Unprecedented Hope

“A Door of Hope”

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When we go through the valleys of life, the Lord doesn’t sit up in heaven saying, “Gee, I hope they get through it okay.” The hope the Lord gives us isn’t the wishful thinking of this world; instead, He gives us a future and a hope we can look forward to.

Further, God isn’t apathetic to our situation; instead, He will guide and direct us, protecting us along the way.

This is seen in what Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life,” (John 8:12 NKJV)

There’s a saying that I have used, which states, “When we look at the world around us, we’ll be distressed. When we look within ourselves, we’ll be depressed. But when we look at Jesus, we’ll be at rest.”

There’s a beautiful worship song that always seems to help when we find ourselves in the dark valleys of life. It’s called “Turn Your Eyes” The chorus states, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus – Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of the world shall grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

There is also a beautiful scripture that brings comfort during these difficult times. And what I find interesting is that it is found in what the Lord says to the prophet Hosea about Israel’s unfaithfulness.

“Therefore, now I am going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and I will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.” (Hosea 2:14-15 NIV)

What I find comforting is that when Hosea saw the Valley of Achor, which means the Valley of Trouble, he saw it as a door of hope.

How will we confront the valleys of trials, tribulations, and troubles that we find ourselves in? These valleys put considerable pressure on us, and many of us are wrestling with the side effects of depression, disease, and discouragement they produce.

How can our hearts be filled with joy, which the Bible says is some of the best medicine we can have (Proverbs 17:b), especially in these dark days?

God gives us a way. He gives us a way through this valley of Achor, this valley of desolation and despair, and He references it as a door, that is, an opening, which leads to hope

But it raises an interesting dilemma: how can God make this valley of Achor, this valley of trouble, into a doorway leading to hope?

First, let’s get some history. In other words, before we can move into finding an answer, it might be beneficial to look at this valley and how it got its name.

The Valley of Achor derives its name from a man named Achan. The story is found in the book of Joshua, chapters 6 & 7. God delivered the city of Jericho into Israel’s hands. It was their first victory in taking the Land of Promise.

God gave them the strategy, and when they implemented it, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, and Israel won a great victory over the most fortified city in the land. But God told them that everything was to be destroyed, except the items of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, which were to be devoted and dedicated to Him.

“But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them.” (Joshua 6:18 NIV)

But one of the men, Achan, was unfaithful and took some of it for himself. And the result was disastrous. From Achan’s sin, Israel was defeated by a small, insignificant city named Ai.

God’s anger was kindled against His people, and the hearts of the people melted with fear. Joshua and the elders fell on their faces in despair, confession, and repentance before God.

After seeking God’s guidance, it was revealed that Achan was the culprit, and he and his family were taken to this valley, the Valley of Achor, and put to death. Now, while this may seem extreme, especially that his family also died, what should be noted is that they were complicit in the crime, for the items were stored in the same tent they lived in, and there was no way such items could be hidden without their knowledge. In other words, they were considered accomplices.

And it is from this event that the valley got its name. The name “Achan” means “trouble.” And the valley’s name, “The Valley of Achor,” means “the valley of trouble,” or “The valley of the one who troubled us”.

Afterward, they piled up a heap of stones as a memorial to this lesson, never to be forgotten.

Now we come to the application: how does all this apply to us?

With this history lesson in mind, let’s take another look at this valley and the prophet Hosea’s description of it.

He said, “Therefore, now I am going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and I will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.” (Hosea 2:14-15 NIV)

It’s important to understand that throughout the book of Hosea, God used Hosea’s unfaithful wife to convey a message to His people, who themselves were unfaithful.

And what we see is that God led her, He allured her, and it is that word, allure, that carries the greatest meaning in understanding what God was now allowing the valley of Achor to become.

To allure, especially in this setting, means loving persuasion to restore His relationship with Israel. God, with grace and mercy, was bringing her back. But notice the place He was bringing Israel to. It was into a wilderness, that is, a place of solitude with no distractions. And in this place, He wasn’t going to punish her for her sins as they deserved, but rather He would “speak tenderly or kindly to her.”

