Hidden Hope.
We all need hope. Brian shares of a hidden hope that is found in the life of Christ. The work is finished, the end is written, Jesus Christ, is our living hope.
Hidden Hope
I am going to read from 2 Samuel, chapter 8. There is something hidden in this story: In the saddest moment at the end of King David’s life, great joy and hope.
“The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.’ And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom. [9] And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. (Joab) took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!’” (2 Samuel 18:5, 9, 14, 33)
(2 Samuel 18:5, 9, 14, 33)
The King Wailing in Grief
This is not the way David’s story should end. Hollywood would never write an ending with the king wailing in grief. There have been so many positives in David’s life. His victory over Goliath. His friendship with Jonathan. His escape from Saul. David’s mercy to Mephibosheth. God’s forgiveness for his sin with Bathsheba. David’s victory over all Israel’s enemies. Ruling in complete peace. Restoring the ark of the covenant. Writing Israel’s songbook in psalms.
But now this heart-breaking cry: “O Absalom, my son, my son!” As great as David was, because of his sin, David has lost his first son by Bathsheba, a second son, Amnon, and now a third son, Absalom. What application to our own lives can we make that won’t just flatten us?
Failures of People
There is none … None, if we look back, back to the failures of people: David, Bathsheba, Amnon, Absalom, Saul. None, if we look at ourselves. But … plenty, if we look to heaven. When we look that way, we see the promise, we see the hope, we Jesus the Son of David.
It is so sad and painful, but let us hear David’s lament for Absalom one more time. “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” How can we get a positive takeaway from such a sad ending? God loves to surprise us. Right in the middle of that sorrow, God’s amazing grace. It is perhaps the best takeaway in the entire David story – would you like to hear it? Could you use some lift from this story’s sadness? Could you use some lift from the sadness of your story?
In Place of His Son
David says,
“Would I had died instead of you.”
David couldn’t do that – die in place of his son – but the Son of David, the Greater David, could.
“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:28)
(Matt 20:28)
“A ransom for many” can be translated, “A ransom instead of many”. The Gospel of the King Jesus accomplishes what King David could not: It satisfies the demand that justice makes for sinners – death – by having the King who loved us die instead of us. Romans celebrates that accomplishment in one short statement: “So that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26) That living hope in Jesus, the Son of David, is celebrated in this song:
The Work is Finished
The work is finished, the end is written, Jesus Christ, my living hope.
Who could imagine so great a mercy? What heart could fathom such boundless grace?
The God of ages stepped down from glory to wear my sin and bear my shame
The cross has spoken, I am forgiven. The King of kings calls me his own
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Son, who died instead of me. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being my substitute. I pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, my living hope. Amen.
How have the words, “do not fear” helped you? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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Cross – tassillo111
City Skyline – zephylwer0
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