A Hard Season To Have Hope

Even in the most difficult circumstances, it is possible to have hope because of the work of Jesus.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   We have seen the greatness of God in the expression of David. But this week I want us to think about 2 Samuel 7 in light of the context of that first audience who would have read the words. The original audience would have most likely been in exile—conquered, captured, and kicked out of their homeland. They would have had a run of kings over them who were not godly, who carry the description over their reigns as having “done evil in the sight of the Lord.” Where is the hope now? Where is the greatness of God now? Where is the promise for those people? There is not necessarily a text to shed light on the original audiences thoughts about this, so to help us, I want us to turn our attention to Psalm 89. Psalm 89 was written by a man named Ethan. In this psalm, Ethan spills much ink in recounting the majesty of God and the glories of the Davidic covenant. But at the end he asked simple questions—“How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? Where is your steadfast love old?” Now I don’t know exactly when this psalm was written, or what circumstance or event brought on this cry of desperation from Ethan. Ethan was a contemporary of Solomon, and probably David as well. So I am thinking that the crisis has taken place in his lifetime and it’s not the effects of some tragedy from the past. But it appears to me to represent a perspective that the original audience would have had as they read 2 Samuel 7 for the first time—this glorious promise of a throne established being forever, yet here they were n the midst of their crisis and exile. In other words, it was a hard season to have hope in God’s word. And perhaps that is the season you are in as well. I want you to know that there is a hope to be had, because the promise God made to David about his kingdom, that promise that would effect all peoples, that promise that looked like it had died out to this original audience, came to fruition in Jesus Christ. He is our hope!