Further, He gives her vineyards, that is, blessings that are directly from Him and not from her worldly lovers, and then He says He will turn the troubles she has caused for herself, “the Valley of Achor,” into “A door of hope.”

And while they were in all these various problems and trials due to sin, God promised He would lead them through it; that is, all these trials and troubles were in reality a door of hope, and not a door of despair.

Israel was unfaithful to God. She was a spiritual adulteress. She had been caught in the act, but instead of leading Israel into this valley of trouble to punish them as their sins deserve, He brings out His big guns, that is, He brings out His grace and mercy, saying, “I will allure her.”

The Lord is saying that He is going to speak kindly to Israel to attract her back unto Himself. He is going to continue to court Israel to draw her back. And what are these words of kindness? They are words of comfort and words of love.

What this is saying is that God doesn’t give up on us. His love knows no bounds. He keeps reaching. He keeps on pleading. He says, “I will allure them by speaking words of comfort and of my love, and I will give them blessings and turn this valley of trouble and desolation into a door of hope.”

God was committed to Israel’s redemption. He was committed to her deliverance. And that is what we see in our lives. God is committed to our redemption and deliverance. Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and then gave us the Holy Spirit along with His gifts.

In this verse, we see the tenderness of God’s heart revealed, the God who takes what was meant for evil and turns it into good. Now, a valley is quite literally a “low place.” And so, God says, “I will make this lowest place in your life into a door of hope.”

The Hebrew word for hope comes from a root word that means “to wait or to look for with eager expectation.” Waiting in hope is then an expression of faith. It means enduring patiently in confident hope that God will act decisively for our salvation. Further, this Hebrew word contains a picture of a rope attached to the thing longed for and hoped for.

And so, what we could say is that in the midst of the problems we face, the Lord is throwing us a lifeline, a door of hope. And this door of hope is none other than the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who calls Himself the door.

Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9 NKJV)

Finding pasture is all about resting in the Lord and finding our provision in Him. We see this beautifully illustrated in Psalm 23, the Shepherd’s Psalm. Look what it says.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3a NKJV)

Now, going back to what Jesus said about Him being the door in John 10:9, He goes on in the very next verse, verse 10, and gives us this warning and assurance.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10 NKJV)

Also, we need to realize that not only is Jesus the door, but He is also standing at the door of our hearts, knocking so that we will let Him in. This is seen in what He tells the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:20.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20 NKJV)

Jesus is at the door of our hearts, knocking. Will we hear Him calling? We can either let Him in and accept the eternal hope He brings, or we can remain defeated and in despair, never tasting the victory He offers and thus always fearing the valley of the shadow of death.

And when we open this door of hope, God’s power, presence, protection, and guidance will be ours when we walk through, and I want you to highlight that word in your mind and understanding, and that is, we walk through these valleys of trouble, not camp out in them.

Now with this history and the application, let’s look at similar valleys in the Bible.

(I will discuss this whole topic in greater detail in an upcoming message called, “Navigating Life’s Dark Valleys,” but for now, I’d like to look at a couple of metaphorical and literal valleys)

As we look at these, what we’ll see is a door of hope attached at the end.

A good example of a metaphorical valley is when the Israelites found themselves trapped, with the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army behind them, with no way to escape. But God turned that “Valley of Trouble” into a “Door of Hope” when He parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to walk through to the other side and into freedom, while drowning the Egyptian army that was pursuing them.

Look at the words of comfort and love that He gave them through His servant Moses.

Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.” (Exodus 14:13 NKJV)

And the Lord opened a door that extended all the way across the Red Sea.

And then there was another metaphorical example involving Shadrach, Mishach, and Abednego, who went into their valley of trouble, that is, the fiery furnace, and there they met with no one less than Jesus Christ Himself, whom Nebuchadnezzar rightly identified, saying, “I see a fourth, one like the Son of God.” Their door of hope was Jesus, who led them through the fire, and when they came out, the only thing that was burned was the ropes that bound them.

But then there were some literal valleys the Bible mentions.

