Every Spring our thoughts are centered on resurrection as we celebrate Easter. It is, for obvious reasons, one of the key moments in the ministry of Jesus and the life of the church. There are so many implications that come with the resurrection truth. But is the resurrection purely a New Testament thing? Are there clear statements in the Old Testament about the resurrection? The answer is a resounding ‘yes,’ going back longer than you think.
The first allusion to resurrection is in the near sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham is told to slay his son, his only son, the son of the promise that God had made. Scripture tells us that Abraham believed the promise so deeply, that he thought God would have to resurrect Isaac from the dead for the promise to be fulfilled (Heb 11:19).
There is a reference to resurrection in Psalm 16:10. It says there that God will not allow His ‘Holy One’ to undergo decay. A statement saying that the Messiah would not decay in the grave. He would go to the grave, but not decay there, hence, resurrection. A picture of resurrection is found in Ezekiel 37, when the prophet has a vision of dry bones coming to life and living again.
The prophet Elisha raises a young man from the dead in 2 Kings 4 and in Daniel 12:1-2 there is a clear statement of future resurrection proclaimed as Daniel predicts that those who sleep in the dust of the ground will come to life! Of those resurrected, some go to everlasting life, and some go to everlasting judgment.
But the reference to resurrection that I would like to highlight this month comes from the book of Job. This servant of God suffered more than any other person in history and when his friends come to ‘comfort’ him, they accuse him of wrongdoing and deserving of it. What they don’t know is that Job’s suffering had nothing to do with his sin or transgressions, it was a lesson on the sovereignty of God and the majority of the book is back and forth conversations between Job and his friends.
In Job 19, he gives a statement about his view of resurrection. He says, 25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. 26 “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; 27 Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another.” This statement of faith is rich with profound theological truth. Let’s consider what he believes in this statement.
First, he knows that God is his redeemer. He believes in the Lord as being his Savior, and that his Savior is everlasting, living. He also believes that the Lord will judge the world in righteousness. This is what he means be saying that He will take His stand on the earth. But then notice what comes next. Job says that after his skin is destroyed, he will see God, in his flesh. Job believes that after he dies there will be a resurrection and in his flesh, he will see God with his own eyes! What clearer statement could there be in the Old Testament about resurrection than this?
What makes this text so interesting is the historical position of the book of Job. You see, scholars think Job took place very early in the world’s history, during the time of the patriarchs. That means the book of Job is probably the oldest Bible book ever written. That means that a clear theology of resurrection was held by God’s people going all the way back to the earliest years! Resurrection is not simply a New Testament idea, invented by the New Testament writers to make the account of Jesus end with a fantastic conclusion. It is something God’s people have believed for centuries.
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is predicted in the Old Testament, it was illustrated in the Old Testament, and God’s work of resurrection was believed by God’s servants starting at the beginning. This year at Easter, celebrate the resurrecting power of God, knowing that it was found all throughout Scripture throughout all time.