You Can't Hide From God

Jonah 1:3 

"But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, 

and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so

he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with

them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD."

    Tarshish was a Phoenician mining town (located in modern day Spain) which was situated on the western extremity of the trade routes of the ships of Tyre. Study has shown that the Tarshish Navy, was a specialized "refinery fleet" primarily responsible for transporting refined metal fro Solomon's mining operations. The "three years" journeys were the exceptions, when the ships went south along the African coast gathering the exotic cargoes mentioned, and trading the iron and copper of Solomon's mines. "For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks," (1Kings 10:22).

    Now Nineveh was the east of Israel. in other words, Jonah was going as far as he could in the opposite direction from the place God had sent him. But we must notice in the verse, the phrase "from the presence of the Lord,"  referring to Jonah's attempt to escape from the will of God. 
    My Friends, how many times in our own walk with God have we turned in the other direction and try to escape from the place God has sent us. I believe that most of us has tried to hide from God at least once or maybe more. But like Jonah we know in our hearts that God will find us where ever we escape to; because like Jonah we feel that in leaving the place where God has called us, God would no longer desire us to attend to His calling. It is often the misconception of God's people today that there are some places where God is more evident than others. In the same manner, they feel that if they go far enough away from these places of God's "presence," He will no longer seek to use them. It might not be by a big fish in which God retrieves you, "But you can't hide from God."    
Amen!

Reading: Jonah Chap 1
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry