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Angels from the Realms of Glory

Words: James Montgomery (b. Nov. 4, 1771; d. Apr. 30, 1854)
Music: Regent Square, by Henry Thomas Smart (b. Oct. 26, 1813; d. July 6, 1879)

Note: James Montgomery was recognized as a gifted poet, highly esteemed by contemporaries such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. In my view, his carol ranks near the pinnacle of our Christmas hymns and carols, perhaps second only to Charles Wesley’s Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. Hymn historians James King and Robert McCutchan both quote an unnamed and effusive commentator saying:

“For comprehensiveness, appropriateness of expression, force, and elevation of sentiment, this hymn may challenge comparison with any hymn that was ever written in any language or country.”

While I might not go quite that far, it is indeed a magnificent hymn. When it was printed in his newspaper on Christmas Eve, 1816, Montgomery called it simply “Nativity.” In later publications he changed the title to “Good Tidings of Great Joy to All People.” Currently, the song takes the opening line as its title.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Most editors now omit the seemingly stern words of (5) (see below), but it simply identifies another group that ought to be praising the Lord for the coming of the Saviour. Most hymnals use only (1) to (4). A few add one of two Trinitarian doxologies (both given in the Cyber Hymnal link). Even so, though it’s rarely used now, the fifth stanza fits the careful structure of the hymn.

(5) Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.

I have called Angels from the Realms of Glory a hymn, as I often use that term generically in these blogs. However, strictly speaking, it is not praise addressed to God, nor is it a prayer to Him. Therefore, it’s more of an early gospel song (or what the Bible calls a “spiritual song,” Col. 3:16).

The author begins in (1) by calling our attention to the announcement of Christ’s birth by the angels (Lk. 2:10-14). The angels’ song of celebration at creation refers to the poetic words of Job 38:4-7, where “morning stars” is poetic imagery for the angels, called in the parallel line “the [heavenly] sons of God.”

(1) Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.

Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Next, we see a pair of visiting companies come to the Child: the lowly shepherds (2), and the more socially elite magi (3). Then comes another pairing: the saints of God, elevated to sonship through grace (4), and condemned sinners who turn to Christ for salvation (5). This last fits the church liturgy followed by some for Christmas morning, which calls for Psalm 85 to be read. Sinners can rejoice that “mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” in the saving work of Calvary (Ps. 85:10).

Having presented the rationale for the way Mr. Montgomery conceived the structure of the song, I recognize that few today will likely include stanza (5). Further, the fourth stanza, appealing as it does to the saints gathered for worship at the Christmas season, does make a fitting conclusion to the hymn. While calling us to celebrate the incarnation, it also points us forward to the return of Christ.

(4) Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.

Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Questions:

  1. What others joined in praise at this wonderful event (see Lk. 1:46-55; 2:25-38)? What do their words add to our understanding of Christ’s coming?
  2. For what things are you specifically praising the Lord today?

Links:

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Words: John Francis Wade (b. _____, 1710; d. Aug. 16, 1786)
Music: Adeste Fideles, likely by John Francis Wade

Note: Scholar John Stephan, in his extensive study of early manuscripts, has concluded that one from 1743 is the first and original of this hymn, and that Wade wrote both words and music, sometime between 1740 and 1743. In 1841, Frederick Oakeley (1802-1880) gave us the English translation of the commonly used stanzas (1), (3) and (7). As well as being a popular Christmas carol sung in English, the hymn is still sung in the Latin original as well. It begins:

Adeste fideles laeti triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem.
Natum videte Regem angelorum.
Venite adoremus, venite adoremus,
Venite adoremus Dominum.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This is a song of invitation. Like church bells chiming on a Sunday morning, the carol issues a call to worship.

(1) O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

The Word of God contains many such summonses. The first is found in Genesis 7:1, where the Lord calls Noah and his family to find safety in the ark. “The LORD said to Noah, ‘Come into the ark, you and all your household.’” The NIV opts to translate the word as “go.” This is unfortunate. It is a common Hebrew word for come, translated that way hundreds of times in the Old Testament. The significance of “come” is that God is already present in the ark, and is calling them to Himself. It is a reminder that He will be with them in the storm.

