The first to hope
While we have jumped first to the end of verse 12 the beginning plops down that phrase: the first to hope. The meaning of this may not be any more immediately apparent than that of inheritance especially if taken in conjunction with the surrounding verses.
Paul writes of two groups who place their hope in Christ. One group hoped first and the other second. The manner in which Paul writes does not suggest that these two groups are permanently separate like clergy-laity split or upper class-lower class. There is just a group who believed first and one who believed second. Paul’s wording indicates that each had found the same thing: hope and the hope each had was in the same place: in Jesus the Christ.
So the split is temporal only and for the longest time, I considered this an event which started with the earthly ministry of Christ. As such those who first put their hope in Christ were the disciples picked from Galilee. In this conceptualization, Paul was an appendage grafted on after the Damascus Road event. Those who were second to put their hope constituted people reached as the gospel of Christ went out from Jerusalem to Judea and the ends of the earth.
At the beginning of this lesson, I mentioned my tendency to review the Greek words to figure out the meaning of a passage. Another way I seek to bolster my understanding is to put some energy into the memorization of it. Memorization, requiring repetition, drives deeper perceptions. One time this week I was wrangling to memorize verses 11 through 14. Up to that point, I had sort of accepted the interpretation of the 12th verse as referring to the apostles. The problem was that the balance of Paul’s language encompassed the whole of the church: apostles and their converts which seemed to make the 12th verse unnecessary.
Off to a third way that I figure Biblical things out: commentaries. Biblehub.com is my usual landing pad for these things where I found Ellicott’s commentary on the 12th verse. He mentioned the viewpoint of apostles and converts, but he pointed to the Nation of Israel as a more general analogy. “Ahh, that makes sense,” went my mind. So those who first hoped in Christ were those who hoped from prophecy. They looked forward to a time when the Messiah would come. Recall what Luke said of Simeon in Luke 2:25.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. (Luke 2:25–ESV)
Simeon was among those who first hoped in Christ. Rewind your Biblical gaze across the centuries and recognize the progressive revelation of the coming Messiah.
- The prophecy that the serpent’s head would be crushed
- The promise of the Seed of Abraham
- The character of Melchizedek
- The sacrificial system of Israel
- The snake on the pole
- Redemption
In contexts like these, the 12th verse finds its proper resting place. Paul’s birth, upbringing, and spiritual training among the religious elite steep him in these things. It required God’s intervention to weld the two together, but weld God did.
So the viewpoint that those who were first to hope in Christ was the Nation of Israel accords with what Paul writes in this letter. In the next two verses, he will speak of all things being brought together in Christ. That seems to properly fit with this interpretation.
Study the scriptures till they make sense
Let me recap two experiences as this section draws to a close. First, I did not understand inheritance but studied until I came to know it as an allotment. Second, I did not understand the phrase first to hope but worked hard until I grasped it as hope placed in the prophecy of Christ.
My experience here is a frequent one. There are Biblical passages that are mysterious at first blush. By using the Greek, memorization, and commentaries under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, many things find their Aha’s. God expressed through his dealings with Israel and in these writings. He will often arrange for our understanding, but we must look into them as one looks for hidden things. Then comes the knowledge of God, understanding of the Holy One.
I am sure that if you pick up the scriptures you will come to quandaries, but I am equally sure diligence in considering them will unfold to you the answers. I hope you will make this part of your routine. God will be glorified. You will mature.
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