Key Word: Hope (4) Hope is Priceless

Both Habakkuk the prophet and Job kept fervent hope alive despite their circumstances. Their trust was in God, their hope was a living hope. They knew that hope is priceless, because it keeps us going when everything seems lost and hopeless. They knew that although their present circumstances weren’t pleasant, the life ahead of them was more important than the life behind them. They had to look in hope towards a better future.

When you look back with pain or look around you with anxiety, best to look up with hope! God is faithful. Hope gives us not only the patience to wait for the storm to pass, but also the joy to dance in the rain! When we know the faithfulness of God, we know that hope is real. The author of Hebrews knew that hope rests on the faithfulness of God, a hope we should hold onto ‘without wavering.’

‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.’ Hebrews 10:23

We rest our hope in God. Our eyes must remain on Him, for He is faithful. We hold on to the confession of our hope because God is faithful. What He promises, He also keeps. His promises are ‘Yes and Amen’ in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). God never fails us. He is faithful. Divine hope doesn’t disappoint. Hope is priceless!

Peter wrote of a ‘living hope’ by which we are born-again and through which we have received an incorruptible inheritance (1 Peter 1:3). Through faith in the Saviour and His salvation, His power keeps us no matter what might happen in life (v 5). A genuine faith is more precious than gold (v 7) because it is founded on the redemption in the blood of Christ, which is more precious than gold (vv 18–19). The incorruptible inheritance (v 4) is based on incorruptible substance (v 18). Our ‘faith and hope’ are in God who raised Jesus from the dead (v 21). God’s redemption was established by the precious blood of Christ and therefore hope in Christ is priceless!

The living hope in Christ can’t be bought, neither must it be earned, but it can be received by faith. The gift of salvation is God’s grace, the gift we don’t deserve but don’t have to earn. We don’t deserve it because of our sin, but we don’t have to earn it because of His mercy. We were lost in sin (Ephesians 2:1–3), but because of God’s love and mercy, He makes us alive in this living hope and gives us purpose and meaning in life (vv 4–10). ‘Love never fails’ (1 Corinthians 13:8). ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:16). God never fails. That’s why hope doesn’t disappoint and that’s why hope is priceless.

Paul knew that hope is priceless. The hope he had was based on God’s love and mercy. Paul confessed how he had been a ‘blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man,’ yet he had ‘obtained mercy’ (1 Timothy 1:13). He knew and proclaimed that ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,’ of whom he was the chief sinner (v 15). Christ demonstrated His great love and longsuffering for sinners enslaved in sin by choosing the worst of sinners (v 16). Glory be to Him who saves sinners (v 17). God’s grace was ‘exceedingly abundant’ towards Paul, as an example for all sinners who genuinely repent and believe in the Messiah (v 14). The confession of hope is that Christ came to save us, not condemn us, and that by faith in Christ we can have eternal life. This gift of priceless.

Christ’s treatment of sinners was remarkable—and merciful! He demonstrated in action what John later described in words: Jesus came to save, not condemn, the world, because of God’s love (John 3:16–17). The following story illustrates this point. A religious man had invited Jesus for a meal, yet treated Him somewhat awkwardly, not extending the honour of the usual hospitality at the time and even showing contempt for Jesus when a woman came repenting and asking for mercy (see Luke 7:36–50). Jesus was merciful and treated her with dignity. The religious man was arrogant, despising the woman as a ‘sinner’ (v 39) and even questioned even Jesus’ integrity and credentials. But the one to whom much is forgiven, loves much. The woman loved much because she was forgiven much. The life ahead of her was more important than the life behind her. She learned that hope was priceless. And that was the issue—Jesus forgives sinners and they loved Him for it. He gave them a new life, a life in hope.

Or consider Zacchaeus of Jericho (Luke 19:1–10). He was a chief tax collector and rich. One might ask, What’s wrong with being a chief tax collector or being rich? In the context at the time, 2,000 years ago, the Jews were occupied by the Roman Empire, and taxes were gathered from their subjects. The Romans used Jews to do that work for them and such people were despised as traitors. But beyond that, these people used their position of privilege and power to extort more than was rightfully due. Corruption made them rich. There’s nothing wrong in becoming rich by honest work, but certainly not by misusing your own people. When Jesus earlier on had shown mercy and acceptance to another tax collector, Levi, he hosted Jesus with a great feast and invited his friends. But the religious elite complained about Jesus’ love towards them (Luke 5:27–30), although Jesus came to call sinners to repentance (v 32), because those lost in sin needed a Saviour, just as sick people need a physician (v 31). What was wrong with that?

To the religious elite, as to the people of Jericho, such sinners deserved judgment, yet Jesus showed mercy to those who repented of their wrong ways. He came to save sinners and seek those that were lost! This was the point of Jesus’ visit to Zacchaeus of Jericho. The people complained that Jesus went to dine with him, ‘a sinner’ (Luke 19:7). Think about it, from all the people in Jericho, Jesus shows mercy to the ‘bad guy in town’! But I assume that after Zacchaeus’ life had been transformed by Jesus’ mercy and he started giving back money to those whom he took it by ‘false accusation’ and gave money to the poor (v 8), no one complained anymore! Jesus showing mercy was salvation (v 9) for He came ‘to seek and to save that which was lost’ (v 10). Zacchaeus received the hope of salvation and gave away much of his wealth. The hope he had received was priceless! The life ahead of him was more important than the life behind him. There is hope, even for those who ‘messed up’ in the past. There is hope in forgiveness.

Hope is priceless!