Other invitations are issued by the Lord, in both Old and New Testaments.

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price….Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live” (Isa. 55:1, 3).

“Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

With the carol, there is a sense that we are invited to join a time of celebration and praise that has already begun. In the context of the birth of Christ, this of course has to do with echoing the glorious announcement of the angels to the shepherds (Lk. 2:8-14). The song deals with this angelic praise in (3), and follows it in (4) (a stanza not usually used today) with the shepherds going to “see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us” (vs. 15).

(3) Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest.
O come, let us adore Him.

(4) See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps.
O come, let us adore Him.

In singing the hymn, believers are positioning themselves as those who are already worshiping the Lord, and are calling for others to join them. It suggests we have found Him infinitely worthy of our adoration, and want others to discover the same. “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation” (Ps. 95:1).

(7) Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Questions:

  1. What are some of the reasons why we seek the Lord and come to Him?
  2. The invitation at the empty tomb to “Come and see” (Matt. 28:6) is followed by the exhortation to “Go and tell” (vs. 7). What is the application of this to our Christian lives?

Links:

O How I Love Jesus

Words: Frederick Whitfield (b. Jan. 7, 1829; d. Sept. 13, 1904)
Music: Traditional Melody (source unknown)

Note: Frederick Whitfield wrote these words while a theological student at Trinity College, Dublin. The song was first published in 1855. Though there are nine stanzas to it, hymn books I’ve checked use only four: (1), (2), (4) and (5). The unused closing stanzas are also worth a look. Here they are:

(7) Jesus, the name I love so well,
The name I love to hear:
No saint on earth its worth can tell,
No heart conceive how dear.

(8) This name shall shed its fragrance still
Along this thorny road,
Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill
That leads me up to God.

(9) And there with all the blood-bought throng,
From sin and sorrow free,
I’ll sing the new eternal song
Of Jesus’ love for me.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The name “Jesus,” meaning the Lord saves, or the Lord is salvation, was given to Christ by a heavenly decree, before He was born, both to Mary (Lk. 1:31), and to Joseph (Matt. 1:21). It represents both His Person (He is the Saviour), and the prospect of His saving work on the cross. “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). When His birth was first announced, it was declared, “There is born to you…a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord (Lk. 2:11).

“Jesus” is a name used of Him over 940 times in the New Testament. Several times it is used in the Old Testament too, though hidden from view in our English Bibles. When God the Son speaks, in prophecy, of His Father’s plan for His incarnation, He quotes the Father as saying, “that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth,” and Isaiah prophesies, “all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God” (Isa. 49:5-6; 52:10).

In those verses, the word for “salvation” is Ye-shoo-ah, the Hebrew form of the name Jesus. When he takes the infant Jesus in his arms, in the temple, Simeon seems to allude to Isaiah 52:10, saying, “My eyes have seen Your salvation [Your Ye-shoo-ah, Your Jesus]” (Lk. 2:28, 30). He could as well have said, “My arms have held Your salvation,” because He realized that our eternal salvation is bound up in a Person.

Needless to say, because of the importance of this name, and the One it represents, there are many hymns and gospel songs that speak of the name of Jesus. Full information for many can be found on the Cyber Hymnal. Here is a small sampling:

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds, by John Newton
At the Name of Jesus, by Carolyn Noel
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name, by Edward Perronet
Precious Name (Take the Name of Jesus with You), by Lydia Baxter
The Name of Jesus, by William Martin
There Is No Name So Sweet on Earth, by George Bethune

(1) There is a name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in my ear,
The sweetest name on earth.

O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!

Questions:

  1. What does the name of Jesus mean to you personally?
  2. What is your favourite hymn about the name of Jesus? (And why is it your favourite?)

