Forfeiting Grace

Jonah 2:8-9: "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."



Idolatry is defined as anything that displaces God as first in one's life. It can manifest itself in physical forms like golden, carved images, or it can be the vain pursuits of a hedonistic culture (pleasure, affluence, relationships, etc.). Despite the wide array of manifestations that idolatry can take, its commonality is found ultimately is the satisfaction of "self." Each person who follows after an idol is in reality worshipping himself above all other persons and things (including God).



Jonah spoke the above cited words of truth at a pivotal point in his life. Specifically, he had been called by God to go to the formidable, pagan city of Nineveh and proclaim Divine judgment upon them if they would not repent of their sins against the Lord. Jonah would have nothing to do with God's summons. He fled as far as he could away from Nineveh; in fact, he boarded a boat bound for the distant land of Tarshish. We don't know the complete motivation for his refusal to go to the town of Nineveh . . . it could be because these people were ruthless, even skinning alive those whom they considered their enemies. Maybe the motivation was mere disdain for these pagans . . . maybe Jonah thought that these Assyrians were unworthy of his time (certainly, this seems likely given Jonah's response in 4:1-4). In response to Jonah's rebellion, the LORD brought judgment upon the prophet. After Jonah boarded the boat and headed out into the Mediterranean, the Lord brought such a violent storm that "the ship threatened to break up" (1:4). The experienced sailors knew that this storm was greater than any they had experienced before, and they cried out to their own gods seeking deliverance. When Jonah confessed that his sin was the reason for the storm, the soldiers decided to throw the prophet overboard to appease the Lord.


Jonah was tossed about the turbulent waves for an extended period of time; we know this from Jonah's own later account of his experience: "the currents swirled about me; all your (God's) waves and breakers swept over me . . . . The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head . . . . When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD." Jonah found himself in a setting that gave him time to reflect upon his previous response to the Lord; the prophet was now able to see the futility of his disobedience.

As Jonah was beaten by the raging waters crashing around him, he remembered the most important truth of life: Grace is afforded by God to those who refuse to cling to worthless idols. In other words, to those who surrender to God as his Lord, God brings salvation; to those who would chose himself over God, he will forfeit the grace that could be his.



Jonah learned the hard way to submit to the Lord. Let us learn from his life experience and his spoken words of truth to be a people surrendered to the One True God as our personal Lord and Savior.