Isaiah
28:16, 41:10; 43:1-7- Sunday’s featured
Hymn is How Firm a Foundation. (LSB #728). We need not fear the end
of time for our faith has its foundation in the words and work of our Savior
Jesus. As we sing this magnificent hymn we can be confident that our Lord will
sustain and guide us to the end.
In 1787 Dr. John Rippon published A Selection of Hymns
from the Best Authors as a supplement to Isaac Watts’ classic Psalms and Hymns.
The book was an immense success. “The remarkable feature of the book,” writes
Louis Benson, “is the great number of original hymns secured by him and there
first printed.” Among these original hymns was the title “How Firm a
Foundation.”
Rippon attributed the authorship simply to “K——.” He
says in the preface that such attributions meant either that the author was
unknown or that the hymn had undergone significant revisions for publication.
Later studies have revealed that the “K——” almost
certainly referred to R. Keene, who was at one time a song leader in Dr.
Rippon’s church and is also known to have authored the hymn’s melody. Apart
from this, we have no further information about its writing.
Perhaps the most noteworthy and appreciated feature of
this hymn is how closely it resembles the words of the Bible itself (which is
fitting, given that its theme is the solidity of the word of God).
Consider, for example, how stanza 2 compares to
Philippians 4:12-13:
In every condition, in sickness, in
health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in
wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the
sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy
strength ever be.
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Or how stanza 3 echoes Isaiah 41:10:
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not
dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give
thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause
thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous
right hand.
(See also how stanzas 4 and 5 reflect Isaiah 43:2.)
Since its publication, “How Firm a Foundation” has enjoyed wide acceptance, especially in
North America. It is known to have been the favorite hymn of General Robert E.
Lee and was sung at his funeral. It is also said that once, while conducting
evening prayers in Princeton Seminary’s Oratory, Dr. Charles Hodge was so
overcome with feeling during the last line of the hymn (“I’ll never, no never,
no never forsake,” from Hebrews 13:5) that he could no longer sing but only
gesture the words.
Here are the much-loved words. Note that the second-to-last verse is rarely sung anymore due to its antiquated language.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the
Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent
Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath
said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have
fled?
In every condition, in sickness, in
health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in
wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the
sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not
dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give
thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause
thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call thee
to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee
overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to
bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest
distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathways
shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy
supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only
design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
Even down to old age all My people shall
prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable
love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples
adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom
be borne.
The soul that on Jesus has leaned for
repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its
foes;
That soul, though all hell should
endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.[2]
Collect for the hope of eternal life: Almighty, everlasting God, Your Son has
assured forgiveness of sins and deliverance from eternal death. Strengthen us
by Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ may increase daily and that we may
hold fast to the hope that on the Last Day we shall be raise in glory to
eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.[3]
[1]
Luther’s Seal © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[3]
Collect for the hope of eternal life, Lutheran Service Book © 2006, Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis
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