Episode 6
Be Thou My Vision by Eochaid Forgaill
This hymn is the result of a blind man coming to grips with the most important focus we can have in our lives...lifting up Christ and making Him truly preeminent in our lives. Tune in to be challenged to lift God up in your own life! Make Him the one and only priority!
Questions or Feedback: UnderstandingHymns@outlook.com
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Timestamps
- [00:00] - Historical Context
- [01:15] - v1: Christ is Supreme Lord
- [02:34] - v2: Christ is Wisdom & Truth
- [04:19] - v3: Christ is Our Protector
- [05:47] - v4: Christ is Our Treasure
- [09:32] - v5: Christ is the Source of Light and Love
- [10:59] - v6: Christ is Our Victory
- [12:56] - Will you receive these things in Christ?
- [14:07] - Call to Action: Make Christ Your Everything
Original English Translation of Be Thou My Vision
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart, Naught is all else to me, save that thou art. Thou my best thought by day and by night, Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true Word; I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord. Thou my great Father, and I thy dear son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
Be thou my battleshield, sword for the fight, Be thou my dignity, thou my delight. Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tow’r; Raise thou me heav’nward, O pow’r of my pow’r.
Riches I heed not or man’s empty praise, Thou mine inheritance now and always. Thou, and thou only, first in my heart, High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
King of the heavens, O grant me for dole, Thy love in my heart, thy light in my soul. Thy light from my soul, thy loves from my heart, King of the heavens, may they ne’er depart.
High King of heaven, my victory won, May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my vision, O ruler of all.
Scripture References
Colossians 1:7-18 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Psalms 89:14-15 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
Psalms 119:104-105 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Proverbs 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
Proverbs 3:13-18 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
Job 28:12-19 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Proverbs 8:17-21 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
Mark 4:2-9,13-20 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. ... And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Proverbs 23:4-5 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Proverbs 1:30-33 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Psalm 73:25-26 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. ... 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
1 John 4:7-16 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
1 John 5:3-5 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 Corinthians 15:51-58 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
Romans 8:31-39 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
Colossians 3:1-4 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Research Resources
Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs by Melody Publications(#538)
Then Sings My Soul vol 1 by Robert J. Morgan (p4)
The Complete Book of Hymns by William and Ardythe Petersen (p557)
The Cyber Hymnal (Accessed June 11, 2024): http://hymntime.com/tch/htm/b/e/t/h/bethoumv.htm
Transcript
The history of Be Thou My Vision is a bit interesting. Some sources claim that this song originated from an anonymous writer. But others attribute it to a certain Eochaid Forgaill. He lived during the 5th century and was nicknamed Dallán, which means the little blind one.
Gregory:I think it's very interesting and meaningful that a blind man wrote, "be thou my vision." Its original ancient Irish form was translated into the beautiful English version we know today by Mary Byrne in 1905. It was later versified and arranged by Eleanor Hull.
Gregory:Once the verse numbers were added, the original came out to six verses, not the mere four that appear in most hymn books. The full version in its original format will be in the show notes for you, and we're going to focus in today on this song's one particular theme: Jesus Christ should be your everything. Each section of the lyrics focuses on different angles of this truth. Let's look at it together.
Gregory:The first verse demonstrates that Christ is supreme Lord. "Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. Not is all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day and by night, waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light."
Gregory:The Bible says that all things were created by Jesus, "by Him, and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence." What that means is that Christ should be our Supreme Lord.
Gregory:And He is Supreme Lord. He does not need our permission for that. But it would be best for us, on our end, if we would recognize His position as Supreme Lord, if we would make him preeminent, give him the only rightful place for him to be and that is above everything else.
Gregory:The second portion of the song demonstrates that Christ is our wisdom and truth. "Be thou my wisdom and thou my true word. I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord. Thou my great Father, and I thy dear Son. Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one."
Gregory:The Bible clearly demonstrates over and over that wisdom has incalculable value. "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her." " But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof."
Gregory:See, wisdom is valued above all the physical things we value on this earth. And the Bible tells us to "buy the truth and sell it not. Also wisdom and instruction and understanding." Well, how do you buy it if it cannot be bought with money? We buy it with our time with God. Where we seek Him because He is the source of wisdom. He is the true Word of God.
Gregory:And so if we are to gain wisdom, this invaluable thing that is not a physical object, then we must get it from God. Christ is our wisdom and truth.
Gregory:The third portion of the song demonstrates that Christ is our protector. "Be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight. Be thou my dignity, thou my delight. Thou my soul's shelter, thou my high tower. Raise thou me heavenward, O power of my power."
Gregory:Many Christians walk around defeated simply because they fail to realize that we are in a war zone. Satan is at war against everything that God is, everything he loves, and everything he stands for. And because of that, we as believers are under attack by Satan. We're in a war. And yet, we cannot defend ourselves. We cannot even arm ourselves. And so Christ must be looked to as our protector. We must trust in Him and rest in Him for victory.
