Resurrection and the Old Testament

THE WORD "RESURRECTION" is not found anywhere in the Old Testament. A superficial study of the Bible will bring you to the conclusion that practitioners of early Judaism, before the exile, had no idea of life after death. Nothing about the resurrection is mentioned in the Pentateuch, the first five books supposed to be written by Moses. (The Sadducees during Jesus’ time didn’t believe in resurrection for this reason.) Even among post-exilic remnants, the idea of bodily resurrection had not taken any firm root, but we find various sketchy references to the subject, but not as a firm theological truth.

The Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation all proclaim the blessed hope of our Lord’s return to bring the dead back to life and, in doing so, defeat the last enemy—Death (1 Cor. 15:26). It would seem like resurrection is an exclusively New Testament hope. But you grab this hope and pull, you’ll find it has roots leading you deep into the Old Testament. God has provided resurrection hope to his people from the beginning.

Job lived before Moses, before Abraham. This was a time when people believed that righteousness was rewarded and evil was punished in this life itself. Job had no idea why a righteous man like him was suffering but raises the question ‘’Can the dead live again?’’ and tries to answer it “If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle, and I would eagerly await the release of death’’ (Job 14:14). He nurses a hope that somehow he would be hidden alive among the dead, remembered by God at a later time and released (14:13). He warms to the subject and says in 19:25-27 “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall rise on the earth at the last; and even after they corrupt my skin, yet this: in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not a stranger's”. Faced with death and decay, Job expected to see God – to see Him in flesh; given his state, this is remarkable faith, faith that gives strength to endure his trials.

Among others who believed in resurrection, surprisingly, is Hanna: “The LORD brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up” (1 Samuel 2:6).

We find several examples of a belief of a personal resurrection in many of David’s Psalms: David stated confidently you will not leave my soul in the grave; allow your Holy One to rot in the grave’’ (16:10). This is also a predictive prophecy of the Messiah–the earliest clear reference to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Confident his righteousness will be rewarded in another age he predicts in Psalm 17:15: ‘’because I am righteous I will see you; when I awake I will see your face to face and be satisfied! The word ‘Awake’ shows David believed in life after death, and in bodily resurrection.

Where David left off, Korah takes over. We find two more references to  personal resurrection in Psalms 49:15; “God will redeem my life, snatch me from the power of the grave”—as personal a statement of hope in resurrection as you would find anywhere in Old Testament, but it doesn’t specify about bodily resurrection. And then this desperate query posed by the same author:  “For will You do wonders to the dead? Shall the dead rise and praise You?’’ (Psalms 88:10). We see here a cry in loneliness, hoping against hope—a realization of the finality of death.  

At this time in history, there was limited knowledge of the resurrection and immortality of the souls of the righteous, but the prophet Isaiah appears to have known more: (26:19) ‘’Those who die in the Lord will live! Their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy’’.

Jesus’ bodily resurrection is being questioned today in some circles. Even churches have raised doubts about this. The bodily resurrection was a constant theme in early Christian teaching. Believers, Jews, and Gentiles alike, had to be assured God will not forget them and assured He will bring us to life and let us live with Him.

Isaiah continues triumphantly: (25:8) ‘’He will swallow up death forever; the Lord will wipe our tears’’. This prediction by Isaiah ranks among His most important Messianic prophecies. Satan had held mankind captive through his control over death. When Jesus died and was brought back to life, Satan’s hold on mankind was neutralized. This is the work Jesus did for us on Calvary—among other things.

Ezekiel 37--Is there a message about resurrection in this marvelous vision of the prophet? Both the nations of Israel and Judah were in exile, but God had plans to bring them back as one people and provide them peace, freedom, and prosperity. The prophet is taken to a valley filled with dry bones and is asked to speak to them. They are restored to an army of live human beings. Thus God makes it plain that the “dead” Israelites will live again. There are two verses certainly refer to resurrection: verse 12: "I, the sovereign Lord, am going to open their graves. I am going to take them out and bring them back to the land of Israel"; V 14: "I will put my breath in them, bring them back to life and let them live in their own land".  Out of a spiritually dead people, God was planning to save a remnant that will live for Him. But in Hosea (13:14) Yahweh wonders if He should “resurrect” His people who were “dead” in their sinful nature. “Should I ransom them from the grave? Should I redeem them from death?” He asks, desperately, it would appear.

(Daniel 12:2)--Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

This is the first reference in the Old Testament about the general resurrection.  The good and wicked alike–all will rise, and face judgment. At this period of history, the Israelites had held a vague belief in a kingdom and after-life for the righteous. This reference to the resurrection of righteous and evil alike and rewards and punishment–heaven and hell—is a sharp departure from the belief held so far. Everybody will rise! This point is further developed in the following verse—eternity is introduced.  Daniel is assured he will rise again share eternity with God. What an amazing reward for God’s true children—the likes of Daniel!

By the time the Lord Jesus Christ arrived on earth the concept of resurrection has been more or less firmly established, with a few exceptions. A religious group called the Sadducees begged to differ and held that there was no resurrection. Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven further made the idea of resurrection clearer. In John 11:24, 25 Martha confesses to Jesus that she knew that her dead brother will come alive at resurrection. (To this Jesus replies, He was resurrection and life).

The Emmaus Revelation

Jesus comparing Himself to Jonah and His prediction that He will lay down His life and take it back (John 10:18) confounded the Sadducees and scandalized the Pharisees.  Later on, both groups would come together to accuse Jesus. After Jesus’ own resurrection and ascension, resurrection became a major part of the teachings of the apostles.

As Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God intervened and provided an innocent substitute. The author of Hebrews observes that Isaac was figuratively raised from the dead (Heb. 11:19). If we are to use this as a formula, then you will find numerous other incidents of “resurrection” scattered all over the Old Testament! Noah and his family are delivered from the flood, Joseph from the pit, the Israelites from Egypt, the three friends from the furnace, Daniel from the lions’ den, the Jews from Haman’s plot, and Jonah from the great fish. Such stories of deliverance from peril stimulate and feed trust in God’s power to defeat death. The two cases of actual resurrection—the Zarephath widow’s dead son who was raised to life by Elijah and the Shunammite woman’s son by Elisha would fall into another category, of course. 

God has also made promises to us in Christ that are yet to be fulfilled. Though inwardly we are being renewed, outwardly we are wasting away (2 Cor. 4:16). At the resurrection, however, the perishable will finally put on the imperishable. So we are not to lose heart. Jesus evacuated his grave, and so shall we.

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