. Someone stole tent.'   You may be looking to the skies and have no clue what is going on around you.  Be wise. Open your eyes and see with the eyes of Jesus.

-Disobedience seeks isolation:  Jonah went as far away from Israel as he could.  He wanted to get away from anything or anyone that might remind him of God and God’s call on his life.  Tarshish was most likely on the far coast of Spain.  Ninevah was east.  Tarshish was west.  When people are running from God they stay as far away from church, from Christians, from the Bible and Christian music as they can.  You’ve heard old line: “Don’t confuse me with the facts.”  Jonah didn’t want anyone or anything to confuse him with the truth. 

-The story of Jonah also teaches us that in the midst of our disobedience, God is all powerful.  He takes even our disobedience and uses it to advance his Kingdom and his purposes on this planet. Read Romans 8: 28. God has created reality so that a person who tries to live without him will find themselves more and more confined and less free,  more miserable and less happy.   God lets us hit bottom that we might finally look up.  Jonah will find himself adrift at sea and then swallowed by a whale.  God will move us to a point of solitary confinement that we might open our eyes, pray from our hearts and receive his love.