“After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him” (Hosea 6:2 ESV).
Amidst Hosea’s prophecies of God’s judgment on Israel, he calls them to repentance with the promise of resurrection. This promise was fulfilled in Christ. The apostle Paul must have been referring to this Scripture when he wrote that Christ “rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4).
Yet, Hosea wrote that the Lord would “raise us up.” How does Christ being raised on the third day affect us? It affects us because all those who place their faith in Jesus, are raised with Him. Just as Adam was our head, leading us to death, so by faith, Christ Jesus has become our Head, making us alive. As Paul explained, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22). So our old life has died with Christ and our new life is raised with Christ. This is why Paul wrote, “Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was” (Rom. 6:5).
Christ lay in the tomb for two days, but on the third day, He was raised. He did this that those who believe on Him might “live in His sight.” Since this is so, let us be encouraged. As Paul wrote, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1-3).
Christ is both our revival and our resurrection. For we were dead in our sins, but He has revived us to new life. And one day, our bodies will die, but in the last Day, He will raise us with a resurrection body that will live with Him forever.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You for this confidence we have in Christ, that our old life has died with Him and our new life has been raised with Him. We therefore set our minds and hearts on Christ and seek those things which are above with Christ. Strengthen us by Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.