Quick quiz: where in the Bible is the famous quote:

I know that my Redeemer liveth.

“I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” occurs toward the end of Handel’s Messiah, a well-known soprano solo, worth a listen.

So who said it in the Bible?

For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19.25 – 27, NKJV)

Did you know it was our friend Job? It’s at the end of a speech denouncing his friends. Here’s a sample:

Then Job answered and said: “How long will you torment my soul, And break me in pieces with words? These ten times you have reproached me; You are not ashamed that you have wronged me. (Job 19.1 – 3, NKJV)

He continues:

All my close friends abhor me, And those whom I love have turned against me. My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, For the hand of God has struck me! Why do you persecute me as God does, And are not satisfied with my flesh? (Job 19.19 – 22, NKJV)

There’s another phrase you might not remember comes from Job: “…the skin of my teeth.”

Then there’s this remarkable wish, which has come true:

“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock With an iron pen and lead, forever! (Job 19.23, 24, NKJV)

We are reading his words today. Inscribed in a book…forever.

Then this startling statement of faith:

For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19.25 – 27, NKJV)

It’s a good word. Death comes for all of us. The body wears out, but the promise is, “I know that my Redeemer lives…in my flesh I shall see God.” Amen.