Links:

Face to Face

Words: Carrie Elizabeth Ellis Breck (b. Jan. 22, 1855; d. Mar. 27, 1934)
Music: Grant Colfax Tullar (b. Aug. 5, 1869; d. May 20, 1950)

Note: The Wordwise link below provides the remarkable story of how this hymn came to be–an example of the wonderful providence of God. The Cyber Hymnal uses the word “darkened” in (2). Mrs. Breck’s original word was “darkling,” meaning obscure and vaguely threatening. It’s a perfectly good word. No need to change it in my view.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Face to face. The phrase indicates that the two individuals involved are in one another’s presence, visible to one another, and close to one another. They are able to communicate directly, rather than through an intermediary, or using some device such as a phone or computer.

When applied to Christ, it has a wonderful significance for every child of God. The disciples of old had a privilege that we no longer enjoy. They saw Christ face to face–and were even given a glimpse of Him in heavenly glory (Matt. 17:1-2). Since His ascension, we have not been able to do that. We meet Him in His Word, and view Him with the eyes of faith, but it’s not the same. Like the veil in Israel’s tabernacle (and later in the temple) that curtained off the holy of holies, where God manifested His glorious presence, that privilege is denied us for now.

(2) Only faintly now I see Him,
With the darkling veil between,
But a blessèd day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.

Our anticipation of heaven involves many things. Dwelling places especially prepared for us by the Lord Jesus (Jn. 14:2-3), the banishing of pain and sorrow and death (Rev. 21:4), and a reunion with saved loved ones who’ve gone on before us (I Thess. 4:14). But chief among the joys of heaven will surely be seeing our Saviour, face to face, in all His glory. With incredible understatement, Paul says that being with Christ will be “far better” (Phil. 1:23). “Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face” (I Cor. 13:12, KJV).

(3) What rejoicing in His presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
When the crooked ways are straightened,
And the dark things shall be plain.

The anticipation of that has comforted and cheered countless believers in the face of danger and death. Many years ago, R. W. Porteous and his wife, missionaries serving with the China Inland Mission, were captured by bandits. Tied together, they were forced to march for miles over rough, mountainous terrain until they reached the outlaws’ stronghold. On a moonlit night, soon after, they were taken by those who guarded them to a lonely hill. There, one of the men drew out a large executioner’s knife.

It was plain what was intended. “We stood looking up at the stars,” says Porteous, “and God’s peace came into our hearts. We could not restrain ourselves from singing praise to Him. We sang [the hymn’s refrain]:

Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory,
I shall see Him by and by!

One of the men said, ‘Listen to these foreigners singing! They are not afraid to die.’” In telling what happened, the missionary said, “We do not know whether it was the singing that touched the hearts of the guards, and kept them from carrying out their threat to kill us. But we do know it was the restraining hand of God.” Not only were they not slain, a few weeks later, they were released.

Questions:

  1. Are there spiritual benefits to be gained by not seeing Christ face to face, for the time being? (If so, what?)
  2. What is it about the anticipation of seeing Christ face to face that sustains believers in difficult trials?

Links:

There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood

Words: William Cowper (pronounced Cooper) (b. Nov. 15, 1731; d. Apr. 25, 1800)
Music: Cleansing Fountain, an American camp meeting tune, arranged by Lowell Mason (b. Jan. 8, 1792; d. Aug. 11, 1872)

Note: A number of changes in William Cowper’s original have been made. Many hymn books have, in (2), “And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.” The author’s original version made it a personal confession: “And there have I, as vile as he, washed all my sins away.” (I like Cowper’s version better.)
In the case of (5), the alterations made later provide a more positive statement. William Cowper wrote:
Then in a nobler sweeter song I’ll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.
With the use of the traditional tune, that calls for a repetition of “lies silent in the grave.” Editors since have changed the order of the lines to make the repeated phrase “I’ll sing Thy power to save.”
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save.
The last two stanzas seem anticlimactic, if not inferior, and are usually omitted.
Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, unworthy though I be,
For me a blood bought free reward, a golden harp for me!
‘Tis strung and tuned for endless years, and formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father’s ears no other name but Thine.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

If you’ve ever seen, even in passing, any of those “Ultimate Fighter” matches on television, you have witnessed crowds screaming for blood. The more the better! This mindless craving to see others be beaten bloody, as a form of entertainment, reminds me of the brutal contests in the Roman arena in ancient times.

