The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Arise, go to the great city of Nineveh and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me."

God was sending Jonah with a message. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel's enemy. It was a huge and very wicked city. God wanted to give them a chance to repent.

But Jonah didn't want to go. He didn't like the people of Nineveh. They were enemies of Israel! Why would God want to save them?

So Jonah decided to run from God. He arose to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

But can anyone really run from God? God sees everything and is everywhere!

The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. The mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them.

But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship, lay down, and was fast asleep. How could he sleep in the midst of such a terrible storm?

The captain came to him and said: "What do you mean sleeping? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish."

The sailors said to one another: "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us."

They cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him: "Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?"

Jonah answered: "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

The men were terrified! Jonah told them that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord.

They said to him: "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.

Jonah said: "Pick me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you."

The men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

Finally, they cried out to the Lord: "O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you."

Then they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. As soon as Jonah fell into the water, the sea became completely calm!

The men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. Those pagan sailors began to worship the true God because of what they saw!

But Jonah didn't die! The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Imagine that! Inside the belly of a huge fish, in the dark, alone. For three days and three nights Jonah was in there. He had nowhere to run now. He could no longer avoid God.

From the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:

"I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me. All your waves and your billows passed over me."

"The waters closed in over me to take my life. The deep surrounded me. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God!"

Jonah prayed, thanked God for saving him, and promised to obey:

Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Jonah was free! God had given him a second chance.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time: "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you."

This time, Jonah obeyed! He arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.

Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

It was a simple and direct message. God was going to destroy the city because of its wickedness.

And you know what happened? The people of Nineveh believed God! They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The word reached the king of Nineveh. He arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. The king decreed: "Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water. Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands."

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Nineveh was spared! God had mercy on that huge, wicked city because they repented. This shows how merciful God is - He gives chances, forgives, saves!

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. He said: "O Lord! Is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster."

Jonah had run away precisely because he knew God was merciful and might forgive Nineveh!

Jonah's story teaches us:

- We cannot run from God

- God always gives second chances

- We should obey God, even when we don't understand

- God loves and has mercy on everyone, not just us

- True repentance brings forgiveness

Jonah learned, in a very dramatic way, that God is sovereign, merciful, and must be obeyed. And Nineveh learned that the true God is powerful and forgiving.