Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #24 - According As We Hope

In our last study we began to look at the Biblical subject of hope in God's mercy and listed four places in the Psalms where this theme is found.  Two of these references are found in Psalm 33 - "Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy" (vs.18);  and "Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee" (vs.22).  In verse eighteen we see the connection of Biblical hope in God's mercy with the Biblical fear of God and the resultant blessing of God's watchful care.  We hope to consider these aspects of hope in our next study, but for now we want to focus upon the conditional aspect of hope expressed in verse twenty-two - "according as we hope in thee".  Rawlinson in The Pulpit Commentary states that this phrase is "emphatic" and comments that "The measure of men's hope and trust in God is the measure of his mercy and goodness to them. Those who are assured that they have a full trust in him may confidently expect a full and complete deliverance".  Likewise, Delitzsch remarks, "His holy Name is His church's ground of faith, of love, and of hope; for from thence comes its salvation. It can boldly pray that the mercy of the Lord may be upon it, for it waits upon Him, and man's waiting or hoping and God's giving are reciprocally conditioned" (emphasis mine).  I am studying this Psalm and its conditional message of hope during the week of July 4th - the celebration of our nation's independence, and so it is only natural that I am drawn to reflect upon its application to our nation's current spiritual state and need of revival.  Psalm 33 is a very patriotic psalm, and I consider myself to be a very patriotic person.  I am thankful for the spiritual legacy of many of our founding fathers and for the Christian influence they exerted in our nation's founding, yet I am greatly burdened by our nation's continual departure from its moral and biblical beginnings.  This Psalm, I believe, speaks of two ways a nation may enjoy the blessings of God's mercy.  The first part of the Psalm recognizes the general Providence of God in His creation and oversight of all that He has made.  Verse five declares:  "the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD"!  The word translated "goodness" in this verse is the Hebrew word "hesed" - God's mercy!  The whole world is full of the loving and merciful kindness of its Creator.  And so verse eight rightfully demands: "Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him".  All the nations of the earth are called upon to reverence their Creator as the Source of all blessing.  And so a nation may experience the merciful kindness of God as a God-fearing nation.  The other way is an even better and more sure way.  This is declared in verse twelve: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD".  Here the nation of Israel was especially in view as the rest of the verse plainly states, but I believe this indicates a higher recognition of God - not just as Creator (God), but as Redeemer (LORD Jehovah).  In the New Testament sense this would speak of not just a God-fearing nation but of a Christian nation. This was certainly the case in our nation's founding.  Not everyone who came to this country and not everyone who had a part in its establishment were Christians in the strict Biblical or New Testament sense, but the vast majority were God-fearing people and many of them were true Bible believing Christians!  We can read evidence of this everywhere in the writings of the history, legal decisions, monuments, buildings, and governmental documents of America's early days.  But where does our nation stand today?  Evolution has replaced Creation in our science and schools; The Bible and prayer in the name of Jesus Christ are prohibited in public and political arenas; Abortion has replaced abstinence; Family and marriage has been redefined to cater to perversion and fornication; Alcohol and drugs have become epidemic in abuse; Pornography has become viral; Violence is commonplace; and the list goes on and on.  We are today not only a post-Christian nation, we are becoming less and less of a God-fearing nation.  How much longer can we as a nation expect God's mercy and blessing before we must face His anger and judgment?  I believe it is only the presence and prayers of God's people that are withholding the just wrath of God upon our country.  We as Christians must pray for revival in the Church and for regeneration in the hearts of the people and leaders of our land.  We can only continue to know the Lord's mercy to the extent that we hope in Him.  And our only hope in Him is by faith in the Gospel of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.