When Jesus stood before Pilate, the raucous mob shouted “Crucify Him! Crucify Him” (Lk. 23:21). Pilate, convinced of the innocence of Christ, washed his hands before the multitude–a symbolic way of trying to evade responsibility for the execution. But the crowd was not to be deterred. Their terrible cry was, “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matt. 27:24-25). In contrast to this bloodthirsty mob, we have Peter’s stirring and reverent words:

“To you who believe, He is precious” (I Pet. 2:7). “You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Pet. 1:18-19).

We honour the Saviour, and His willingness to shed His blood on the cross, because it’s only by faith in His great Calvary work that we can be saved. “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission [no forgiveness of sins]” (Heb. 9:22).

(3) Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

(4) E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

(5) When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save.

Questions:

  1. What is the significance of Christ shedding His blood on the cross, according to the following verses (Lev. 17:11; Eph. 1:7)?
  2. What is the reasoning behind professing Christians wanting to downplay references to the blood of Christ, in sermons, songs, and even in Bible versions? What do you think of this?

Links:

In Jesus

Words: James Proctor (dates unknown)
Music: Robert Harkness (b. March 2, 1880; d. May 8, 1961)

Note: We have little information about James Proctor, including the dates of his birth and death. (At a guess, I’d say about 1840 and 1900, respectively.) However, the story behind this gospel song is one of the most remarkable in the history of hymnody. You can check it out in the Wordwise link below. The song was published in 1903. I’ve sung it as a solo many times, and in the 1950s I had the privilege of meeting Robert Harkness, the composer of the tune.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

It’s true. People try many different ways to find peace of mind and hope for the future. Some engage in good works and community service. Some focus on the acquisition of wealth and property. Some do all they can to be popular and win the praise of others. Some indulge in the proverbial wine, women and song. But for all this, there’s still something lacking. And Jim Proctor found he couldn’t make sense of life with the way he was living, and the belief system he’d espoused. There had to be something (and Someone) more.

(2) My soul is night, my heart is steel—
I cannot see, I cannot feel;
For light, for life, I must appeal
In simple faith to Jesus.

The book of Ecclesiastes deals with this subject. It records a sermon preached by King Solomon in old age, looking back on his life (Ecc. 1:1). He had tried all of the things mentioned above, and more, but found them empty. The word “vanity” is found 28 times in the book, a word meaning a breath or a vapour. Pleasure, wealth, power, and so on, all seem as fragile and temporary as a mist that dissipates and vanishes away.

All of that relates to life “under the sun”–another expression Solomon uses often (27 times). It refers to this mortal life, from the womb to the tomb. If that’s all there is to life, then it is indeed vanity, a mere nothing. But after Solomon has clearly established that point, he describes another dimension of life that can give it meaning and purpose.

That is, that we cannot understand life without factoring in God and eternity. We are accountable to God for what we’ve done with our lives, and there is an eternal destiny beyond the grave to prepare for (Ecc. 12:13-14). The Lord Jesus dealt with this when He told His hearers to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:19-21; cf. vs. 33), and Paul likewise sounded a similar note (Col. 3:1-4; cf. I Tim. 6:7).

After struggling for a long time on the wrong path, Mr. Proctor found that the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Person and work, made sense of a lot of things in his life that were otherwise dark and unknowable.

(3) He died, He lives, He reigns, He pleads;
There’s love in all His words and deeds;
There’s all a guilty sinner needs
Forevermore in Jesus.

