Study Focus: Job 38–41, Isa. 41:8–14, Jer. 29:1–10, Hab. 1:1–4, Heb. 12:1–13.
Part I: Overview
With postmodernism promoting the deconstruction and revision of concepts and worldviews, many feel the notion and source of hope for humanity needs a revision too. What is hope? What is its source or foundation? The previous lesson focused on the importance of truth and understanding. This week’s lesson looks at hope from the perspective of the biblical truth about God, who is the Source of real hope. In times of crises, the hope we need is not a self-generated desire, but a solidly grounded trust in God’s promises. Several lessons emerge in our present study. First, God widens our horizon so that we may locate ourselves and our experience within the larger framework of the plan of salvation and prophetic events. This reality is exemplified in the lives of Daniel, Habakkuk, and Job. Second, God presents Himself to us as the Creator and the Redeemer, as the One who loves us and is present with us. Third, God reveals to us His plans with us and for us. We are not some expendable elements in a crisis. We are indispensable parts of God’s creation, life, and plans. Even if we are in a crisis, God will never allow us to be lost. In John 10:10–15, 28, 29, Jesus tells us with all solemnity that we are His sheep, that He is our Shepherd, that His plan is to give us eternal life, and that no one will ever snatch us out of His or the Father’s hands. Yes, God may allow us to go through various crises, but these crises are designed to help us grow.
Lesson Themes: This week’s lesson highlights two major themes.
Understanding the larger framework of the plan of salvation and prophetic events plays a crucial role in helping us to cultivate the hope that helps us overcome the crucibles of life.
The biblical source of hope lies in understanding who God is; that He is with us; and that He has plans for, and with, us.
Part II: Commentary
Hope in the New Testament
From the first moments of the crisis of sin on our planet, God wove hope into the very fabric of our history by promising us He would save us and restore us to His kingdom. A brief study of hope in the New Testament reveals several important aspects: first, in the New Testament, it is the apostle Paul who treats hope in a more systematic way. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul enumerates three major Christian virtues: faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13). It is true that he picks love as the “greatest” of the three, but elsewhere he explains that both faith and love “spring
from . . . hope” (Col. 1:5, NIV). In the definition of hope, Paul says hope is an “anchor of the soul”; it is “both sure and stedfast.” But such hope is anchored in Jesus Christ in the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 6:19).
Faith also is defined in terms of hope (Heb. 11:1). Hebrews 11 lists the heroes of faith along the centuries. All of them went through trials (Heb. 11:33–38), but what they have in common is faith defined in terms of promise and hope. None of them received the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise (Heb. 11:39); yet, they all looked beyond their time to the future country, the eternal kingdom of God (Heb. 11:15, 16).
Paul treats the subject of hope in the context of suffering. He glories in his suffering because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope (Rom. 5:4; see also Rom. 12:12). Paul was hopeful amid his suffering and huge crises (2 Cor. 4:9). When we are being disciplined, he explained, we must not give up hope (Heb. 12:5). Paul also sees the entire creation struggling with “futility” in its own crucible, not because of its own fault but because of God “who subjected it in hope” (Rom. 8:20–24, NKJV).
In Romans 8:18–27, Paul takes time to discuss hope extensively. But he starts with the suffering that we presently go through: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18, NKJV). Paul does not stop at our human suffering but highlights the fact that all nature suffers (Rom. 8:19–22). Suffering is a complex package. Nothing in the natural world is exempt. Suffering also encompasses the totality of what makes us human—the physical, moral, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of our being (Rom. 8:23).
Thus, God’s redemption also must, by necessity, encompass all His creation—nature, body, emotions, and all the other aspects of the human being. Paul underlines that this plan of restoration is our Christian hope because we are “saved in this hope” (Rom. 8:24, NKJV). While this restoration is certain, it is not visible yet; that is, it has not yet been actualized in history. It is something that God promises; therefore, we can be sure it will take place (Rom. 8:24; see also 1 Cor. 9:10). Now, it is hope precisely because it is not actualized; it still is in the future, and “we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Rom. 8:25, NKJV).
Yes, we do experience suffering, disappointment, lack of understanding, lack of ability to properly express ourselves and pray, but the Holy Spirit helps us with His mediation before God (Rom. 8:26–28). Ultimately, the essential aspect in this entire situation is to trust God that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28, NKJV). This is why Christians exercise the “patience of hope” (1 Thess. 1:3).
