Charles Spurgeon Commentary Jonah 1:1-3

"Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and 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 Jehovah." — Jonah 1:1-3 (ASV)

Observe the misconduct of the prophet Jonah. He had a plain command from the Lord, and he knew it to be a command; but he felt that the commission given to him would not be pleasant and honoring to himself, and therefore he declined to comply with it.

We see, from his action, how some, who really know God, may act as if they did not know him. Jonah knew that God was everywhere, yet he rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

What strange inconsistencies there often are even in good men!

Here is one, who is favored with a divine commission—one who knows God, and fears him; yet, for all that, he ventures on the fool's errand of endeavoring to escape from the Omnipresent. He went down to Joppa, which was the port of his country, and he found a ship going to Tarshish.

Learn from this that providence alone is not a sufficient guide for our actions. He may have said, "It was very remarkable that there was a ship there going to Tarshish, just when I reached the port. I gather from this that God was not so very unwilling for me to go to Tarshish."

Precepts, not providences, are to guide believers; and when Christian men quote a providence against a precept—which is to set God against God—they act most strangely. There are devil's providences as well as divine providences, and there are tempting providences as well as assisting providences, so learn to judge between the one and the other.