5. What commission was given to Jonah, and how did he react?

⁵ Jonah served as a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel in the days of King Jeroboam II, son of Jehoash. (2 Kings 14:23-25) One day, Jehovah commanded Jonah to leave Israel and travel to Nineveh, the capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire. His assignment? To warn its inhabitants that their great city was going to be destroyed. (Jonah 1:1, 2) Instead of following God’s direction, Jonah ran away! He boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, far away from Nineveh.​—Jonah 1:3.

 9. When a violent storm threatened the mariners, what qualities did Jonah display?

⁹ Reluctant to obey Jehovah’s command, Jonah boarded a ship that carried him farther and farther away from his assignment. Nevertheless, Jehovah did not give up on his prophet or arrange for someone to replace him. Instead, Jehovah acted to bring Jonah to his senses. God caused a violent storm to come up at sea. The ship carrying Jonah was tossed about by the waves. Innocent men were about to perish, all because of Jonah! (Jonah 1:4) How would Jonah react? Not wanting the sailors aboard the vessel to lose their lives on his account, Jonah told them: “Lift me up and hurl me into the sea, and the sea will become still for you.” (Jonah 1:12) He had no reason to think that when the mariners finally did throw him overboard, Jehovah would rescue him from the sea. (Jonah 1:15) However, Jonah was willing to pay the ultimate price so that the sailors would not perish. Do we not see displayed here the qualities of courage, humility, and love?