Pro 13:12 | KingComments | STEP | What the “hope deferred” is not mentioned here. It is general. The idea is that the time during which one must cherish his hope is lengthening, that the fulfillment is being repeatedly postponed. One thinks that now fulfillment is almost coming, but it turns out not to be so. Each time there is disappointment or even disillusionment. Such hope makes the heart sick. One becomes despondent and languishes under it. A “desire fulfilled” is something different from a particular hope with which a person is repeatedly deceived. Fulfilled desire speaks of a longing for something God has promised and which He also fulfills. Such a fulfilled desire “is a tree of life”. As a result, the heart is not made sick, but filled with fellowship with God which is eternal and fully satisfying. The deepest desire of the righteous is the desire for the coming of Christ. When He comes, that desire is fulfilled. Simeon experienced His coming ( ; ). All believers will experience His coming. They persistently look forward to it. Therefore, a deferred desire is quite different from expecting something with perseverance. The disciples had a hurt or pained heart because their hope for the reign of the Messiah was postponed. The two disciples going to Emmaus had a hurt or sorrowful heart because of a disappointed hope. We are disappointed in our hope when we base our hope on our own desires and not on what God’s Word says.

‏ Proverbs 13:12

Hope Deferred or Desire Fulfilled

What the “hope deferred” is not mentioned here. It is general. The idea is that the time during which one must cherish his hope is lengthening, that the fulfillment is being repeatedly postponed. One thinks that now fulfillment is almost coming, but it turns out not to be so. Each time there is disappointment or even disillusionment. Such hope makes the heart sick. One becomes despondent and languishes under it.

A “desire fulfilled” is something different from a particular hope with which a person is repeatedly deceived. Fulfilled desire speaks of a longing for something God has promised and which He also fulfills. Such a fulfilled desire “is a tree of life”. As a result, the heart is not made sick, but filled with fellowship with God which is eternal and fully satisfying.

The deepest desire of the righteous is the desire for the coming of Christ. When He comes, that desire is fulfilled. Simeon experienced His coming (Lk 2:25-30; Hag 2:7). All believers will experience His coming. They persistently look forward to it. Therefore, a deferred desire is quite different from expecting something with perseverance.

The disciples had a hurt or pained heart because their hope for the reign of the Messiah was postponed. The two disciples going to Emmaus had a hurt or sorrowful heart because of a disappointed hope. We are disappointed in our hope when we base our hope on our own desires and not on what God’s Word says.