A more extensive Bible study on hope provides several additional points:
Biblical hope is anchored in God, not in ourselves (Ps. 42:11, 2 Cor. 1:9, 1 Tim. 6:17). All three Persons of the Godhead are part of the fountain of hope. God the Father “loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace” (2 Thess. 2:16, ESV; see also 1 Tim. 4:10, Titus 1:2). Christ Jesus and His gospel of grace are our hope (Eph. 1:12, Col. 1:27, 1 Tim. 1:1, 2 Tim. 1:1). The Holy Spirit brings and maintains hope in the lives of the believers (Rom. 5:5, Rom. 15:13, Gal. 5:5). Without God, there is no hope in life, no covenant, and thus, we are estranged from God (Eph. 2:12, 1 Thess. 4:13); but in Christ, we all have the same hope given by God to Israel through the gospel (Eph. 3:6, Col. 1:23). The apostle Peter tells us that God is our Father who gave us a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3, NKJV).
The content of biblical hope is God’s promise of saving us from sin, death, and suffering through Jesus Christ. Matthew quotes Isaiah to describe Jesus as the Hope of the nations (Isa. 42:1–4, Matt. 12:21). Jesus says that Abraham hoped to see the day of the Messiah (John 8:56). That is the hope of righteousness by faith (Gal. 5:5).
God’s hope is already valid for our present life. Our hope is fixed on salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. This hope gives us, in this life, numerous benefits, both spiritual (such as a relationship with God) and psychological (peace, optimism, etc.). The “hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2) is the justification of sinners by grace through faith, by which God gives us peace in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:2, 3). This hope “does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5, NKJV). So, this hope is not a false one. Rather, this hope is based on God’s concrete actions; that is, just at the right time, “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6, NKJV). Thus, Jesus demonstrated His love for us (Rom. 5:8), saving us from our sins and reconciling us with God (Rom. 5:9–11).
But Christ’s first advent and His sacrifice on the cross are not the end of the redemption story. The apostle Paul tells us that “if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Cor. 15:19, NKJV). For this reason, our hope is anchored in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, who will resurrect us for an eternal and glorious life (Col. 1:5, 27; Titus 1:2; Titus 3:7; Heb. 10:23; see also 2 Cor. 1:9, 1 Tim. 4:8). Paul declared that he was persecuted because of the hope of the resurrection (Acts 23:6, Acts 24:15). The resurrection was not an invention of Paul but was the same hope that God gave to the fathers of Israel (Acts 26:6; Acts 28:20). According to Paul, Abraham became the father of many nations because, “against all hope” (Rom. 4:18, NIV), he “believed in hope” (Rom. 4:18), trusting in the “God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist” (Rom. 4:17, AMP). The hope of resurrection will be consummated at the second coming of Jesus, which itself is the “blessed hope” of the Christian (Titus 2:13).
It was precisely this hope that constituted the call, identity, ethos, life, and mission of the nation of Israel (Acts 26:7). This hope of salvation that God offers us through Christ reached humanity through the patriarchs, Israel, and later the church (Rom. 15:4, 1 Cor. 1:7, Eph. 2:12). We are participants in distributing God’s hope to all the people. God promised Eve that her Seed would save the world (Gen. 3:15). God promised Abraham that blessings and salvation for the nations would come through him; that is, through his Seed (Gen. 12:3, 7; Gen. 18:18; Rom. 9:4; Gal. 3:8, 15, 16). God promised David that his Seed would sit forever on the throne (Rom. 15:12; see Isa. 11:1, 2; 2 Sam. 22:51).
Paul invokes hope in his blessing upon God’s people amid suffering: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13, NKJV; 2 Thess. 2:16). Hope serves as the helmet in the armor of the Christian (1 Thess. 5:8).
Part III: Life Application
Daniel goes through a similar “waiting experience” to Habakkuk’s. By the end of his life, Daniel expects the 70 years of exile prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer. 25:11, 12) to end and for God’s salvation to be manifested. However, God reveals to Daniel that the history of suffering and death will extend by an additional 70 weeks (490 years). What is more, this period will continue for an additional 1,810 years beyond the additional 70, for a total of 2,300 years! Some Christians do not like prophecy because it “darkens” their horizon. Perhaps they do not need to focus on prophecy all the time. But moments come and situations in life arise when the bigger picture is necessary, no matter how painful the prophetic answer may be. This bigger picture is painted by God’s revelation through His prophets. Without such prophecies, including the apocalyptic ones, God’s people will struggle desperately to maintain hope as they live through an ever-increasing number of global and personal crises. How does the bigger picture of prophetic revelation help you trust God and His providence to overcome crucibles?
