God's Final Word Is Hope

One of the things I've noticed while reading through the prophets is that they seldom end where they begin.

They begin with sin.

They warn of judgment.

They call God's people to repentance.

But somewhere in the message, almost unexpectedly, hope appears.

Isaiah repeatedly declares God's judgment, yet he also reminds us:

"For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still."

That phrase has caused me to stop and think. While it speaks of God's continuing dealings with Israel, it also reminds us that God was not finished with His people. He kept reaching out. He kept sending prophets. He kept calling them back.

Jeremiah follows a similar pattern.

In one chapter he pleads:

"Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths... and walk therein."

The people answer,

"We will not walk therein."

Then Jeremiah explains why. He contrasts lifeless idols with the living God who causes the vapor to rise, sends the rain, flashes the lightning, and brings forth the wind. The Creator is still calling His people to Himself.

The prophets never softened the consequences of sin. Judgment was real, and eventually Babylon came just as Jeremiah said it would.

Yet judgment was never God's final purpose.

Even Jeremiah, who watched Jerusalem fall, wrote of a coming restoration and a New Covenant for Israel in their Earthly Kingdom to come.

Then I thought about Paul's letters.

He follows much the same pattern.

Romans begins by exposing the guilt of the whole world.

Then comes the wonderful turning point:

"But now..."

Ephesians begins with mankind dead in trespasses and sins.

Then Paul writes:

"But God, who is rich in mercy..."

Again and again, Scripture refuses to leave us in despair.

God tells us the truth about our condition, but He also reveals His provision.

Perhaps that's one of the great themes of the Bible.

God's warnings are real.

His holiness is real.

His judgment is real.

But His mercy and Grace are also real.

His final purpose is being saved ( 1 Corinthians 1:18) from the second death (Revelation 21:8.)

As I read the prophets, I'm reminded that they are not simply books of doom. They are books of hope.

They teach us that God's warnings are acts of mercy, giving people opportunity to return before judgment falls.

And for believers today, our hope rests in the finished work of Christ.

The prophets looked ahead to God's faithfulness.

We look back to the cross and ahead to His promises still to come.

The darkness is real, but so is the dawn.

God's final word is hope. Hope in the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) a grace gift to us through our faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8.)