Heaven and hell in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament it doesn't seem clear to me that there is a heaven and hell as distinctly referred to in the New Testament. The Old Testament refers to the dead going down to the pit and it is described almost as a place of nothingness or non-life. It also doesn't seem like heaven is the clear goal as it does in the New Testament. Can you share some insight on this please?
You are observing correctly that, with regard to hell, the Old Testament writers used words that could mean “the grave,” “the condition of being dead” and “hell.” The immediate context determines how the words are best translated. Old Testament writers clearly taught that people who rejected the only true God and the Messiah he promised would experience God’s eternal wrath (Isaiah 66:24; Daniel 12:2).
At the same time, Old Testament writers spoke of people enjoying God’s eternal blessings through faith in him. The writers described heaven in different ways: being at God’s right hand (Psalm 16:11), dwelling in the house of the Lord (Psalm 23:6), being with God in glory (Psalm 73:24), a place of joy (Isaiah 26:19) and the enjoyment of everlasting life (Daniel 12:1-3), for example.
Heaven was definitely a clear goal in Old Testament times: on God’s part and on the part of his followers. Consider how God, through the prophet Ezekiel, passionately and repeatedly expressed his desire to bless people with life rather than punish them for their sins (Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11). Think of how Job “yearned” to see God after he died (Job 19:25-27).
Because of the unity of Scripture, you and I can see God’s teaching about heaven and hell in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
If you are interested in reading more explanations on these topics, Northwestern Publishing offers a book that is appropriately titled Heaven and Hell: Eternal Life, Eternal Punishment.