Comunidad y discipulado

Running From God

2026.09.20Harold Kim요나 1:1~16

Whether we run from God as rebels or as religious people, he pursues us in love. We stop running when we see that Jesus, thrown overboard in our place, runs after us.

God calls Jonah to a great yet evil city

Around 760 BC the word of the Lord came to Jonah: go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria and the fierce enemy of the Jewish people. God gave no explanation, only an order. Nineveh's evil was intolerable, yet God called it great. It was not great for its economy, size, or military might, but because its people are precious to him. God hates evil and will judge it, but the same God loves to save people who do evil.

Busy with activity, yet running from God

Jonah acted at once, but he did the reverse of what God said and fled toward Tarshish, the opposite direction from Nineveh. According to 1 Kings 10:22, Tarshish brought Solomon gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks, so it stood for exotic adventure and luxury. You can do ministry, go on mission trips, become a pastor, and spend a lot of money, and still be running from the presence of the Lord.

The storm is the footsteps of God

God hurled a great storm on the sea, and the ship threatened to break up. Running from God always carries storms into our lives, and the worst thing God could do is let us go. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death, yet the storm is his love pursuing us. Jonah kept going down, to Joppa, into the ship, and into its lowest part to sleep. Running drags us deeper, costs more than we can pay, and keeps us longer than we want to stay.

Unbelieving sailors act more godly than the prophet

The pagan sailors cried out to their gods and threw the cargo overboard, as God had thrown the storm. The captain's words to Jonah, "Arise, call out," echo God's call in verse 2. The lot fell on Jonah, and Proverbs 16:33 says nothing escapes God's hand. Jonah's fear of the Lord was only lip service, and he asked to be thrown into the sea rather than see his enemies saved. The sailors rowed harder to save him, prayed, and then threw him in. The sea calmed, and they feared the Lord and offered sacrifices and vows.

Worldly grief runs, godly grief returns

Second Corinthians 7:9-10 contrasts godly grief, which leads to repentance, with worldly grief, which produces death. Worldly grief fears the consequences of getting caught, so it runs and slides back to old ways once the feelings fade. Godly grief fears hurting the one who loves us, so it can repent and return. Jonah was on the run with worldly grief. There are two ways to run from God, as a rebel or as a religious person, and Jonah did both.

We stop running when Jesus runs after us

Jonah 1 is about God getting to Jonah first, and about God converting the rebellious, religious heart inside him. We stop running when we see that Jesus runs after us. He came aboard the ship of humanity, perfectly innocent, and volunteered to be thrown into the raging sea of God's wrath. He took what we deserve so that we can receive what he deserves. When we cry out his name, the storm calms and salvation is here. As Bono sings, he spends his time running after us.

Apply to Life

  • Let us ask whether we run from God as rebels or by hiding behind religious activity.
  • Let us see the storms in our lives as the footsteps of a God who loves us and pursues us.
  • Let us ask whether our sorrow over sin is worldly grief that fears consequences or godly grief that fears hurting the one who loves us.
  • Let us stop running, call on the name of Jesus, and return to him.
  • Let us see even our enemies as precious to God.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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