Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
-Jonah 1:8-9 (ESV)

As a fierce storm is arising, we find the prophet Jonah on a boat being questioned by its sailors. They ask about his identity, his job, his background. And Jonah replies: I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.

What Jonah fails to mention, however, is that he is a passenger on that very ship because his God told him to go to Nineveh and deliver a message to its people. Knowing that God was full of mercy and compassion, Jonah instead flees in the opposite direction to Tarshish, hoping to avoid the mission and escape God’s presence.

There’s some considerable irony going on here that’s easy to miss.

Look at Jonah’s words again… “I fear the LORD… who made the sea…” Really, Jonah? Are you sure about that? The same God you’re running from?! The same sea you’re trying to run away by?!

Jonah’s actions could be justified if fearing God meant being literally scared of him. But the fear of God in its most genuine form encompasses worship, obedience, and respect. So saying you fear someone but running from them at the same time is a total contradiction!

We all have our Jonah moments too, regrettably. We say one thing while doing the utter opposite. Too often, the words of our lips don’t match the actions of our lifestyle…

  • Yes! I love the Lord! But don’t tell anyone about how I cheat, lie and steal to succeed in work/school.
  • Yes! I am a follower of Jesus Christ! But we gotta keep my true racist colors covered up, please.
  • Yes! God is #1 in my life! But let’s stay hush-hush about my adultery and addictions.

When you talk out of both sides of your mouth, it’s completely hypocritical. If you really fear God, you don’t run from him. If you really believe he made the seas, you don’t use it as your escape route.

You may say you worship Jesus… But do your actions say otherwise?