Hope not yet lost

I am free.

I am free in Christ. I am a redeemed child of God, adopted into his family. I am part of a royal priesthood.

This was not always so.

Sometimes I forget about the whole of God's redemption plan for the world. It is so easy to get caught up in my own world and think that salvation is all about me. As if! God has chosen to blind Israel for a time so that the rest of the world may come to know Him.

The other day I was listening to Selah's version of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and I heard a secondary melody in the background. I soon found out that it was Israel's national anthem. I was too curious to stop there, so I looked it up on YouTube. Before the intro was over, I was moved beyond words. It is so beautiful. The melody itself seems to be yearning for the promises of God that have yet to come to pass for them.

Here are the lyrics in Hebrew, the transliteration and in English:

Hebrew	Transliteration	English translation
כל עוד בלבב פנימה	Kol ‘od balleivav penimah	As long as in the heart, within,
נפש יהודי הומיה,	Nefesh yehudi homiyah,	A Jewish soul still yearns,
ולפאתי מזרח, קדימה,	Ul(e)fa’atei mizrach kadimah,	And onward, towards the ends of the east,
עין לציון צופיה;	‘Ayin letziyon tzofiyah;	An eye still gazes toward Zion;
עוד לא אבדה תקותנו,	‘Od lo avdah tikvateinu,	Our hope is not yet lost,
התקוה בת שנות אלפים,	Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim,	The hope of two thousand years,
להיות עם חפשי בארצנו,	Lihyot ‘am chofshi be’artzeinu,	To be a free people in our land,
ארץ ציון וירושלים.	Eretz-tziyon (v)'Y(e)rushalayim.	The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

As I listened to the anthem, I was reminded that our redemption story is truly precious. God exiled Israel, closed their eyes to His coming (although all the prophesies were fulfilled in Christ), and even sacrificed His one and only Son on our behalf. How great a Redeemer we have in Christ! How marvelous is the story of His birth!

Even so, my hear still breaks for Israel. I have found Rest while they are still yearning. Their hearts long for the One who has been revealed to me. But their hope is not yet lost. O come, O come, Emmanuel! Return soon and ransom your people! Open the blind eyes to see the light!

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.