Gregory:Countless times through just the book of Psalms, God is referred to in all of these wonderful defensive ways. He's our high tower. He's our shield. He's our buckler. He's our defense. He's our armor. He's our sword. He's our rock. There are all these different ways that God is expressed as being our protector.
Gregory:The fourth part of the song, and this one is perhaps most convicting, is that Christ should be our treasure. "Riches, I heed not, or man's empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, now and always, Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of heaven, my treasure, Thou art."
Gregory:The way we tend to live our lives, though, is not one where we heed not riches or man's empty praise, but rather a life in which those are things that are most sought for. The Bible warns us about the "cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things entering in," choking out the word, what God wants to do in our lives, and it makes us unfruitful.
Gregory:In Proverbs, the Bible tells us, "Labor not to be rich, cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." This resource that cannot be held on to is the one that is most often sought above all others. What a waste of time.
Gregory:Proverbs also says "the prosperity of fools shall destroy them." They count on themselves: they think they're self sufficient. They claim they don't need God, and so they are destroyed. It is easy for a Christian to fall into the trap of believing that riches are the focus of life, or the main source of comfort.
Gregory:In fact, the whole song, Psalm 73 is the perspective of a Christian that is envious at the world's wealth, and he almost regrets believing in God until he comes into God's presence, and he recognizes the end of those who will be separated from God. And at that point, at the end of Psalm 73, he says, "Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Gregory:God should be our everything. And also, we ought not to heed man's empty praise. Sometimes it's fake, but even when it's not, if that's what we're living for, the Bible says we have no reward of our Father which is in heaven. In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches very clearly that when you do things to be seen of men, you will be seen of men, but that's the only reward you get. And you don't get any reward from God.
Gregory:And yet Christ should be our treasure, Him and Him only first in our heart. It's the only place God deserves to be, and yet it's the only place that we refuse to give him in our lives. Jesus says, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Christ should be our treasure. Our heart should be with him.
Gregory:The fifth section of the song demonstrates that Christ is the source of light and love in our lives. "King of the heavens, O grant me for dole, thy love in my heart, thy light in my soul, thy light from my soul, thy love from my heart, king of the heavens, may they never depart."
Gregory:" Grant me for dole" is a request to God to give unto us of his own charity. The portion that he wants to distribute to us. We've seen in other episodes like episode 2 " God is love And he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him." We also looked at the passage, "who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" And ultimately the conclusion is that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
Gregory:We also looked before at how God is our source of light. "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." And that's because He is the light. He said, "I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
Gregory:And the last portion of the song demonstrates that Christ is our victory. "High King of heaven, my victory won. May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun. Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O ruler of all."
Gregory:The Bible says that "whatsoever is born of God overcometh world." "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Gregory:" What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
Gregory:The Christian's life is one that ought to move from victory to victory. I understand that in our time on this earth, we're never going to be perfect.
Gregory:Yet at the same time, Christ is our victory. He offers it to us. He wants us to live free from sin, to live in his glorious light and love. And the reason that we don't is because we are choosing not to.
Gregory:I also like how it says, "May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun." In heaven there is no physical sun because Christ is the light. And so the writer looks forward to being in heaven to experience the joy of being with Jesus. Christ should be our everything.
Gregory:Could I say this to you? If you are not saved, then the line "thou my great father and I thy dear son" is not applicable to you. Many people say, well, everyone is a child of God, but that is simply not true according to God's own word. You only become his child after you are born spiritually into his family by putting your faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Gregory:Scripture says, "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Have you? Will you receive Him? Come to Him in faith, confessing your sins, asking Him to save you, and believing He is God and that He will take you to heaven one day? It's the only way for you to truly experience the joy of who Christ is, and it's the first step towards making Him your everything.
Gregory:After putting your faith in Him, and after following him in baptism, that's not what saves you, it's you declaring to the world that you already are saved because you've already trusted him, then you're next, your ultimate, step to becoming all that God wants you to be is to make him above all in your life. You must put him first.
Gregory:He does not deserve second place or any thereafter. And there can be no tie for first. He shouldn't just be towards the top of your priority list. He should be the only one on the list. He should not just be an important part of your life. He should be your life. You ought to make him everything. I ought to make him everything.
Gregory:The Bible says, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, Then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
Gregory:I challenge you today, dear listener, draw close to God. Give him his only rightful place in your life, and that is the throne of your heart. Not tied with anything else, not tied with anyone else, but that he would be truly and only preeminent in your life. God will enrichly bless you for giving him his rightful place, and you will benefit with enjoying the closeness that he wants to have with you.
Gregory:I hope that you allow these truths to change your life. Not just this next week, but that the rest of your time in existence would be one of enjoying and seeking to put Christ first, to make him your everything, that he would be our vision.
Gregory:I've enjoyed looking at this, my current favorite hymn with you, and I look forward to what God has for us next week. See you then.
