Psalm 119: Focus On God's Word Pt. 143 What Do We Hope For?

Psalm 119:49  ZAIN. Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. 

We introduced the "ZAIN" section of Psalm 119 with kind of an overview of the eight verses. Let's take a closer look, so that we might really understand what God is saying to us, through the Psalmist. 

By this point, we know what it means when he tells us to remember the scriptures God gave us. It means reading, studying, by setting aside time for this great privilege. 

The idea here is that all believers may plead the promises of God from His Word, because He will honor His promises. 

Remembering Jehovah will keep His promises.

Isaiah 42:8,9  I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 9)  Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

Jehovah is all glorious and worthy of receiving our best praise and worship. Prophecy is telling us history in advance of when it actually takes place. 

Jehovah declares that glory must be given to Him alone, for He is the One, True, God of Creation.

As God, He alone can tell us what will happen long before the events He speaks of, ever come to pass. All Israelites could readily read the prophetic records. Some had already come to pass, exactly as God said they would happen. 

He told them about former, or past things, long before they occurred. And, God's people knew this. They did not dispute it, for recorded history proved that God's prophetic utterances were fulfilled.  

At this juncture, the Psalmist was perplexed by Israel's constant plunges into idolatry. Jehovah would judge them and eventually, sent them out of their land for 70 years captivity among an idolatrous nation. 

Yet, he still had hope because he was convinced that God would keep His promises to Israel. 

He knew God was faithful in keeping His prophetic declarations in the past, and he knew that God was faithful. He would bring about His prophetic promises to Israel. Thus, he had hope. 

We need to remember this truth because we tend to become very impatient and want God to respond to our expectations instead of us submitting to His sovereign choices. 

Remembering Jehovah's faithfulness to His Word. 

Psalm 89:33,34  Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 34)  My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. 

Whatever God says, whether by telling us about creation, teaching us doctrine, foretelling the future or giving His covenant people promises, He will perform. 

It is His lovingkindness that motivates Him to remain faithful to His people, even when we are unfaithful to Him.  God will never change what He said. He will never change His promises or alter His covenant with us. 

Remember God's promises may take time before being fulfilled. 

Habakkuk 2:3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

The prophet Habakkuk was hoping to see God speedily avenge His people, yet the promise would take time before God made it happen. 

His chosen nation Israel was idolatrous and He was going to punish them by allowing the Assyrians and Babylonians to take Israel and Judah away into captivity for 70 years. 

Eventually, the prophecy Habakkuk saw would come to pass. God would destroy the Assyrians and crush the Babylonians as He brought His people home to Jerusalem. 

The word "tarry" means something is delayed or slow in coming to pass. God's instruction to us is "wait" with faithful expectancy and anticipation.

His faithful remnant had to patiently tarry, or wait for the vision to come to pass. Believers today are patiently waiting for the return of Jesus Christ and the rapture of the church. 

This abiding hope is founded upon God's promises and it will certainly come to pass, but in God's timing, not ours. 

Ecclesiastes  3:11  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. 

King Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes and in the memorable section about a time to die and a time to be born, he reminded us of something that is important. 

God has made everything beautiful in its proper time, and He determines when that time is. 

This is the wise providence of God in governing the affairs of this world, in that He brings all things forth in their proper time and season. 

Remember, God must humble us before He restores us. 

1 Peter 5:6,7  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7)  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

There are times in our lives when God will need to humble us. We may have pride and fail to give God the glory for our achievements. We may become proud of our status, possessions or land. 

When this happens, God will humble us, so that we repent and confess our sin with humility of heart. Thus, our Father will exalt us or lift us up in due time, after the process of being humbled does its good work in our heart. 

Remembering that God's promises will come to pass. 

Hebrews 10:35-37  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36)  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37)  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 

The writer of Hebrews reminds believers not to be discouraged or disillusioned because Christ does not return at the moment they expected. We must not cast off our confidence in God's promises. 

God has a work to do in us and part of that work is teaching us to be patient. This is more needed in modern society than ever before. 

Our culture presses in telling us we need instant gratification, whereas, what we need is an enduring patience toward the things of God. His promises will come to pass after we have done the will of God.

How long are we to seek to do His will? As long as God gives us life! Yet, the New Testament writers are unanimous in letting us know that our time of patient waiting is brief, compared to eternity. 

James 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Our lives are but a vapor and we must redeem the time wisely, by loving and serving God, rather than being self centered. 

One day, God's promises will come to full fruition and will no longer tarry. This is our hope and confidence. God will do what He promised to do. 

Hebrews 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 

The patriarchs of faith listed in Hebrews 11, all died, having hope in God's promises, and did not see the full realization of them. 

At the end of this wonderful chapter, we read that the men and women named as faithful examples for us to follow, all died. 

Up to the moment they died, each maintained a good testimony of faith in the promises of God and hope that He would bring them to pass. 

They did not cast away their confidence in the promises of God. They did not fall into unbelief.  

Thoughts to Ponder...

What do we have hope in? There is no hope in politicians, the culture, or the economy.

We hope in the unseen things of God. We may hope to buy a home one day, but after it is purchased, that hope is gone, replaced by the reality of owning a home. 

In like manner, we live with hope in the promises of God. He will bring them to pass. 

We may first die, and discover that absent from the body is present with our Lord. Or Jesus may return with the blast of a heavenly trumpet, and we meet Him in the air. But, this is our blessed hope!

We have hope that God is still saving sinners and we must share the words of life, the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We have hope that God is at work, changing us more and more each day, into the image of His dear Son. 

Romans 8:24,25  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25)  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

We are saved by hope that Jesus Christ brings to each believer. We know one day, He will give us a new, glorified body (Philippians 3:21) that is fitted for living in a new heaven, new earth and new Jerusalem. 

We read the Bible and learn about Jesus coming, the rapture of His church, believers being taken home to heaven. 

Thus, like the Psalmist, we may cry out "LORD, when will you return to take us home to heaven, and to judge the wicked on earth?"

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

Our Father's reply is "Wait patiently, watching for the return of my Son, Jesus Christ, and work for Him until that day." 

Faith is the substance of what we are hoping for, salvation through repentant faith in Christ, an eternal home in heaven, things that we wait for, that we hope in and long to see. 

May this be the kind of patient, unwavering faith that each one of us has in Christ Jesus.

Bob