Embracing Hope

The book of Isaiah can be summed up as a message of judgment and of hope.

The first 39 chapters focus primarily on judgment. In them, God warns Israel that He will use Assyria and then Babylon to enforce the terms of the covenant due to their unfaithfulness. Chapters 40-66, however, pick up and expand on the theme of hope, which was already sprinkled throughout chapters 1-39. This hope is expressed as ultimately fulfilled in the coming of a messianic King who would bring peace to the whole world (Isa 9:6-7; 11:1-10).

But until then, Israel was called to wait. First, they had to wait over 100 years before they experienced the judgment of exile by Babylon. Then, they had to wait 70 years before God allowed them to return again to the land of Israel from that exile. After that, they waited over 500 years, a time in which God seemed to go silent.

Then—finally!—the promised King was born! But not in a palace as expected, surrounded by servants at His beck and call. But rather, in a common shelter, greeted first by animals and lowly shepherds .

For God’s people, waiting does not mean “sitting around” and doing nothing. Instead, it is about fully embracing the expectation that God will act on our behalf, regardless of how long it takes. It means living with quenchless hope.

During Advent, we embrace hope and remind ourselves to live with the expectation that God will act on our behalf.

We do this by looking back at His decisive act of sending His Son in the flesh after the long wait of Israel. And we do this by looking forward in anticipation of the day for which we long—the Day He will send Jesus again.