Notes
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Key Text: Romans 5:5
Study Focus: Job 38–41, Isa. 41:8–14, Jer. 29:1–10, Hab. 1:1–4, Heb. 12:1–13.
Part I: Overview
With postmodernism promoting the deconstruction and revision of concepts and worldviews, many feel the notion and source of hope for humanity needs a revision too. What is hope? What is its source or foundation? The previous lesson focused on the importance of truth and understanding. This week’s lesson looks at hope from the perspective of the biblical truth about God, who is the Source of real hope. In times of crises, the hope we need is not a self-generated desire, but a solidly grounded trust in God’s promises. Several lessons emerge in our present study. First, God widens our horizon so that we may locate ourselves and our experience within the larger framework of the plan of salvation and prophetic events. This reality is exemplified in the lives of Daniel, Habakkuk, and Job. Second, God presents Himself to us as the Creator and the Redeemer, as the One who loves us and is present with us. Third, God reveals to us His plans with us and for us. We are not some expendable elements in a crisis. We are indispensable parts of God’s creation, life, and plans. Even if we are in a crisis, God will never allow us to be lost. In John 10:10–15, 28, 29, Jesus tells us with all solemnity that we are His sheep, that He is our Shepherd, that His plan is to give us eternal life, and that no one will ever snatch us out of His or the Father’s hands. Yes, God may allow us to go through various crises, but these crises are designed to help us grow.
Lesson Themes: This week’s lesson highlights two major themes.
Understanding the larger framework of the plan of salvation and prophetic events plays a crucial role in helping us to cultivate the hope that helps us overcome the crucibles of life.
The biblical source of hope lies in understanding who God is; that He is with us; and that He has plans for, and with, us.
Part II: Commentary
Hope in the New Testament
From the first moments of the crisis of sin on our planet, God wove hope into the very fabric of our history by promising us He would save us and restore us to His kingdom. A brief study of hope in the New Testament reveals several important aspects: first, in the New Testament, it is the apostle Paul who treats hope in a more systematic way. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul enumerates three major Christian virtues: faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13). It is true that he picks love as the “greatest” of the three, but elsewhere he explains that both faith and love “spring
from . . . hope” (Col. 1:5, NIV). In the definition of hope, Paul says hope is an “anchor of the soul”; it is “both sure and stedfast.” But such hope is anchored in Jesus Christ in the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 6:19).
Faith also is defined in terms of hope (Heb. 11:1). Hebrews 11 lists the heroes of faith along the centuries. All of them went through trials (Heb. 11:33–38), but what they have in common is faith defined in terms of promise and hope. None of them received the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise (Heb. 11:39); yet, they all looked beyond their time to the future country, the eternal kingdom of God (Heb. 11:15, 16).
Paul treats the subject of hope in the context of suffering. He glories in his suffering because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope (Rom. 5:4; see also Rom. 12:12). Paul was hopeful amid his suffering and huge crises (2 Cor. 4:9). When we are being disciplined, he explained, we must not give up hope (Heb. 12:5). Paul also sees the entire creation struggling with “futility” in its own crucible, not because of its own fault but because of God “who subjected it in hope” (Rom. 8:20–24, NKJV).
In Romans 8:18–27, Paul takes time to discuss hope extensively. But he starts with the suffering that we presently go through: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18, NKJV). Paul does not stop at our human suffering but highlights the fact that all nature suffers (Rom. 8:19–22). Suffering is a complex package. Nothing in the natural world is exempt. Suffering also encompasses the totality of what makes us human—the physical, moral, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of our being (Rom. 8:23).
Thus, God’s redemption also must, by necessity, encompass all His creation—nature, body, emotions, and all the other aspects of the human being. Paul underlines that this plan of restoration is our Christian hope because we are “saved in this hope” (Rom. 8:24, NKJV). While this restoration is certain, it is not visible yet; that is, it has not yet been actualized in history. It is something that God promises; therefore, we can be sure it will take place (Rom. 8:24; see also 1 Cor. 9:10). Now, it is hope precisely because it is not actualized; it still is in the future, and “we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Rom. 8:25, NKJV).
