Frank S. Page: Worthless Idols

Home » Meditations » Meditations » Frank S. Page: Worthless Idols

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” Jonah 2:8-9

“Jonah herein declares his conviction that Yahweh alone is the source of salvation, and He bestows it upon those who call on Him. On the other hand, those who look to idols miss the grace that could be theirs…Here Jonah dealt with the subject that is the basis of the book, that there is the possibility to forfeit God’s offer of salvation…In the words “salvation comes from the LORD,” Jonah extolled the work of the Lord as Savior. Salvation for the sailors is emphasized in chapter 1, for Jonah in chapter 2, for the Ninevites in chapter 3, and it is the objective of God’s questioning Jonah in chapter 4. Jonah recognized that he deserved death, not deliverance. He then knew, as we do, that no one deserves deliverance. It is an act of mercy by a gracious God.”

Frank S. Page in Amos, Obadiah, Jonah: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (NAC; Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 1995) 251-252.

We have all held on to the wrong hope at times. For some, our worthless idol is wealth, for others it may be possessions or power, and for the rest it comes into view as anything else that is not the one true God. Some still persist in looking to “worthless idols” and, in so doing, miss the grace that could be theirs from the living God.

What does this have to do with generosity? We must not miss the generosity of God revealed in the book of Jonah. He extended grace to the seamen, to Jonah, and to the Ninevites. It flows to all those who come to their senses not as an end of itself, but on the way to others who also need the grace that could be theirs. If you have it, don’t let it stop with you. Someone else needs it.

We live in a world where many cling to worthless idols. If your neighbor or co-worker is holding on to the wrong hope, and you have found help and salvation in the LORD, don’t just let them flounder. The most generous gift you can give them to is the grace that could be theirs. If God can save pagan seamen (see Jonah 1:15-16), He can save anyone!