Mission Venture Ministries

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai:  “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh.  Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”  But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish.  He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.  But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.  Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.  But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. (Jonah 1:1-5) 

God included the account of Jonah in the Bible so growing Christians can learn what God expects of His children. Jonah was a servant of God, but he disobeyed the Lord.  God however mercifully reached down and brought Jonah back where he belonged, but it took a major shake-up in Jonah’s life! 

There are consequences when the Lord’s servants disobey, and Jonah’s experiences were all part of the cost of disobedience.   

Part of the cost of disobedience is separation.  Jonah “got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord” (v3).  Of course Jonah couldn’t literally escape from God, but he was separated from fellowship with God.  Deliberate disobedience results in broken fellowship with the Lord. 

Does the Lord seem far away at times?  Is there deliberate disobedience in your life?  In family relationships (Ephesians 5:22­-6:4)?  In forgiving one another (Colossians 6:4)?  In friendship with the world (James 4:4)?  Jesus said, “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them” (John 14:21).  Obedience is the secret to fellowship with the Lord! 

The cost of disobedience also includes the danger of shipwreck (v4).  As believers, we cannot disobey the Lord without paying a price. Perhaps you have a habit, a desire, or a current course of action that you know is against God’s will. Have you considered the cost? The Lord is holy and righteous, and tolerating sin is incompatible with who He is. What’s more, the price for following our own will is high, but if we obey the Lord, He will bless us (Luke 6:38). We can trust in His love for His children, even if we don’t understand exactly what He’s calling us to do, or why. 

Hebrews 12:6 says, “the Lord disciplines those He loves.”  If you’re running away from God, there may be a “great storm” in your life before the power struggle is over.  But if we persist in our disobedience and refuse to humble ourselves, our life of service for Him may end in shipwreck. 

Other lives, in this case the sailors were also endangered because of Jonah’s disobedience (v5).  Are other lives being affected by our own disobedience?  Are there shattered relationships in your family because you refuse to submit to God’s commandments about a faithful marriage and family life?  We build a network of tragedies when we disobey. 

Another point is that the cost of disobedience involves indifference.  Amidst the storm, Jonah was asleep (v5)!  What a picture of the disobedient Christian hardened to the Lord’s claims and commands.  The sailors were struggling for their lives, and Jonah had the answer, but he was taking a nap! 

As Christians, we have the solution to mankind’s struggles, but like Jonah, we’re often unconcerned and indifferent. People all around us are desperately trying to find purpose and direction in this life.  We have the only right answer, but we just go about our own business.  Another disobedience act is holding back from telling others the good news about Jesus because of our indifference to the calling of God’s word. 

It may be hard to obey the Word of the Lord, but it’s better to suffer in obedience than suffer the consequences of disobedience.  If you’ve disobeyed the Lord in some area of your life, repent and confess now.  Our heavenly Father will forgive and restore you completely, just as He did with Jonah. 

You would think a life-threatening storm and a few days in a fish’s belly would shake some sense into a person. Yet that wasn’t the case with Jonah. The final paragraphs of his story reveal a prophet who technically obeyed God but allowed his heart to remain on the run.

Jonah paid a high price for running from the Lord he endured many physical, social, and emotional consequences for trying to ignore God’s instructions even when those events were long past, Jonah still grappled with the spiritual cost of his flight as he lived with anger and a bitterness so strong that he begged God for the relief that death would bring. 

Jonah “paid the price” of disobedience.  Let’s not make the same mistake. 

Please remember that we cannot hide from God. What He wishes to accomplish through us will come to pass, despite all our objections and dragging our feet. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that He has plans for us and will see to it that we conform to those plans. How much easier it would be if we, unlike Jonah, would submit to Him without delay! Therefore, trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

*******