“He says, ‘You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
- Isaiah 49:6
Hope has got to be one of my favorite words. It is simple, inspiring, and yet in the right circumstances has a gravity to it that changes everything from one’s outlook on the past to the energy for pushing forward in life. Hope is like a beacon or a light house. In a time of dire need it cuts through the darkness of night and reveals the way or calls Batman to swoop in and save the day.
Often when we talk about hope for Christians, we focus on the New Testament and envision the cross. That ol’ rugged cross is the sweet frame that enables our hope. While the cross and the blood of Christ is the source of hope for Christianity, we also look beyond it to what is to come. The day that Christ return and brings His kingdom to complete fruition and we stand beside all true Christians throughout history to worship and dwell with the perfect presence of God.
As amazing and true as that is, and I completely affirm it, we are going to embark on a journey through the end of the year of find hope even older than the cross. The Old Hope that is found throughout the prophets of the Old Testament. Not only will they allude to the coming messiah numerous times, but they frequently proclaim good news to the Israelites throughout their times in exile and wars. Yes, the prophets also proclaimed judgement, justice, and calls to repentance and return, but too often we ignore or do not find the hope in their books. My hope is that in the next many weeks we can find and reclaim the Old Hope of scriptures and encourage us for today in what has been a hopeless year.
Messianic Hope:
Christ did not just come out of no where and began proclaiming to be a messiah. The messiah was never just a New Testament concept that just spontaneously appeared to flip the script on Israel. There are messianic roots throughout all the Old Testament that would lead to Jesus. Many Jews knew this of course because they studied their scriptures well. In fact in Jesus’ day there is historical record of dozens of “messiahs.” Of course, they were all phonies, trying to be something they could never have done. It is possible that many of those who crowded Jesus had potentially been a follower of some other phony messiah at some point, but even they knew something was different about Jesus. Many noticed He taught with an authority unlike anyone else, whether that be a religious leader or a phony messiah.
Hints of Jesus started as early as Genesis, the first book of the canon, and even in the book of Job, potentially the oldest written book in the canon.
Hope was not just concocted by Jesus in the first century but was rooted in Older times. People knew there was more to life, more to this world. They knew they were fallen and never able to save themselves, at least most of the time. They needed something to look forward to. Something they knew would resolve their troubles.
The prophet Isaiah at this point in his book is dealing with an Israel in exile. A nation that is broken apart and separated across many nations and lands. These people have no hope of return, no hope that their nation will be restored to its former glory. They have lost sight of what it meant to be God’s special possession in the world.
But Isaiah revealed something even greater than simply the restoration of Israel. God unveiled His massive plan of returning the world to Himself. Their restoration as a nation was about a lot more than so they can return to normal, lived a blessed life, and then go back to sinning in the next generation. No, things had to be different, their mission needed to be clear. God’s plan needed to be clear.
Upon their return and rebuilding as a nation, their mission was to turn its attention from their walls and toward the world beyond their walls. They were to be a beacon to the world, a light, the spotlight with the metaphorical image of God and Salvation on it. They gave hope of something better, a nation, no, a Kingdom, that all could live in. Nations that went to war with each other will turn into brethren, both worshipping the same God, the real and sovereign God who dwells among them.
They were to embody a lifestyle of atonement even before Jesus made atonement for their sins. Instead they were to obey the law, live in relationship with God, and be a light to the world of something greater. Israel was meant to give hope.
Final Blessing:
Today, we are to do the same, Christians have the New Hope, based fully in Christ Jesus that had roots from the Old Hope. We are the light to the gentiles, to the world that God has redeemed those who believe and is actively working to restore the world to Himself. We have the hope, our mission is to be light. We are sent, just as Christ was sent. Now let’s be a blessing.
May the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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