The men Proctor had associated with previously were agnostics and atheists. They’d no doubt think he’d lost his senses, if he left his association with them and trusted Christ as his Saviour. But he did it. And wrote:

(4) Though some should sneer, and some should blame,
I’ll go with all my guilt and shame;
I’ll go to Him because His name,
Above all names, is Jesus.

Questions:

  1. A philosopher wrote that each person has “a God-shaped blank” in his soul. What does this mean?
  2. What kinds of priorities and activities will enable the Christian to lay up treasures in heaven?

Links:

Fight the Good Fight

Words: John Samuel Bewley Monsell (b. March 2, 1811; d. Apr. 9, 1875)
Music: Pentecost, by William Boyd ( _____, 1847; d. Feb. 16, 1928)

Note: The original title of this hymn was “The Fight of Faith.” The Cyber Hymnal gives us the original of (3). This is often altered today to read:

Cast care aside, lean on thy Guide,
His boundless mercy will provide;
Trust, and thy trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its life, and Christ its love.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The Apostle Paul was in prison, facing execution. But he was far from depressed and despondent. His testimony was:

I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

II Tim. 4:6-8

All of this is deeply meaningful, and worthy of study. The mood is triumphant. At a time when outward appearances would suggest Paul had been defeated and his ministry a failure, he assures Timothy that it is quite the contrary. Pastor Monsell focuses on Paul’s declaration, “I have fought the good fight” (vs. 7), and more particularly on a similar expression in his earlier letter to young Timothy, where Paul exhorts him to “fight [literally, keep on fighting] the good fight of faith” (I Tim. 6:12).

The spiritual conflicts of the Christian life, against the world, the flesh, and the devil, are spoken of a number of times in the epistles (e.g. Eph. 6:10-13; II Tim. 2:3-4). So, what is the good fight? What does it involve? It is a stand for all that is right and true and good. It is a stand against the corruption of this evil world, and it involves the proclamation of the gospel of grace, to lost and dying sinners. This fight requires all our energies. The Greek word for “fight” (agonizomai) gives us the English word agonize, to suffer anguish and agony.

There is an additional point in First Timothy 6:12 that is lost in some English translations. Though “faith” in God is required, that is not how Paul uses the word. Most of the newer Bible versions put a “the” in front of “faith.” (It is there in Greek.) For example, “Keep up the good fight for the faith” (Williams New Testament). Or, “Be constantly engaging in the contest of the Faith” (Wuest’s Expanded Translation). “The faith” is what we put our faith in. It is sound doctrine; it is all the teachings of the Word of God.

To say someone is a defender of the faith certainly implies that he trusts in God. But it says more. It says that by faith he stands for the truth of God. That’s exactly what Jude urges: “Contend earnestly [agonize] for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). It is by standing firm upon the truth of God’s Word that we’re able to resist Satan’s lies (I Pet. 5:9; cf. Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). It’s how we maintain a godly walk (Col. 2:6-7). But sadly, not all have done this (I Tim. 4:1; 6:10).

(1) Fight the good fight with all thy might;
Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right;
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally.

(2) Run the straight race through God’s good grace,
Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Questions:

  1. What does John Monsell mean by Christ being the path and Christ being the prize in the race of life?
  2. Is it possible to “contend” and “fight” for the faith without being obnoxious, antagonistic and arrogant? (Explain.)

Links:

Soldiers of Christ, Arise

Words: Charles Wesley (b. Dec. 18, 1707; d. March 29, 1788)
Music: Diademata, by George Job Elvey (b. March 27, 1816; d. Dec. 9, 1893)

Note: This hymn originally had 16 stanzas, but many hymn books now use only three: (1), (2), and for a final stanza the first two lines of (4), and the first two of (16), like this:

Leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul,
Take every virtue, every grace, and fortify the whole;
From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray,
Tread all the powers of darkness down, and win the well fought day.

