How do you learn and retain information? Some people learn best by hearing (auditory), others by seeing (visual), and still others by doing (kinesthetic). I am primarily a visual learner and processor. I create charts, color code, and doodle diagrams and designs. There have been many times where my husband has tried to describe something verbally and after a time I give in and say, “Draw me a picture.”

Therefore, it may come as no surprise that I also picture scripture in my mind as I read. I don’t picture the actual words, but the story as it unfolds. The text becomes alive as I imagine scenes, activities, and characters. It is a way in which I experience the scriptures. It’s much like creating a mental movie.

Recently, I have begun to study the book of Jonah as part of the curriculum for a Biblical Hebrew language class. I was surprised to find that my Hebrew mental movie for Jonah was different than my English version. And no, it wasn’t because there were subtitles (ha, ha). The Hebrew actually caught me by surprise and caused me to do a mental double-take.

Here is my literal translation of what God told Jonah in 1:2:

Get up. Go to Nineveh, the great city, and call out against them because their evil has risen to my face.

Now, how does Jonah respond? He runs away, right? The NIV states in verse three, “But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.” Almost all English translations start verse three, which is Jonah’s response, with the word “but”. This immediately cues the reader that Jonah isn’t going to obey the Lord. The reader knows something is wrong before reading a single word of what he actually did. Let’s look again at the first two commands God gave to Jonah:
1. Get up.
2. Go to Nineveh.

Verse three does not begin with “but” in Hebrew. It begins with “and”. This completely changed the picture for me. Picture this response, which is a literal translation for the beginning of verse three:

And Jonah got up – to run away to Tarshish, from the face of the Lord.

Instead of being immediately cued of Jonah’s disobedience, the reader is led into a perception of obedience. This is a picture of God giving a mission to a prophet and the prophet responding obediently, which is exactly what one would expect from a Bible story. But all of a sudden, the story is flipped on its head and the reader realizes the prophet isn’t following the word of the Lord at all! He’s running away! What just happened?! It’s such a jolt it almost causes whiplash.

What did Jonah do?
1. He got up.
2. He went (ran away) to Tarshish.

He appears to be obedient, following the actions of step one. However, it was for a different aim. He had no intentions of following God’s direction, which is quickly exposed in Jonah’s story.

Our walk with the Lord can follow a similar pattern of perceived obedience. This can occur in a number of ways. Perhaps it’s doing something good, but for the wrong motives. It could be helping or giving to someone just to receive recognition or praise. Or perhaps it’s creating a façade of obedience; creating that perfect photo of your quiet time to share on social media, when in fact, it was all about the picture. Other times we start out with the intention of obedience, but then become disillusioned, intimidated or frustrated. All these appear to be obedient, at least for a time. It can be quite shocking to others if the truth is exposed.

God is not shocked because He is not about appearances. He knows the heart. He knows the truth. Our God is a good, loving God. He does not shame, but encourages us on to wholeness. He knows where we are inconsistent. Instead of leaving us, He stays right there with us, helping us to grow and change. I would encourage you to spend some time thinking and talking with God about inconsistencies in your life. He honors a willing heart.

Scriptures for more about inconsistencies:
Matthew 21:28-32
Luke 6:43-49
Matthew 7:21-29
Malachi 1:6-14
Acts 4:33-5:11