  When I first read Jonah I couldn't help but laugh. It's not that its a funny story but it's picturing a person literally running away from God to a different town called Tarshish because he didn't want to go to a town called Ninevah like God told him.
The story goes (in my own words from reading it)... God told Jonah to go to Ninevah to cry against it because it was wicked and agaist God. So he went to Joppa and found a ship that was going to Tarshish to flee from God(but nobody can flee from God of course) so he paid the fare. Then a great wind was in the sea that could break the boat. So the ship men wanted to find out who was causing the evil so they asked Jonah where he was from and other questions. Since Jonah told the men that he was fleeing from God they said what should we do to cast the evil away? Then jonah said "Cast me into the sea," so the sea will be calm for you. Before doing something like that they tried to row to land but the sea and wind was to strong.
So the men asked God what they should do, so they threw Jonah overbored and The wind stopped. Then a fish swallowed up Jonah and he was in the belly of it for 3 days and 3 nights............ and that was just chapter 1 and you can read the rest. Chapter 2-4 then it ends. The story just tells you that you can never run away from God. 
