Living Hope: Resurrection Hope in the Law

"To live without hope is to cease to live." – Fyodor Dostoevsky

In a world where despair often seems to dominate headlines and hopelessness can feel just a few steps away, we as Jesus-followers are called to be people filled with a different kind of hope – a living hope.

The God Who Brings Life from Death

When we think about resurrection, we naturally think of Easter Sunday and Jesus' triumph over the grave. But God's power over death isn't just a New Testament revelation – it's woven throughout the entire biblical narrative, beginning in the very first book.

The Bible shows us that death is more than just physical – it encompasses anything that inhibits, harms, or destroys the fullness of life God intends for His creation. And wherever we see these forces of death at work, God demonstrates His power to restore, heal, and bring new life.

Glimpses of Resurrection Hope in the Torah

Even in the earliest pages of Scripture, we find powerful examples of God's victory over death:

Enoch: Breaking the Pattern

Genesis 5 presents a sobering rhythm – a list of generations with the repeated refrain "and then he died." But suddenly the pattern is interrupted with Enoch, who "walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away" (Genesis 5:24).

This divine interruption of death's seemingly unstoppable pattern reveals a stunning truth: death isn't as invincible as it appears. If God could deliver someone before death, might He also be able to deliver someone after death?

Life from Barrenness

Throughout Genesis, barrenness represents a kind of death – the end of family lines through which God's promises would be fulfilled. Yet God repeatedly brings life from this "death."

When God enabled Sarah to conceive Isaac at the age of 90, it wasn't merely a miracle of conception but a demonstration of God's power to bring life where death seemed to have the final word. Sarah herself recognized this when she said, "God has brought me laughter" – her very joy was a resurrection of sorts.

Abraham's Resurrection Faith

Perhaps the most striking example comes in Genesis 22, when Abraham is tested by God's command to sacrifice Isaac – the very son through whom God promised to establish His covenant. Abraham's response reveals extraordinary faith in God's resurrection power.

When Abraham told his servants, "Stay here... we will worship and then we will come back to you," he wasn't being deceptive. As Hebrews 11:19 explains, "Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death."

Abraham's confidence wasn't wishful thinking but was grounded in the character of God who had already demonstrated His power to bring life from Sarah's "dead" womb. If God could do that, Abraham believed, He could certainly restore life to Isaac if necessary.

Did you notice that Isaac was saved "on the third day" (Genesis 22:4)? This is just the first of many "third day" deliverances we'll discover throughout Scripture.

The God of Life

While the first five books of the Bible don't record any literal physical resurrections, they lay the groundwork for understanding God's character as the God of life who:

• Brings order from chaos and light from darkness
• Creates life where there was none
• Delivers His people from slavery and death
• Heals barrenness and illness
• Rescues from disasters and threats
• Keeps His promises against all odds

Hope for Today

What does this mean for us today? Simply this: the same God who demonstrated His power over death throughout the Law is still at work now.

Wherever you see death's effects – in broken relationships, failing health, dashed dreams, or seemingly hopeless situations – remember that these forces are no match for the God of life. The seeds of resurrection hope were planted long before the empty tomb, and they continue to bear fruit in our lives today.

As we journey toward Easter, may we be strengthened by this living hope – not as a distant future promise only, but as the present reality of a God who has always been in the business of bringing dead things to life.

This article is the first in our "Living Hope" series exploring the theme of resurrection hope throughout Scripture.