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The book of Jonah starts with two staccato references to an upward direction. In the second verse of Jonah 1, the prophet is told to arise. He is told to arise because he has a mission from God, himself. He is to confront the wickedness in Ninevah because evil has gone up to God!

 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

However, Jonah’s response is divided. He does arise. But, he arises to flee. (v. 3) In so doing, the idea of going down is emphasized. Jonah’s direction was taking him in a downward spiral!

First, he goes “down” to Joppa. There he finds a ship that is heading in the opposite direction from Ninevah. Not only is it going away from God’s direction, Jonah hired a boat that was bound for the farthest destination away from Ninevah – Tarshish.

Next, Jonah pays the fare for the journey. The Bible records that he, afterward, went “down” into the boat. It is here that we find the prophet asleep (“below” in v. 5) when the storms arose. His descent not only took him away from God’s command, it landed him in an oblivious stupor.

Finally, Jonah sunk down into the depths of the water. As he was drowning, was he thinking about his downward spiral from his lofty perch as a nationally renowned prophet? Did he see his physical plummet as symbolic of a deeper plummet into sin?

Running away from God may seem like a clever plan of self-preservation in the moment. However, Jonah 1 rightly shows that evading God is a plummet into  destruction and disorder. If you have been running and you feel as disconnected as a prophet in the belly of a boat - fast asleep while there are storms all around you - then take this time to wake up, rediscover God's direction in his Word, and turn to him in repentence and belief.