Trampling the Tyrant, Delivering the Dead

Can you feel the wait?

The weight of sin.

The weight of glory.

The pause of movement,

Creation waits,

Its Maker sleeps.

 

Down into the pit

Descends the One

Who made the depths.

All of Sheol

Looks up and gazes

Upon the Savior.

 

The Alpha who spoke

Light into existence

Illuminates the dark

Pit where the dead saints

Are imprisoned by

The serpent’s vile bite.

 

Adam rejoices

Seeing the One who

Walked with him daily.

Eve weeps joyfully

The long promised Son

From our dreadful fall.

 

Abraham and Isaac

Encounters the One

Providing the off’ring.

Israel wrestles

To see the One

Who gave him His name.

 

Moses encounters

The One who bears

The Name of the Lord.

Behold the lawgiver

Who etched His law

Into tablets of stone.

 

The One who gave the

Law of life and death

Became the Curse,

Bestows blessings

Gives light to Moses’ face

And Israel’s children.

 

Joshua falls to his face

Once more before the

Captain of the Lord’s host.

The conquest of His foes

Completed by the One

Bearing Joshua’s name.

 

Gideon stands tall

the Mighty Warrior

As he recalls,

Peace be to you

Do not fear

You shall not die.

 

Samuel hears again

The Voice from his sleep

Calling him to serve.

Job praises God

Seeing this day

His Redeemer lives.

 

David kneels before

The Lord who makes

Sin and death His footstool.

Elijah covers his face

At the mighty voice

From His whispering.

 

Isaiah witnesses

The Man of Sorrows

Bearing our grief,

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Prince of Peace.

 

Daniel’s companions

Are relieved to see

The Son of God,

Who protected them

From the furnace

Of a mad king.

 

Jonah laughs

Recalling three days

In the fish belly.

Now seeing His Lord

Swallowed by Death

Is Death’s Undoing.

 

Christ descends to hell

Hell is harrowed

Death is destroyed.

Satan surprised

His prize becomes

His own defeat.

 

The tyrant is no more

He is overthrown

Hell is conquered

Sin is vanquished

Death is toppled

Christ is King.

 

Rise up O sleepers

Christ shines upon you

Capt’vity is captive.

Christ gifts the old saints

The captives ascend to

Heaven’s promised land.

 

The rock and stones

Cry out to its King

Quakes for its Maker.

The dead Adam walks

The new Adam lives

The tomb is empty.

 

Sinners are redeemed,

Devil’s powerless,

His death is our Life.

O death, where is thy sting?

O grave, where is thy vict’ry?

He is not here, Christ is ris’n!