Hope Deferred Prov 13:12 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

This verse is illustrated, for example, by a mother who receives word that her son is missing in action – her hope is that he is alive but there is not a certainty – so she has to wait for him – this wait makes her heart sick – now if he’s simply missing and not dead, then when she hears that he is alive and returning home, she gets her desire and the surge of joy revitalizes her like a tree of life.

For us as Christians this verse has a very direct application to our waiting for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:7, 2 Tim 4:8) – he is our hope (Tit 2:13) for whom we are looking ­– we need to be looking for him more than for anything else in this life – when he comes we will realize the ultimate completion of our salvation (Rom 8:22-25) the hope of the redemption of our bodies – we get that, as our text says, “when the desire cometh” – well, Jesus is our desire (Hag 2:7) – and he is our life (Jn 14:6).

For Israel, their hope is the coming of their Messiah [Ps 130:7-8; Joel 3:16] (who happens to be Jesus) – they will rise from the dead [Eze 37; their hope Acts 28:20, 23:6] and go in to inhabit the land grant promised to Abraham [Gen 15:18] while their enemies will be destroyed – and when he [the desire] comes there will literally be a tree of life [Rev 2:7; 22:2 w/ Eze 47:12].