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.
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.
Collect for Saturday of the
week of Pentecost 21: Almighty and
everlasting God, inspire Thy Church, we beseech Thee, to see – as Thou seest –
everything reconciled in the unity of Thy love; to discern Thy gracious
goodness, beneath every veil; and to behold all things working together for
good, and for Thy glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen -12 November, 2022
