Pages of Joy // John Greco

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. (Jonah 1:3)

The first thing I noticed was the siren wailing from somewhere behind me. Then, I saw the blue lights flashing in my rearview mirror. I started to pull over, assuming the North Carolina State Trooper was pursuing someone else. To my surprise, he pulled up right behind me on the shoulder.

I began to sweat. I remembered in that moment that my car registration was expired. I had just moved from another state and hadn’t had time to get my new tags. Meanwhile, my old registration had expired. I lowered my window and complied when the officer asked for my license and registration. I waited nervously as he returned to his vehicle and called in my information. A few minutes later, he returned to my window and handed me my documents, along with a warning for speeding.

I was speeding? I thought to myself. I had no idea. Feeling brave, I asked the trooper if my registration was a problem. He smiled and said, “Not in North Carolina, it isn’t.” Because my tag was from another state, he didn’t care that it had expired.

Jurisdiction matters. We understand this when it comes to law enforcement. In the ancient world, though, jurisdiction was a matter of religious importance. You see, people understood that national or territorial gods only had power and authority in their lands. Once you crossed into another god’s territory, your god probably couldn’t help you.

We see this idea played out in the first chapter of Jonah. The prophet was commanded by God to go to Nineveh and preach a message of judgment. Jonah, however, knew that God was gracious and might forgive the Ninevites if they repented. Since the Ninevites were Israel’s sworn enemies, he wanted no part of that. So, Jonah took off in the opposite direction, boarding a boat bound for Tarshish. Foolishly, he thought he could hide from the Lord’s presence by traveling to a distant land. But Yahweh isn’t just any god. He is the Lord of heaven and earth, and every inch of creation is his jurisdiction.

Jonah tried to run from God and learned such is impossible. That’s a good thing. God is our only hope in this life and the next. We need more of His presence, not less of it! Thankfully, He is right there with us, wherever we wander. So, praise Him anytime and anyplace. Call out to him in times of trouble. Be His friend all the days of your life.