RESURRECTION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

 

The concept of a bodily resurrection is well documented in the New Testament, but only dimly present in the Old Testament. Some would say that it is missing altogether there and was a theological innovation the Jews began to borrow from pagan cultures during the time of the Exile. With that brief introduction, here are some OT texts to consider.

There are three incidents during the ministries of Elijah and Elisha (see I Kings 17:22; II Kings 4:35; 13:21) in which the prophets were used to resuscitate people within a few hours of death. These were not examples of true resurrection, in that these people eventually died. However, it certainly demonstrates that God has the power to restore to full functionality a body even after all activity has ceased and cells begin dying.

Moving from the OT history books to the the writing prophets, we see teachings that seem to indicate the belief in some sort of an afterlife:

P.S. Johnston notes that Isaiah 25:7-9 predicts a time when God will “swallow up death forever.”

In the following chapter (Isaiah 26:19), God says, “Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise.” Johnston responds: “The imagery clearly envisages the personal resurrection from death of at least some Israelites. The application may be national, but the imagery presupposes a concept of individual resurrection.”

Finally, Isaiah 53:10-11 concerning the suffering servant of God (felt to be a messianic image by most evangelical scholars) indicates that this personage would return to life, even if the exact form of that renewed existence is not specified in the text.

In Ezekiel 37, the prophet is shown a vision of a valley of dry bones, and God asks him, “Can these bones come back to life.” Ezekiel replies, “You know, O Lord.” This reply can be taken in one of two ways. One is expressed by Johnston, who says, “Whether Ezekiel or his contemporaries had a concept of personal resurrection is irrelevant, though the prophet's cautious reply to Yahweh's opening question makes this unlikely.” On the other hand, S.L. Cook looks at Ezekiel's reply in an entirely different manner: “Ezekiel does not yet realize that this vision refers to the reestablishment of the exiles in their homeland. Thus, the hope of bodily resurrection was already a live possibility for Ezekiel.”

Daniel 12:2, in the mind of many scholars, represents the only clear example in the whole OT of belief in the resurrection.

    “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will wake, some to everlasting life and some to the reproach of eternal abhorrence.” (NEB)

But even this pronouncement falls somewhat short of predicting a general resurrection for two reasons. In the first place, this statement is prefaced by the words: “But at that moment your people will be delivered, every one who is written in the book.” Thus, it only applies in this verse to the people of Israel, and not even all of them. Johnston feels that it may only be applicable to one specific generation of Israelites. Nevertheless, this passage certainly does go to show that God had already revealed the reality of the resurrection in the OT.

Hosea 6:2 is the remaining prophetic text that has been cited in regard to the resurrection. But it is by no means a definitive example. Hosea pleads with the people to return to the LORD who has struck them down since “after two days he will revive us; on the third day he will rise us up, that we may live before him.” This verse may provide a hint of Jesus' resurrection after three days, but in its immediate context it gives no indication that Hosea is talking about the literal death and resurrection of anyone.

But that is not all that the OT has to say on the subject of personal bodily resurrection. Kaiser turns to the next section in the Bible, the Wisdom Literature, for additional examples.

One of the most famous pronouncements in the book of Job is his statement in Job 19:23-27, which says in part “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the last days he will stand on the earth, and after my skin is gone I shall see God in my flesh.” Kaiser remarks, “No text made the point more clearly nor was more hotly contested on textual and hermeneutical grounds.” In other words, there is a raging controversy regarding not only which Hebrew text to go with, but also how to interpret that text even it it could be pinned down with certainly. I won't go into all the details at this point since it constitutes a major subject all on its own.

Interestingly, Kaiser points to what he feels is an even stronger indication of resurrection found in the OT, but still within the book of Job. Job 14:7 says, “If a tree be cut down, there is hope for it that it will sprout again.” That verse by itself is not exactly definitive, but it takes on new significance when it is connected with v. 14 later in the same passage: “If a man die,will he live again? All my days of toil I will await until my sprouting will come.”

A final wisdom passage is Ecclesiastes 3:17-22 regarding the fact that the spirit of man goes upward while a beast's life goes downward. This is a powerful expression of faith considering the fact that it comes from the rather cynical and earth-oriented author of that book.

Johnston's conclusion is somewhat more negative than justified by the passages above, but I will quote it anyway: Thus, resurrection and life after death remained marginal to OT belief, whether chronologically or theologically, and awaited exploration in intertestamental literature and resolution in the NT.