A number of the other stanzas are a bit awkward. For example, the third line of (4) calls upon us “indissolubly joined, to battle all proceed.” The Cyber Hymnal lists a number of tunes for this hymn. St. Ethelwald, by William Monk, works well too.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This hymn is based upon Ephesians 6:10-17, a passage about spiritual warfare, and the means God has provided for our triumph in the battle. The hymn, as published in 1742, was entitled, “The whole armour of God, Ephesians 6.” Twice in the Ephesians passage we read that phrase, “the whole armour” (vs. 11, 13). The Greek word is panoplia, giving us the English word “panoply,” meaning the complete outfit, all the necessary equipment. Wesley adopts that term in (2), challenging us to “take, to arm you for the fight, the panoply of God.”

There’s an interesting literary reference in (5). Charles Wesley alludes to John Milton’s masterwork Paradise Lost (Book vi, 110) which describes the devil this way:

Satan, with vast and haughty strides advanced,
Came towering, armed in adamant and gold.

John Milton

(“Adamant” refers to the great hardness of his armour, and “gold” to its splendour.) In our hymn, with daring boldness, Wesley suggests in (5) that we’re not only a match for the enemy, but we can turn his equipment against him (italics mine).

But, above all, lay hold on faith’s victorious shield;
Armed with that adamant and gold, be sure to win the field.

Satan advances in self-confidence (cf. Isa. 14:12-14), believing in his own abilities, but we stand our ground against him with God-confidence, if I can put it that way (cf. Rom. 8:29-31). We resist the devil (I Pet. 5:8-9), confident in, and sustained by, the promises of Almighty God. God’s truth is infinitely superior to Satan’s lies, and far more glorious.

(1) Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armour on,
Strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son.
Strong in the Lord of hosts, and in His mighty power,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts is more than conqueror.

The often unused (12), by its repetition, expresses the urgent necessity of the Christian soldier keeping in touch with his heavenly Commander, through prayer. This is based on the end of the passage about our spiritual armour, where the apostle exhorts us to be “praying always with all prayer” (Eph. 6:18; cf. I Thess. 5:17).

(12) Pray without ceasing, pray, your Captain gives the word;
His summons cheerfully obey and call upon the Lord;
To God your every want in instant prayer display,
Pray always; pray and never faint; pray, without ceasing, pray!

Questions:

  1. What are some aspects or fields of our spiritual battle, at the personal level, and the public level?
  2. It has been pointed out that the Ephesians passage lists no armour for the soldier’s back. What is the possible significance of this?

Links:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Words: Thomas Obediah Chisholm (b. July 29, 1866; d. Feb. 29, 1960)
Music: Faithfulness (or Runyan), by William Marion Runyan (b. Jan. 21, 1870; d. July 29, 1957)

Note: Since the day of Thomas Chisholm’s birth coincides (nearly a century later) with the date of William Runyan’s death, you can see a note about both men in the Wordwise link below. The former gentleman is also somewhat unique among the better-known hymn writers in that he died on February 29th.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This is a near perfect gospel song. The words and thoughts are biblical and inspiring, and the tune fits the text beautifully. The opening stanza of the hymn, and the overall theme, is based on the words of the prophet Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations:

“Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

Lam. 3:22-23

As the name of the book suggests, Lamentations is a series of laments over the destruction of the city of Jerusalem (Lam. 1:1), and over the fact that the people of Israel had been carried into captivity in Babylon (vs. 3). The prophets had warned them for years to turn from their idolatry and unbelief and seek the Lord, but there was little response. Now, the blow had fallen. In great grief, Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, stared at the ruins of his beloved city. So, was that the end?

No. There was still a believing remnant remaining, including Jeremiah himself. And God had promised Israel that they would experience a restoration to their own land. The Babylonian Captivity would last only for seventy years (Jer. 25:11). Then they would be allowed to return. And the books of Ezra and Nehemiah show that they did. Further, there would be a glorious future for the nation one day, under the reign of the Messiah (Isa. 2:1-4; 9:6-7; 35:1-10).

