Living Hope

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Hosea 13:14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

II Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

MEMORY VERSE: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. —I Corinthians 15:51-52

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The time spent in this earthly, corruptible body is a waiting period in which the children of God look forward in hope and faith to the resurrection when God will redeem this body and clothe our spirit with a new body.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Job 19:27 “Whom my eyes shall behold and not another”: and not a stranger; which could mean several things: “This privilege shall be granted to me and to all other sincere servants of God, but not to strangers, i.e. to wicked men, who are oft called strangers” (Matthew Poole’s Commentary); or, “I shall not see God as a stranger;” or, “I myself, retaining my personal identity, and not another, shall see him for myself.” “My reins be consumed within me”: The margin renders this, ‘my reins within me are consumed with earnest desire for that day’” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible).

Isaiah 25:8 “He shall swallow up death in victory”: quoted and applied to Christ by Paul in I Corinthians 15:54.

Hosea 13:14 “O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction”: quoted and applied to Christ by Paul in I Corinthians 15:55.

Romans 8:19 “Creature”: creation. “Manifestation”: unveiling; revelation.

Romans 8:23 “Adoption”: “sonship; “It also includes the blessed state looked for in the future life after the visible return of Christ from heaven; the consummate condition of the sons of God, which will render it evident that they are the sons of God” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). “Redemption”: release effected by payment of ransom. “The redemption which will come to his possession, or to the men who are God’s own through Christ (Ephesians 1:14); deliverance of the body from frailty and mortality (Romans 8:23); deliverance from the hatred and persecutions of enemies by the return of Christ from heaven (Luke 21:28); deliverance or release from torture (Hebrews 11:35)” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).

II Corinthians 5:1 “Tabernacle”: a tent, showing the transitory character of the habitation; figurative of the human body. “House”: something more substantial, more permanent.

LESSON BACKGROUND

The concept of God being the redeemer of the body and redeemer of the soul at the final resurrection, was the hope and belief of ancient saints such as Job, whom we have quoted in the lesson. They firmly held that the spirit left this body and went upward to God, and that one day they would see God and their departed loved ones. David stated when his baby died, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (II Samuel 12:23). The psalmist and the prophets Isaiah and Hosea echoed this hope, and Apostle Paul expanded the thought in I Corinthians 15.

Paul’s discourse about the groanings of creation and the projected hope could generate a long discussion, as one considers all the details of his message. Who is the creature? who subjected the creature to vanity? what is meant by adoption, by redemption, etc.?

Verse eighteen clarifies this for us. We suffer. We groan and travail; “we” meaning Jews, Gentiles—all people. Could it also take in earth’s creatures or the aging earth upon which the wickedness of mankind has wreaked havoc? But those of us who believe in Christ, who have his Spirit as the earnest, or down-payment with a promise to pay in full, of eternal glory dwelling within us—we have hope. Our expectation is that one day the sufferings of believers will be over. No more pain, no crying, no disappointment, no earthly cares, no temptations, no persecution.

The verses from II Corinthians bring that hope even closer and make it more personal and definite: “We KNOW.” Perhaps Paul’s fingers were at that moment tightening the cords and knotting the threads on the canvas of the tent he was finishing. Maybe his eyes lingered on the welcome lights of a sprawling family home on the distant hillside, while his hand rubbed absently over the scars from his past beatings. The realization that his battered body was as temporary as the tent and thoughts of an eternal home blazing bright with hope before his mind may have given inspiration to these words!

Our memory verse reminds us of the triumphant end which Paul described with confidence: “We shall be changed.” Our waiting will be over, the trumpet will sound and we shall rise, incorruptible. Oh, glory to God!

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. Who is the Redeemer of whom Job speaks?
2. How has Christ fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, “He will swallow up death in victory?”
3. Give the two opposites mentioned in Romans 8:21.
4. If redemption carries with it the idea of release, repurchase, or trade-in, explain when and how that will be done in reference to this literal body and the new, glorious body.
5. Explain the analogy Paul used to describe the difference between the physical body and the heavenly one.

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

“Not worthy to be compared.” The comparisons in this lesson grip my heart with excitement, hope and comfort! When I consider a collapsible, flimsy tent, not really able to keep out the weather, in contrast to a stately mansion complete with comfortable furnishings, stately gardens and all the latest amenities—and when I consider this body, which is fearfully and wonderfully made, so intricate, so miraculous, in contrast to the new body Christ has redeemed for me—there are no words! I mean, think about the delicate cycles of the body, the blood, lymph, and digestive systems, the fingerprint, the wonder of skin, the capabilities of the brain, the ear, the eye! And this is described as a tent? Then what must the mansion be? “Men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him” (Isaiah 64:4).

Praise be to our Lord and Savior who is the great Redeemer! He has not only ransomed us and purchased our souls from the slavery of satan and sin, but He has promised to deliver us from the corruption of mortality. This is why we hope. This is what gives us the patience to wait and endure, though we groan, though we earnestly desire to be clothed with our new, celestial mansion!

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

II Corinthians 5:1-4 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.”

It won’t be long till our waiting time is over. We are desiring and waiting for our redemption from this mortal to the immortal. This mortal is temporary and our soul is crying out for the immortal. “Bright Anticipation” (Evening Light Songs #370) says, “I am waiting, I am longing for the summons to come, when from trouble and sorrow I’m free; When with Jesus I am reigning in that heavenly home, Where forever its beauties I’ll see.”

One day soon, our faith will be lost in sight and we will see Him as He is, in more love and beauty than we could ever have imagined here on earth. We will be reunited with our loved ones gone on before us; then it won’t seem like it was so long and far away.

–Bro. James Bell