Yes, we do experience suffering, disappointment, lack of understanding, lack of ability to properly express ourselves and pray, but the Holy Spirit helps us with His mediation before God (Rom. 8:26–28). Ultimately, the essential aspect in this entire situation is to trust God that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28, NKJV). This is why Christians exercise the “patience of hope” (1 Thess. 1:3).
A more extensive Bible study on hope provides several additional points:
Biblical hope is anchored in God, not in ourselves (Ps. 42:11, 2 Cor. 1:9, 1 Tim. 6:17). All three Persons of the Godhead are part of the fountain of hope. God the Father “loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace” (2 Thess. 2:16, ESV; see also 1 Tim. 4:10, Titus 1:2). Christ Jesus and His gospel of grace are our hope (Eph. 1:12, Col. 1:27, 1 Tim. 1:1, 2 Tim. 1:1). The Holy Spirit brings and maintains hope in the lives of the believers (Rom. 5:5, Rom. 15:13, Gal. 5:5). Without God, there is no hope in life, no covenant, and thus, we are estranged from God (Eph. 2:12, 1 Thess. 4:13); but in Christ, we all have the same hope given by God to Israel through the gospel (Eph. 3:6, Col. 1:23). The apostle Peter tells us that God is our Father who gave us a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3, NKJV).
The content of biblical hope is God’s promise of saving us from sin, death, and suffering through Jesus Christ. Matthew quotes Isaiah to describe Jesus as the Hope of the nations (Isa. 42:1–4, Matt. 12:21). Jesus says that Abraham hoped to see the day of the Messiah (John 8:56). That is the hope of righteousness by faith (Gal. 5:5).
God’s hope is already valid for our present life. Our hope is fixed on salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. This hope gives us, in this life, numerous benefits, both spiritual (such as a relationship with God) and psychological (peace, optimism, etc.). The “hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2) is the justification of sinners by grace through faith, by which God gives us peace in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:2, 3). This hope “does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5, NKJV). So, this hope is not a false one. Rather, this hope is based on God’s concrete actions; that is, just at the right time, “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6, NKJV). Thus, Jesus demonstrated His love for us (Rom. 5:8), saving us from our sins and reconciling us with God (Rom. 5:9–11).
But Christ’s first advent and His sacrifice on the cross are not the end of the redemption story. The apostle Paul tells us that “if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Cor. 15:19, NKJV). For this reason, our hope is anchored in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, who will resurrect us for an eternal and glorious life (Col. 1:5, 27; Titus 1:2; Titus 3:7; Heb. 10:23; see also 2 Cor. 1:9, 1 Tim. 4:8). Paul declared that he was persecuted because of the hope of the resurrection (Acts 23:6, Acts 24:15). The resurrection was not an invention of Paul but was the same hope that God gave to the fathers of Israel (Acts 26:6; Acts 28:20). According to Paul, Abraham became the father of many nations because, “against all hope” (Rom. 4:18, NIV), he “believed in hope” (Rom. 4:18), trusting in the “God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist” (Rom. 4:17, AMP). The hope of resurrection will be consummated at the second coming of Jesus, which itself is the “blessed hope” of the Christian (Titus 2:13).
It was precisely this hope that constituted the call, identity, ethos, life, and mission of the nation of Israel (Acts 26:7). This hope of salvation that God offers us through Christ reached humanity through the patriarchs, Israel, and later the church (Rom. 15:4, 1 Cor. 1:7, Eph. 2:12). We are participants in distributing God’s hope to all the people. God promised Eve that her Seed would save the world (Gen. 3:15). God promised Abraham that blessings and salvation for the nations would come through him; that is, through his Seed (Gen. 12:3, 7; Gen. 18:18; Rom. 9:4; Gal. 3:8, 15, 16). God promised David that his Seed would sit forever on the throne (Rom. 15:12; see Isa. 11:1, 2; 2 Sam. 22:51).
Paul invokes hope in his blessing upon God’s people amid suffering: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13, NKJV; 2 Thess. 2:16). Hope serves as the helmet in the armor of the Christian (1 Thess. 5:8).
Part III: Life Application
Notes