Menu

bible hymn

Thy Word Is Like a Garden, Lord

Words: Edwin Hodder (b. Dec. 13, 1837; d. March 1, 1904)
Music: Bethlehem, by Gottfried Wilhelm Fink (b. March 8, 1783; d. Aug. 27, 1846)

Note: Edwin Hodder was a successful Victorian author, with quite a number of books to his credit, including The Way and the Life (about the plan of salvation), Memories of New Zealand Life (where he lived, for several years), and The Story of Jesus in Verse.

Mr. Hodder also published the New Sunday School Hymn Book, containing twenty-three of his own songs, including the one discussed here. His original had seven stanzas, but only three are commonly used today. One of the omitted stanzas says:

Thy Word is like a glorious choir,
And loud its anthems ring;
Though many tongues and parts unite,
It is one song they sing.

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

A simile makes a comparison between two things, for the purpose of illustration, and to enrich our understanding. Often the words “like” or “as” are used (notice, “like a glorious choir,” above). The Bible, especially in the books of Hebrew poetry, makes use of similes.

  • “He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den” (Ps. 10:9).
  • “He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (Ps. 37:6).
  • “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Ps. 42:1).
  • “As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy man to those who send him (Prov. 10:26).

The Lord Himself uses similes to describe His Word. We have in Jeremiah, “‘Is not My word like a fire?’ says the LORD, ‘And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?’” (Jer. 23:29). The imagery of a fire and a hammer refers to words of judgment against false prophets who do not speak for Him (vs. 30-32).

In his hymn, Mr. Hodder utilizes a series of similes to help us understand the value of the Word of God in our lives. In (1), it is like beautiful flowers, in its magnificence. And like flowers in the fields and gardens, it’s accessible to “everyone who seeks.” The Bible can also be compared to a deep mine, where precious gems may be sought.

But notice the distinction between those two similes. Flowers are all around us, and often easily reached. But mining requires skill and great effort, and a dedicated “searcher.” It is the same with the Word of God. There are simple truths on the surface that are easily grasped. But others require a level of spiritual maturity to understand, and a dedication to study and meditation on what God says.

(1) Thy Word is like a garden, Lord, with flowers bright and fair;
And every one who seeks may pluck a lovely cluster there.
Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine; and jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths for every searcher there.

(2) gives us another set of comparisons: the Bible is like the glittering light of the stars, giving the traveller help on his way (cf. Ps. 119:105, 130), and like an armoury where a soldier can be equipped to fight the battle for truth and righteousness. The latter picture fits the description of the Scriptures in Ephesians as “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17; cf. Heb. 4:12).

Finally, Edwin Hodder gives us a prayer of dedication in (3). If the Bible is all the things he mentions, like flowers, a mine, starlight, and an armoury, he desires to appropriate it and activate it in his life in appropriate ways.

(3) O may I love Thy precious Word, may I explore the mine,
May I its fragrant flowers glean, may light upon me shine!
O may I find my armour there! Thy Word my trusty sword,
I’ll learn to fight with every foe the battle of the Lord.

Questions:

  1. What is the value of using similes to teach, as the Bible often does?
  2. Can you think of other helpful comparisons that can be made to the Word of God (either ones found in Scripture, or others)? (For example, how is the Bible like honey, Ps. 19:10-11?)

Links:

Lamp of Our Feet

Words: Bernard Barton (b. Jan. 31, 1784; d. Feb. 19, 1849)
Music: Beatitudo, by John Bacchus Dykes (b. March 10:1823; d. Jan. 22, 1876)

Note: Bernard Barton was an Englishman. I wonder if that’s part of the reason his hymn is so little known and used on this side of the Atlantic. I did a quick check of ten hymnals published in North America, and only one contained it. Too bad. It is one of the finest hymns on the Word of God that we have. Every line is a lesson, worthy of study and meditation. And John Dykes’s beautiful tune Beatitudo is a worthy setting for the text.

Mr. Barton’s original poem (called simply “Holy Scriptures”) had eleven stanzas. Not all poetry makes good hymnody, of course. And several of the unused stanzas would be awkward or odd to sing. For example, I can’t see many congregations wading through:

Pure oracles of truth divine,
Unlike each fabled dream
Giv’n forth from Delphos’ mystic shrine
Or groves of Academe!

However, here are a couple of stanzas not included in the Cyber Hymnal version (coming after (3)) that have some merit:

Riches in poverty, our aid
In every needful hour,
Unshaken rock, the pilgrim’s shade,
The soldier’s fortress tower!

Our shield and buckler in the fight,
Vict’ry’s triumphant palm,
Comfort in grief, in weakness, might,
In sickness, Gilead’s balm!

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

To be blessed by the many word pictures in this hymn, I suggest that you study it, line by line, Bible in hand. In (1), for example, we see God’s Word as the “lamp of our feet” (cf. Ps. 119:105), and as a refreshing and reviving stream (cf. Ps. 1:2-3). In (2), the Scriptures are spiritual manna, food for our souls (Deut. 8:3; Jer. 15:16), and they are our guide and chart. “Direct my steps by Your word,” prays the psalmist (Ps. 119:133; cf. vs. 9-11). The Bible acts as did the pillar of cloud and fire, that guided the nation of Israel through the wilderness ((3); cf. Exod. 13:21-22).

In (4), Barton asks: How can we live our lives, profitably, effectively, without the revelation of the will of the Lord found in His Word? And how can we ever reach heaven, without an understanding of God’s plan of salvation found there?

Word of the ever living God,
Will of His glorious Son;
Without thee, how could earth be trod
Or heav’n itself be won?

And finally, in C(5), we have a reminder that it is the Spirit of God who illuminates the pages of God’s Word, giving us understanding (Jn. 15:26; 16:13; I Cor. 10, 12). Then, in (6), there is a prayer that’s fitting for each of us.

Lord, grant us all aright to learn
The wisdom it imparts
And to its heavenly teaching turn
With simple, childlike hearts.

Introduce this great hymn to your congregation, if it is unknown to them, and sing it often. Invite them to answer the questions below.

Questions:

  1. How is the Bible like: a lamp, a stream, bread, a chart (map), an anchor? Can you think of other word pictures that might illustrate what the Bible means to us?
  2. What does the author mean by asking, “Without thee, how could earth be trod, or heaven itself be won?” And what is the answer to his question?

Links: