"And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." [Ecc 4:12]

Because of “the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” we have been, “according to [God’s] abundant mercy,” given a ”living hope.” [1 Pe 2:3] This living hope is a hope which shall never die. And it is by God’s grace which is “exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus,” [1 Tim 1:14] that we have been given this “everlasting consolation and good hope.” [2 Th 2:16] Our hope is strong, eternal, and good. It is a hope which is described to us like an anchor for our soul, an object which keeps us secure and from drifting away. In Hebrews The Spirit writes,

“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two unchangeable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.” [Heb 6:17-19]

Our living and good hope, given to us by God’s grace, is like an anchor. And truly, as we can see from Hebrews, that hope is Jesus Christ Himself. [1 Tim 1:1] He is that living hope who sits at God’s right hand today, interceding for us, acting as our High Priest, and shepherding us. It is He who secures indefinitely any and all rewards, blessings, promises, privileges, or anything else, that has been given or offered to us by The LORD God, our Heavenly Father.

But as it relates to our hope being an anchor, let us remember that an anchor is only useful if it is attached to a rope. For an anchor without a rope does nothing for the ship, it is but another rock at the bottom of the sea. Yes, and further, the rope is only profitable to the vessel to which it is attached. An anchor and rope are equally unprofitable if they are not secured to a boat. One that is not secured at all, as fine and beautiful as it might appear, yields no security. And moreover, one that is not on one’s own boat, but another’s, also is for naught. So then, an anchor and rope are only useful when they come together, and when they are attached to a vessel. In the same way, if our hope is an anchor, then truly a rope is implied; and, as it has been shown, that hope must be clung to for it to bear any usefulness to a man. See then, that in the same way a boat uses an anchor, so too we must cling to Christ Jesus our High Priest and unto all that He has accomplished for us. It is our clinging to Him, our faithful abiding in Him, which shall yield security at the last. Christ shall do us no good if we but stare at him without clinging; nor will He offer us any real or lasting benefit if we only see others doing so and never do so ourselves. But Christ our everlasting hope will yield His strength and fruit to those who cling to Him as a rope: to those to whom they are attached and He in return is attached. As Moses reminds Israel in the Torah, so too it is true today: “but ye that did cleave unto The LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.” [Deut 4:4]

Now, regarding ropes, it is said in Ecclesiastes, “a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” If our hope is closely connected to a rope, then that rope is like the one in Ecclesiastes, “not quickly broken;” for our hope is upon The LORD God, who like the threefold rope, is also three: Father, Son, and Spirit. Our hope is the triune God. Though we exercise our hope mainly upon Jesus: clinging to Him and seeking Him, praying to Him; yet, our hope is truly in all three personalities of our One God. For they are all equally God and all share equally in our salvation and any promises or inheritances resulting from such. Even as it is written, “hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” [Deut 6:4]

Let us therefore rejoice; for our hope, that is our rope, is strong – yes, even stronger than Solomon writes. For it is not just that our hope in Christ/in God is not quickly broken: but it is that it shall never be broken. Our hope is such that it shall never die nor become brittle in any sense. It shall never be diminished nor shall it fade. Our hope is eternal. It is a rope which shall never be cut off; a rope made of such strong material that no matter what blade our wretched enemy doth use, it shall always fall upon our hope dull and feeble, doing it no harm whatsoever. In Psalms, using the word “hope” which can also be translated “rope,” it says, “…the hope; [that is, the rope] of the poor, shall not perish forever.” [Psa 9:18]

If we have felt at all that our hope in Jesus has been shaky or lacking integrity; if we have felt or supposed that it were weak and could break, let us quickly remedy our thoughts. For our hope in God shall never break, never be cut off, and never fail. It is an everlasting hope which is as fresh and as good as it was on resurrection day.

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