Jonah, where have you been?

I heard a Christian comedian some time ago and he was talking about how Jonah had fled from God and gotten swallowed by a whale. Then, after 3 days in his belly, the whale spit him up on dry ground. The comedian said that Jonah went home to Mrs. Jonah who began to question him. "Jonah, where have you been?" "You are a mess!" "What happened to you? You left here last Tues and you are just now getting home"! Of course, we know that isn't exactly the way things went, but it makes for some humorous dialogue. Let's go back to good ol' Jonah and see just what God might have said. "Jonah, where have you been"? "I sent you to Nineveh 3 days ago and look at you now!" God knew exactly where Jonah was, because He was instrumental in the events that transpired during those 3 days. But, had God asked that question of Jonah, it would be have been for Jonah's sake and not for God's enlightenment. And, He would not have been asking about specific details, only to remind Jonah that he was out of God's will and trying to get away from God. God had made His will very plain and specific to Jonah and when he fled from God it was an act of rebellion. God dealt severely with him because this was an act that effected so many more than just him. Later, we will find that Jonah does go to Nineveh and preaches the imminent judgement of God on their sin and hundreds of thousands are saved. You see, there was a lost world waiting for Jonah to obey God. Now, when God makes His will plain to you, does God have to come back and ask "where have you been"? By the way, when we try to run from God, we too, end up a mess.