“The Path,” written by Dr. Dino J. Pedrone, is a continuation of a series of books that are Bible commentaries involving a very practical and expositional study of various books of Scripture. All of us are on a journey. We are truly on a path. The presence of God in our journey puts a new light on the path. Sometimes the path is strewn with debris that causes us to stumble. Stop and think. There is a providence that leads the way on our journey. In “The Path,” providence actually leads to new life and hope. Dr. Pedrone discusses and shares with us Biblical hope in these excerpts from “The Path.”
Scholars tell us that a number of words in the Old Testament could be translated as “hope.” One example is “refuge,” and others could include references to security or satisfaction. All of these speak to hope.
The word “hope” is found over and over again in the New Testament. Look at Romans 5:1-5:
Romans 5:1: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Romans 5:2: “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:3: “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;”
Romans 5:4: “And patience, experience; and experience, hope:”
Romans 5:5: “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
The New Testament word for hope means “confident expectation or anticipation.” As we see in this passage, it does not disappoint. Hope is an enduring term that lasts forever.
Hope is assurance. It does not mean, “I hope something will happen,” or “I hope I receive money,” or “I hope my friend will call.” That is the English definition. Biblical hope is the full assurance of things that are unclear or unknown. For example, one can say, “I want to see Jesus come into my life!” That hope is based on the blessed hope in Scripture (Titus 2:13). He will come. We, however, do not know when. Without hope, life has no meaning or purpose. We are given the promise that one day we will see Jesus. We are promised that at death, we will be in the presence of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:7-10). According to Colossians 1:4-5, love springs from hope:
Colossians 1:4: “Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,”
Colossians 1:5: “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;”
There are many sincere people who struggle with all kinds of addictions and abuse. God helps us and strengthens us with victories, and those victories begin with hope.
The fact is that Jesus is our hope. Hope can be a verb or a noun, but in many biblical texts, a noun meaning “hope” is what we have, not what we do. Jesus is our hope.
Psalm 42:11: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”
Romans 15:13: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Richard Sebbes was a Cambridge Puritan preacher. Sebbes was challenged by Psalm 42:5:
Psalm 42:5: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”
Sebbes wrote an entire book on this verse, entitled “The Soul’s Conflict with Itself.” How many times have we been in conflict only to realize that our hope needs to be centered on our God?
The first verse of 1 Timothy states:
1 Timothy 1:1: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;” Our hope is Jesus Himself. Boaz was seen by Ruth and Naomi as their hope in the form of a kinsman-redeemer, while Christ is our hope and our redeemer.
The Bible says:
1 Thessalonians 1:3: “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;” You will find many such references to hope in introductory verses to various epistles, as well as other places in the New Testament.
How do we translate hope in our lives today? Often, we tell God about our plans only to find out that He has very different plans for us. That has been proven in my own life. It is amazing how He works things out.
But one thing you can always count on is the fact that Jesus is our hope. When you pray and talk to God about the things in your life, He will sometimes answer your prayers in ways you never dreamed possible.