A Great Commission
Interestingly enough, this is the point at which the book starts. For it begins with a commission to Jonah and with Jonah's refusal to heed it, In other words, the book of Jonah begins with a formal expression of God's sovereign will and with a man's determined opposition. We read, "The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.' 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" (verses 1-3).