“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3–4)

Gage, W. A. (2011). Milestones to Emmaus: The Third Day Resurrection in the Old Testament (p. iv). Warren A. Gage.

(1 Kings 12:5, 12 – Rehoboam tells the people, “Depart for three days, then return to me… So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day.”)

Warren Gage presents this episode as a pivotal “third day” life-and-death decision for the United Monarchy. After Solomon’s death, the northern tribes asked Rehoboam to lighten the heavy yoke (taxes and forced labor). Rehoboam asks for three days to consider.

On the third day, he rejects the elders’ wise counsel to serve the people and instead follows the young men’s harsh advice: “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke.” The northern tribes revolt, the kingdom splits permanently, and the chronicler notes, “Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day” (1 Kings 12:19).

Gage sees this as foreshadowing Jesus, the greater Son of David, who offers an easy yoke (Matt 11:29–30) and is rejected by Israel, yet triumphs on the third day through resurrection.

From the Tanakh’s plain Hebrew text, historical context, and Jewish interpretive tradition, this milestone does not prophesy or typify Jesus’ death, burial, and third-day resurrection. It is a tragic political story about poor leadership, broken unity, and the consequences of ignoring wise counsel.

1. The “Third Day” Is Practical Delay for Consultation, Not a Resurrection Motif

• 1 Kings 12:5: Rehoboam says, “Depart for three days, then return to me.”
• 1 Kings 12:12: The people return “on the third day, as the king had directed.”
• This is realistic ancient diplomacy: a king needs time to consult advisors (elders vs. young men). The three days allow deliberation, not a symbolic death-and-life transition.
• No death, burial, or rising occurs. The “death” is the splitting of the kingdom; the “life” is Rehoboam’s continued rule over Judah. It is a political fracture, not a resurrection.

2. The Story Is About Leadership Failure and National Division, Not Messianic Prophecy

• The core issue is Rehoboam’s arrogance and rejection of the elders’ advice to serve the people (1 Kings 12:7). He chooses harshness, leading to rebellion and permanent division (“Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day”).
• Jewish tradition (Rashi, Radak) views this as a cautionary tale: bad kingship destroys unity. The split fulfills Ahijah’s prophecy (1 Kings 11:29–39) due to Solomon’s sins, but Rehoboam’s folly accelerates it. No classical sources see the third day as foreshadowing a future Messiah’s resurrection or easy yoke.

3. Gage’s Typology Is Highly Allegorical and Lacks Textual Anchors

• Gage links Rehoboam’s harsh yoke to Jesus offering an easy yoke, and the third-day decision to Jesus’ resurrection triumph despite rejection.
• These are creative Christian readings. The Tanakh presents a historical tragedy of a divided monarchy, not a preview of a suffering-and-rising Messiah. The text has no language of “rising,” “life from death,” or eschatological victory.

4. Broader Tanakh Pattern: “Third Day” as Narrative Device

• As with previous milestones, “three days” frequently marks a waiting, preparation, or decision point. It is not inherently resurrection-coded.

Conclusion on Milestone 16

1 Kings 12 is a sobering account of how foolish leadership and ignored counsel fractured God’s people. The “third day” is a realistic consultation period. Gage turns a political crisis into a resurrection typology, but the Tanakh itself offers no warrant for seeing a Messiah who dies for sins, is buried, and rises on the third day. It warns against arrogance and division.

This continues the consistent pattern in Gage’s work: a numerical coincidence (“third day”) is elevated into prophetic foreshadowing, while the original context and Jewish tradition emphasize human responsibility and national consequences.

Hazan Gavriel ben David