When the Lord comes to the prophet Jonah with a message to take to Nineveh, a singular series of events ensues. From the outset, a pattern of actions and reactions begins between the Lord and this reluctant prophet. Having been previously sent to King Jeroboam with a positive message of Israel's borders expanding (2 Kings) - unlike the messages of rebuke and warning given by Hosea and Amos - Jonah occupied a favoured position in the king's court. He was the pro-Israel prophet - not the doom and gloom guy but the one who brings the words that people like to hear and makes them feel good about being Israel! All that changes though when the Lord tells him to go and call the Assyrians to repentance as well.
When the Word of the Lord comes to Jonah, he responds by running the opposite direction. He goes down to Joppa, down to a ship, and down into the belly of the ship - a repetition signaling his moral descent. The back-and-forth exchange that continues through the rest of the book sees the Lord respond by sending a storm on the ship. And Jonah responds to that by despairing of his life and asking to be cast into the sea. As we learn later in the book, the prophet admits that he would rather die than see his mission through. If he can't escape the Lord in Tarshish, maybe he will in Sheol!
Interestingly, the runaway prophet is contrasted with a crew of superstitious pagan sailors. Unlike Jonah, they are moved to fear the Lord. They cry out to him in their distress and offer sacrifices when he answers. This perplexing juxtaposition leaves us asking questions of our own response! Do we rightly fear the Lord? Do we attempt to dodge his notice? What about if he asks us to do the very last thing we would want to? If he upsets our status? Our comfort? The identity we pride ourselves on? Do we worship the Lord God of Israel and serve him only? Or do we treat him as a means to our own ends?