Psalm 84 uses the imagery of people passing through the “Valley of Baca,” or the “Valley of Weeping.”

“Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You. Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” (Psalm 84:4-7 NKJV)

I really love this because, literally, this valley of weeping becomes a well of water where they can go to be refreshed and go from strength to strength.

But the valley most people think of when it comes to trouble turned into a door of hope is the Valley of the Shadow of Death from Psalm 23.

 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” (Psalm 23:4a NKJV)

Again, the wording is significant, and it hinges on that word, “through.” Valleys are what we go through; they are not places to camp out permanently. Valleys are not dead ends; they’re tunnels with light on the other side, meaning there is a door of hope.

This is what David goes on to say in the rest of verse four, “I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4b NKJV)

And this door of hope then leads directly to God’s house in heaven, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

This leads me to another verse that references the Valley of Achor, which reveals its beauty as a door of hope.

“Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me” (Isaiah 65:10)

The “Plain of Sharon” is a large region along the Mediterranean Sea. Earlier, Isaiah likened the Valley of Achor to a wilderness (Isaiah 33:9), but no longer. Now it is a place for flocks, a rich and fertile pastureland for those returning from their Babylonian exile.

Here is the picture I’d like us to see. The “Valley of Achor” runs into the “Plain of Sharon,” thus making the valley a door of hope.

And so, no matter how dark and deep our valley of trouble may be, it will lead us into God’s wonderful blessing of fruitfulness.

But if I could, I’d like to end by looking at the deepest and darkest valley of them all. But it’s not a literal valley, but a spiritual one; it is the valley of sin. And there is a door of hope in this valley as well; it’s Jesus Christ and the cross.

Now, talk about a troubling valley for the disciples. Here was their master, the one they called the Christ, the Messiah, yet instead of taking over as king, He was unjustly tried, beaten, scourged, and crucified. And all their hopes were dashed.

But as Jesus went through His valley of trouble when He took upon Himself all of our sins and died upon the cross, He came out victorious, as He rose from the dead. And so, as we have mentioned and seen, Jesus is the ultimate door of hope, where all those who believe in Him, although they die, yet shall they live forever in heaven.

Conclusion

Jesus is our door out of trouble and sin. He is the door to life, love, joy, and peace. He is the door to our salvation, healing, and victory!

This is a hope that cannot be found anywhere else but in Him. Jesus is our only hope!

He became that door because of us. He stepped out of eternity into time and opened a door for us to pass through to eternal life! He went to Calvary for us. He went to the grave for us! And He was resurrected for us!

God wants us to know that He will take our valleys of defeat and trouble, where we’ve stumbled and fallen, and turn it into a door of hope! He’ll turn our situation around! He’ll give us an open door so we can get out of our valleys!

Biblical hope wraps itself around whatever suffering and sorrow we may be experiencing, transforming them into rest and quietness and bringing with it a confidence in God’s ability to heal (Isaiah 30:15).

Now, let’s go back to our history lesson and how Israel built up stones in the Valley of Achor as a memorial of what Achan did and of how God brought His judgment upon the sin. But I don’t think that is what we should be doing. And if we have done this, I think it’s time we tear it down, because when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, confessing our sins to Him, He will forgive them all and will no longer remember them against us. Therefore, it’s time that we stop remembering them against ourselves.

And the beauty is that God will remove these stones that mark our past defeats in our valleys of trouble and make them into doors of hope and a door of new beginnings.

As we end, I’d like to look once again at that word, hope. As we saw, its root meaning pictures a rope attached to the thing longed for and hoped for. Therefore, as I see it, amid these problems, the Lord is throwing us a lifeline. And what we need to do is take hold of the rope and let Him pull us to safety.

(I will be looking at this very concept in a couple of weeks)

And so, this door of hope is open today! It’s time for us to leave the darkness behind. It’s time to leave our past sins and mistakes and move through God’s door of hope, through Jesus Christ and the forgiveness He provides.

Maybe I can say it this way: it’s time to leave our valleys of anguish and trouble, pass through the door of hope God has provided through His Son, Jesus Christ, and enter into eternal life.