Ancient eastern Hebrew thought was much different than our modern western way of thinking. To demonstrate this, consider how you would describe a knife to someone who has never seen one. You might use a string of adjectives such as “long, sharp, steel” to describe the appearance of a knife. An ancient Hebrew, however, was less concerned with how something was formed than they were with how it performed. In other words, they considered function over formation. They would describe the same knife using verbs like “cut, chop, slice.” Many objects, however, function in similar ways yet don’t resemble one another in the least. What this means is that the Hebrew word could be used for two or more things you and I would consider to be anything but alike. For example, the same word, depending on the context, can be translated as ram, oak, mighty men, or post. That sounds insane to us, but considering that function precedes form, we see what links rams, oaks, mighty men, and posts is strength (1). These things are the strongest of their kind--they function in the same way. In addition, Hebraic thought was concrete, so abstract concepts were described using concrete, tangible terms. As we continue investigating the theme of hope during this first week of Advent, it’s helpful to keep these things in mind. Not only that, as we allow our modern understanding to merge with the ancient the odds are high that we will receive deeper insight.

The Hebrew scriptures, the Old Testament, uses several different words that are translated “hope” in English. Today we will consider one of the common ones.

Read the following two passages. They both contain the same Hebrew word that has been translated differently in each context.

Joshua 2:13, 17-18

...spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.” … The men said to [Rahab], “We will be free from this oath you made us swear, unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into your house.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

The same word that is translated “cord” in Joshua 2 is translated “hope” in Jeremiah 29 (and numerous other places). One is in a literal sense, the other in a figurative, but can you understand what one has to do with the other?

The confident expectation of ultimate salvation is a scarlet cord that attaches the one who waits to the one who saves.

Do you see it?

There is a scarlet cord that runs from Genesis to Revelation. It runs from Mt. Moriah to Mt. Zion, from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane. It runs directly through the manger to the cross. The scarlet cord to which all of our hope is attached is the precious blood of Jesus, the incarnate God.

Our hope is not an abstraction. It has a tangible anchor—the baby in the manger— Jesus. The Savior of the world.

His is the only scarlet cord to which hope can cling. It’s the only one that guarantees salvation.

Pray: Son of God, precious One. All of my hope is in you, and you will not fail. Like Rahab, I cling to the scarlet cord in confident expectation that what you accomplished at your first coming will culminate in your second, that the redemption which is already mine by faith will be made sight.

1 “His Name Is One: an Hebraic Look at Ancient Hebrew Meanings of the Names of God.” by Jeff A. Benner, Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, 2003, pp. 4–5.