Describe the experience of Jonah as he fled from the presence of God to Tarshish

God called Jonah and sent him to declare to the people of
Nineveh that their wickedness had gone up before Him. Jonah tried to flee to
Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, but Jonah’s flight was cut short by a
storm sent by the Lord from whom no one could escape. The mariners were afraid
and each cried to his god and threw their wares in the ship into the sea to
lighten it. Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and was fast
asleep. The captain of the ship challenged him for sleeping and for not calling
on his God. They cast lot and it fell on Jonah. The captain questioned him over
his action, nationality and calling and Jonah revealed that he was a Hebrew
fleeing from the Lord.

Jonah, at his request, was thrown into the sea. Already, God had
appointed a great fish to swallow him up and he stayed in the fish’s belly for
three days and three nights. Jonah prayed to the Lord from the belly of the
fish and the Lord asked the fish to spew out Jonah to the dry land.

Lessons learnt from Jonah’s flight include:  

• God is
  omnipresent, not confined to a certain place. 
• Men cannot run away from
  God. 
• God has a way of making man comply with His will.