4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and [through the] comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
might have hope.
The Greek word for “hope” means confidence. Scripture gives confidence to believers, a confidence that comes from God. The Greek idea of hope is much different than how we use the word in English. “Hope” here carries the idea of certainty. Our ultimate destination is absolute, not tentative.
By “learning” we come to confidence in our future. Everything that God wrote in the past will help us with that hope. This hope is not a fanciful wish; it is something concrete cemented in extant Scripture. It is not possible to find the specifics of what God wants us to know without Scripture. Study and application of the Old Testament brings edification and confidence to the soul. This does not come through superficial reading of Scripture.
PRINCIPLE:
Scripture gives us confidence from God
APPLICATION:
Politicians of our day promise “hope” but they can’t deliver. These promises are empty. When the Bible promises hope, we can trust what God says.
The principles of Scripture, both in the Old and New Testament, reinforce our confidence in God’s promises. We take Him at His Word. We get endurance and encouragement from this confidence.
All of us need strengthening on a regular basis. If we go for a protracted period of time without nourishment from the Word, then our soul will experience dry rot. We need to build constantly our personal edifices from the Bible. When we do this, our soul will have the structure it needs for stability in the storms of life.
