I Know That My Redeemer Lives

A familiar line from a familiar hymn. Yes, it’s from the Bible. The whole quotation reads as follows: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.”

Wonderful, powerful words of hope and promise! No wonder that Samuel Medley chose that opening statement for his hymn, echoing “He lives” over and over again in proclamation and celebration of our Savior’s resurrection from the dead.

One might expect these words were drawn from somewhere in the New Testament, especially given their vivid, Easter-based, Last Day, Resurrection language. Right?

Wrong. These words come from what is probably the oldest book in the Bible: the Old Testament Book of Job.

Job was written somewhere around the time of Abraham (something we deduce, in part, from the vocabulary and style of Hebrew in which it was written), which places it about 2000 years before Jesus was born. The book is a series of dialogs, discussions between Job and three of his friends, who assume Job has been stricken by God because of some secret sin for which Job is being punished.

Many have suggested that the book of Job discusses the question, “Why do the righteous suffer?” but God never answers that question. Instead, God reminds Job of what a friend of mine has called “the first two rules of theology: (1) There is a God. (2) You’re not Him.” So, in the end, Job is led to repentance and renewal of His faith in God.

But along the way to that end, Job goes through a roller coaster of emotions, from the depths of depression nearing despair to the heights of glory and praise to God. The text above (from Job 19:25-26) is one of those high points.

Why am I going back four thousand years to talk about Easter? Because what came out of that tomb on Easter morning was not just for the people of Jerusalem on AD30, nor just for the Christians of the 21st century. It was and is for all believers of all times and all places, from the beginning of time until the Day when Jesus will come again.

For our Redeemer, Jesus, the Messiah, the One who has bought us back from sin, death, and the power of the devil—HE LIVES! He who once was dead—HE LIVES! He was seen alive by eyewitnesses: Peter, the Twelve, five hundred of the brothers, James, all the apostles, and Paul (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)—HE LIVES!

By faith, Job believed this would happen two thousand years before it happened! What’s more, Job believed in what is yet to come for all of us: this same Jesus will, at the Last Day, stand upon the earth once again. On that Day, in our flesh, we shall join with Job and we shall, in resurrected, glorified bodies, see God! We shall see our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, with our own eyes!

Until that Day,

He lives to silence all my fears; He lives to wipe away my tears;

He lives to calm my trouble heart; He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, all glory to His name! He lives, my Jesus, still the same;

Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives! (LSB 461:5, 8)

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen!