An Attitude Like Jonah's Part 1, is based on Jonah 1:1-10 (nkjv).

Jonah was an Israelite who lived during a spiritually dark period of Israel's history. It was for this reason as well as God's love for fallen humanity that the commission was given him to warn the Ninevites that they were going to be destroyed for their sins. In Jonah's mind, this was a mistake.

The city of Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. One Biblical writer described it as "the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery; its victim never departs". He goes on to say that nearly everyone has been "continually" affected by Nineveh's wickedness, Nahum 3:1,19. "Why," questioned Jonah, "does God want me to warn those wicked sinners that they will be destroyed? They aren't going to change. Even so, if they do repent then God won't destroy them and I will look like a liar".

Pride and fear took hold upon Jonah and he attempted to flee from the presence of the Lord. How often we follow in the footsteps of Jonah, refusing to do what God commands because of our lack of faith. Like this stubborn prophet we try to justify our inaction by pointing to our inabilities and weaknesses instead of trusting in Jehovah to empower us.

Once Jonah decided to flee, he immediately traveled to Joppa where he boarded a ship in route to Tarshish, a port city on the coast of the Great Sea. Upon boarding the ship, he settled down and fell asleep. As they sailed towards their destination, the scriptures declare that "the Lord sent out a great wind in the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up." The crew and passengers began to panic and "every man cried out to his god" as they threw everything they could into the sea to lighten the boat, Jonah 1:4,5.

As the waves continued to beat against their vessel, the shipmaster found Jonah fast asleep. He woke him and demanded that he pray to his God for the deliverance of the group. Then the men gathered together to cast lots that they might discover the individual who was responsible for the trouble befalling them. When "the lot fell on Jonah", verse 7, he was asked what occupation he had and where he was from. After Jonah's interrogation, he told them to throw him overboard. Little did he realize that the Lord had arranged for his safe return to the mainland to complete his mission to Nineveh.