God is faithful and trustworthy. What He promises will come to pass. That is the basis for the encouraging words in Lamentations, and it’s the basic theme of the hymn. The opening stanza also draws on the promise in the epistle of James:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

James 1:17

God “does not change like shifting shadows” (NIV); “there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency” in Him (Philips Paraphrase).

(1) Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

In the temperate zone where I live, we have four distinct seasons. They roll around each year, on a schedule that can be relied upon–which is exactly what the Lord promised after the flood of Noah’s day: “While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22).

In Thomas Chisholm’s hymn, the rolling seasons (2) become a graphic object lesson on the faithfulness of God, one which can encourage our faith when it comes to the promised eternal salvation in Christ (3). The Lord pledges, in passage after passage, that if we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and receive Him as our Saviour, our sins will be forgiven, and we’ll receive God’s gift of eternal life (e.g. Jn. 1:12-13; 3:16; 14:6).

(3) Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Praise the Lord for His great faithfulness and for His trustworthy Word!

Questions:

  1. For what provision or event have you been led to praise the Lord for His faithfulness in this past week?
  2. Whom can you tell about this blessing, to encourage their faith too?

Links:

O for a Closer Walk with God

Words: William Cowper (b. Nov. 15, 1731; d. Apr. 25, 1800)
Music: Beatitudo, by John Bacchus Dykes (b. March 10, 1823; d. Jan. 22, 1876)

Note: There is more about the hymn and the author (whose name is pronounced Cooper) at the Wordwise Hymns link, including a photo of the original printing of the hymn. The Cyber Hymnal gives us all six stanzas, but many hymnals use only four ((1), (4), (5), (6), or (1), (2), (5), (6)). As to the tune, the Cyber Hymnal offers several choices, but I’m most used to Dykes’s beautiful tune Beatitudo.

(1)  O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Personally, I prefer the second grouping of stanzas listed above, which skips stanza (4). If it is accepted that the Bible teaches the eternal security of the believer (a doctrine I believe to be biblical), then (4), with its implication that the Holy Spirit has departed from the Christian’s heart is unbiblical. We may indeed be out of fellowship with God, because of unconfessed sin. This causes a loss of joy and of spiritual power. But it does not mean the Spirit of God has deserted us.

There is much confusion about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in our day, and the subject deserves careful attention. While we are not given full details of the work of the Spirit of God in Old Testament times, the saints then are never said to be permanently indwelt by the Spirit. Further, the Lord Jesus clearly foretells a new relationship with the Holy Spirit that had not pertained earlier (Jn. 14:17).

When we put our faith in Christ, the Spirit of God comes to live within (I Cor. 6:19-20). The presence of the Holy Spirit is God’s seal of ownership on the believer (II Cor. 1:22). This is the guarantee that God will complete the work begun in us (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30). We are certain of our salvation because of His presence within. If we do not have the indwelling Spirit, it is because we do not belong to Christ (Rom. 8:9)–in other words, we’re not saved.

Knowing the severe emotional struggles of William Cowper, and his lifelong battle with depression, we can appreciate that there were times when he didn’t feel as though God was present in his life. However, our changing emotional condition mustn’t inform and dictate our theology. Rather, it should be the other way around. Even “if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (I Jn. 3:20).

Setting this issue (and stanza 4) aside, we need to consider the important message of this great hymn. We are to “walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us [i.e. continues to cleanse] from all sin.”

I Jn. 1:6-7

To walk with God requires that we “walk in the Spirit,” submissive to and dependent on Him (Gal. 6:16, 25). This is how we maintain close fellowship with Him, through a life of consistent faith and obedience. And when sin raises a barrier between us, or if there is an “idol” that has robbed Him of His preeminent place (5), we need to confess and forsake what is displeasing to Him (I Jn. 1:9), restoring the intimacy we knew before.

(5) The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.

(6) So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.

Questions:

  1. In your own experience, with are the things that most often rob you of the sense of the closeness of God, and intimate fellowship with Him?
  2. What do you do to restore the vitality of your relationship?

Links:

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