Give Hope

“And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.” (Job 11:18 AV)

These are the words which Job’s friends should have continually spoken to Job.  His friend, Zophar, spoke these words but in the context that Job’s suffering brought upon him the circumstances of life, and, he probably deserved worse that he got.  Then these words.  They fall flat in the overall context of condemnation.  Condemnation actually cancels out the hope.  This doesn’t change the truth of what is said above and if the three friends of Job truly wanted to help him, they should have stopped at this truth.  They should have consistently affirmed hope instead of trying to find a reason for it all.  In fact, I don’t believe God ever tells Job the reason or cause of all that happened.  At least it is not mentioned that He did in the book of Job.  But I digress.  The most important truth upon which to meditate is hope!

There are three results of hope listed above.  They are security restoration, and rest. Security is the feel safe because of trust.  Not because of circumstances, but in spite of them.  Zophar is absolutely correct when he states that where hope is, there is trust and a sense of eventual well-being.  Hope is powerful.  Take away hope, and you take away stability.  You take away dreams.  You take away aspirations and initiative.  Take away hope, and you get a Job that wants to die.  Hope transcends the need for answers.  Job may not find any cause for the current circumstances.  Hope says that doesn’t matter.  Hope says that in spite of my limited understanding, I will be ok.  Hope says that God is always in control and not matter how hard it is to endure, He will be ever present.  1Cor 10:13 does and always will apply.

Secondly, there is restoration.  Or at the very least, a future.  The digging to which Zophar is referring, is digging wells.  Because the primary occupation of the nomad at the time of Job was a herdsman, digging wells was essential to his survival.  Without wells, his flocks would not survive.  In Job’s case, he would need two things of which he had recently suffered loss.  He would need hands to tend the flocks and he would need flocks.  He lost all his sons and his flocks were stolen.  Why would he need to dig?  How would he accomplish this?  This is where hope comes in.  Hope sees the future in spite of the present.  Hope knows that God has a purpose and that purpose is not endless suffering.  If so, then things will change.  This too shall pass.  There will be flocks again and there will be cattlemen to assist.  Hope sees what is not there and aspires one to gain that which he can see, but does not have.  Give a person hope, and he will set goals.  Give a person hope, and he will be further ahead than he is today.

Thirdly, hope results in rest.  This rest is the end of anxiety and worry.  The general meaning of the word means to lie down in peace, contentment, and satisfaction.  Not just to have one’s worries resolved, but also to have one’s need for affirmation fulfilled.  This rest can only come from hope.  This is Job’s deepest need.  His relationship with the LORD was cast in doubt.  He saw the circumstances of his life and an indication there was adversity between God and he.  He could not understand why this would be the case.  He was an upright man who feared God.  He sacrificed for himself and his family.  He helped his fellow man.  The sin of which he was guilty was covered by the law of sacrifice.  There was simply no logical reason for all that he was suffering.  Therefore, his confusion resulted in a strain in his relationship with the LORD.  His lack of hope in the nature of what God is was cast into some level of doubt, robbing him of hope.  What hope does is settles all doubts in what God claims to be.  It doesn’t need reason.  It doesn’t need to always make sense.  Hope rests in the unchangeable nature of God even in the midst of changeable circumstances.  Rob a man of hope and he cannot rest his heart in the person of God.  Give a person hope, and he will endure his circumstances because God never changes.  Hope is what allows us to fall asleep at night.  Hope is what causes is to see the goodness of God in all things.  Even those things of adversity.  Hope sees the faithfulness of God no matter what the enemy of God proposes.  Hope is what eases the heart.  It quiets the turmoil.  Hope is what calms the nerves.  Hope is what knows that God is always in control and He always works things for the benefit of His people.