The Bible Stands
Words: Haldor Lillenas (b. Nov. 19, 1885; d. Aug. 18, 1959)
Music: Haldor Lillenas
Note: The tune Mr. Lillenas wrote for this 1917 gospel song flows along very easily, and the tendency is to sing it a bit too fast. This, in turn, can leave a congregation breathless, since most of the word lines end with an eighth note. (Little time to take a breath!) Having said that, this is a fine song, and its message is much needed in our day.
(1) The Bible stands like a rock undaunted
’Mid the raging storms of time;
Its pages burn with the truth eternal,
And they glow with a light sublime.
The Bible stands though the hills may tumble,
It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation,
For the Bible stands.
(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)
The Bible declares itself to be the trustworthy Word of the living God (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:21). Clearly, the men of Old Testament times believed they were communicating God’s message, repeating, as they do some 2,000 times, the phrase, “Thus says the Lord…” The Lord Jesus affirmed similarly, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matt. 24:35; cf. 5:18). And the apostles in the New Testament also believed they had received an inspired revelation from Almighty God (Gal. 1:11-12; I Pet. 1:25).
God’s revelation was progressive. That is, through the pages of Scripture, as time passed, He revealed more and more. But what comes later does not contradict what came before. All of His Word is “God-breathed” (II Tim. 3:16), and it’s true and faithful (Jn. 17:17). “God…cannot lie;” and the Bible is His “faithful word” (Tit. 1:2, 9; cf. Num. 23:19).
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven” (Ps. 119:89). “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:8). God declares, “My word…shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isa. 55:11).
One particular way this touches our lives is through the promises of God. We can count on the Lord to fulfil His Word. When Israel was settled in the Promised Land, Joshua reminded them, “Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed” (Josh. 23:14; cf. 21:45).
Years later, with the completion of the temple in Jerusalem, King Solomon noted the same thing: “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses” (I Kgs. 8:56).
Down through the centuries, sinful men have tried to destroy the Bible, to outlaw it, to discredit it. But every attempt has failed. The Bible has outlived them all. The eighteenth-century philosopher Voltaire boasted,
It took centuries to build up Christianity, but I’ll show how just one Frenchman can destroy it within fifty years.
Voltaire
Well, he tried, writing scathing diatribes against God and His faithful Word. But ironically, after his death, Voltaire’s home was purchased, and it became the Paris headquarters for the British and Foreign Bible Society! The philosopher’s writings have been all but forgotten, except by historical scholars. But the Bible remains the world’s best seller. God will not be mocked by puny men (Gal. 6:7).
(2) The Bible stands like a mountain towering
Far above the works of men;
Its truth by none ever was refuted,
And destroy it they never can.
(4) The Bible stands every test we give it,
For its Author is divine;
By grace alone I expect to live it,
And to prove and to make it mine.
Questions:
- What is one way we can demonstrate the trustworthiness of God’s Word, day by day?
- Why is it that individuals down through history have tried so desperately to destroy the Bible?
Links:
- 18 August 1959 – Haldor Lillenas Died
- The Bible Stands (The Cyber Hymnal)