SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/09/2025 9:32 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “PT-2 “The Prophet’s Defiance”
Bible Reading and Meditation Reference: Jonah 1:3
Message of the verses: “Yet Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, and paid its fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.”
We can see the word “down” in verse three, and it is also used in verse five, so we can understand that Jonah was going down, and perhaps this is a picture of his walk with the Lord as it was going down too. The prophet’s repeated descent illustrated his determination to escape from the Lord, and what he was doing was certainly not what the Lord called for him to do when He called him to be His prophet. MacArthur writes that “The prophet first went down to Joppa, a town just south of modern Tel Aviv. It was the only city in Israel with a natural harbor, thus providing the fastest way to reach Tarshish. The people of Israel were not a seafaring people like those of Tyre (cf. Eze. 27:14-44). But in his determination to disobey, Jonah prioritized speed over safety. He preferred to face the dangers of the open sea rather than follow God’s command.”
It was a Joppa that the prophet found a ship which was going to Tarshish. Instead of obediently journeying northeast over land to Nineveh, Jonah attempted to head west over water. Now a ship going to Tarshish would most likely be a trade vessel that was carrying cargo, and not passengers. “5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.” So, Jonah’s fare was probably very expensive, since he would have taken up space normally reserved for cargo. It is even possible that Jonah chartered the entire ship, since the wording in the Hebrew literally “it’s [the ship’s] wages.” While Jonah may have paid only for a berth on the vessel, it is possible that he actually financed this entire expedition. Rapidly pulling together the large amount of money, bringing it to the port, and then negotiating passage on a cargo ship was no small task. We can see that Jonah went to great lengths not to obey God.
MacArthur then writes “Having secured transport, the fugitive prophet went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. Jonah again went down, this time into the ship. In his continual descent, he attempted to hide himself further from God, again displaying both stubbornness and stupidity (cf. Gen. 3:8, 10).” “8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” “10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’” As the Lord declared in Jeremiah, ‘Am I a God who is near,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and not a God far off? Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?’ declares Yahweh. ‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’ declares Yahweh’ (Jer. 23:23-24). No matter how far Jonah tried to go down, he could not descend beyond God’s reach. The defiant prophet arrogantly assumed he could flee from the presence of Yahweh. That phrase is found at the beginning and the end of verse 3, emphasizing the irrational nature of Jonah’s antics.”
Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today: It surely is not my desire to go down, but to continue to go up in my relationship with the Lord, to allow Him to do what He desires for me to do for the cause of Christ.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to work out what He desires for the treatment for my wife’s cancer battle.
9/9/2025 10:03 AM
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