So He Paid

Jonah 1:3, “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he 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 the Lord.”

Jonah was given a command from God that he didn’t want to obey. He was told to go and preach to the wicked city of Ninevah, but he decided to sail the other way instead. The Bible says that Jonah paid the fare, but Jonah was going to be paying much more than the fare. He would pay for his sin by facing the consequences. He would be swallowed by a whale.

If we choose the sin, we will also pay by suffering the consequences. There is not hiding our sin. Jonah tried that by sailing to the other side of the known world and hiding in the bottom of the boat, but God knew where he was. Achan tried to hide his sin by burying it in the sand, but God knew where it was. Numbers 32:23 says, “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.” Do not think that you are an exception. The path of sin is not a desirable path. James 1:15 says, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” If we choose to sin, we must pay. It’s been said that you can choose your sin, but you cannot choose your consequences. Save yourself the heartache and pain and obey God. Do what the Lord would have you to do, so you do not have to pay like Jonah did.