Episode 4
The Bible Stands by Haldor Lillenas
A $5 "wheezy organ" is used to give birth to one of the greatest hymns ever written about the Bible...
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Timestamps
- [00:00] - Author Spotlight
- [00:31] - How the Lyrics display Bible Truth
- [11:31] - Your Challenge to Apply This Truth
Song Lyrics
Verse 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.
Verse 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.
Verse 3:
The Bible stands and it will forever, When the world has passed away; By inspiration it has been given, All its precepts I will obey.
Verse 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 it and make it mine.
Refrain:
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.
Scripture References
Hebrews 1:1-4 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Isaiah 55:8-11 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
John 14:5-6 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
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.
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalms 119:89-91 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.
1 Peter 1:18-25 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Isaiah 40:6-8 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Psalms 102:24-27 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
Isaiah 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Hebrews 1:10-12 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
2 Peter 3:9-13 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Revelation 21:1-5 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
2 Peter 1:16-21 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Research Resources
Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs by Melody Publications (#182)
The Cyber Hymnal (accessed 5/15/24): http://hymntime.com/tch/bio/l/i/l/l/lillenas_h.htm
Transcript
Welcome back to Understanding Hymns for Everyday Life.
Gregory:Haldor Lillenas is a Norwegian man that is said to have written over four thousand hymns in his lifetime. He and his wife Bertha composed many of these songs on a quote " little wheezy organ" that they bought from a neighbor for five dollars during a time when Haldor was pastoring in Illinois. It was on this humble instrument the song we're talking about today was written. The Bible Stands.
Gregory:
This hymn really zeroes in on three facts that are mission critical to your life as a Christian. The inspiration of Scripture, the preservation of Scripture, and one's obedience to Scripture. I'll put the words as they appear in a hymn book in the show notes, but we're going to break down these three different concepts today.
Gregory:Let's start with the inspiration of Scripture. The second verse of the song says "the Bible stands like a mountain towering far above the works of men." This is an accurate statement because the Bible itself tells us that God says, "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways... for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and mY thoughts than your thoughts."
Gregory:The song says, " by inspiration, it has been given" and its author is divine." The Bible tells us "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
Gregory:Inspiration means God breathed. These are not man's words. They are God's words. And so the song right fully identifies that the Bible has a single author, and that is God. Peter wrote, " For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The Holy Spirit was giving them the words that they were speaking.
Gregory:The song says in verse 1, "It's pages burn with the truth eternal and they glow with a light sublime."
Gregory:Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And no man gets to the Father except through Him. And Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." It is His truth that is eternal. The penman of Psalm 119 wrote, "thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
Gregory:God gave Scripture in the first place. It comes from Him. He is the author. But a lot of people will say, it's been corrupted over time by man because mankind was involved." God used man in the first place to give His Word, and God also used man throughout history to preserve His Word.
Gregory:So let's dig into the preservation of Scripture. It logically just makes sense that if God was going to give His Word perfectly in the first place, that he would preserve it perfectly afterwards. Why bother with a perfect giving if it were to be immediately tainted by imperfect keeping?
Gregory:The first verse of the song says "the Bible stands like a rock undaunted mid the raging storms of time." I love that line. The truth is still relevant to us today. Some people, typically people who have never even read the Bible, will claim that it's not relevant for us: " It was for old people back then and doesn't have a place in modern society," but the reality is that God's truth is timeless and it certainly is relevant to us today.
Gregory:The refrain of the song, " The Bible stands though the hills may tumble It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble" Psalm 119 says, "Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations. Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances, for all are thy servants."
Gregory:Peter, again, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, being given these words by God, speaking of those born again, says it's "not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass, the grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever." What a blessing that we have His eternal Word and it is preserved for us.
Gregory:The song says the Bible stands and it will forever when the world has passed away. Some would teach that the earth that we are on right now will be here forever and that simply is not a position that is borne out by Scripture.
Gregory:I'll put more than these verses in the show notes for you, but Jesus in His time on this earth said, "heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Jesus made it clear this earth is not going to be here forever.
Gregory:Peter wrote, " The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that All should come to repentance, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation in godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Gregory:The Bible is clear. This earth will not be here forever. This universe that we physically live in, is going to be done away with. But God's Word will not be done away with.
Gregory:The song says "the Bible stands every test we give it" and "it's truth by none ever was refuted, and destroy it they never can." Logic, philosophy, science, and history all weave together to communicate the realities and truth of Scripture. And it's extremely practical. It shows us the best way to live.
Gregory:Satan cannot destroy it, so he tries to twist and manipulate it. From the very beginning, he's tried to test man's knowledge of what God has said. His first words to Eve in the Garden of Eden are, "Yea, hath God said...?" He was testing her knowledge.
Gregory:In the wilderness temptations Satan quotes Scripture to Jesus, but he does so in a way that takes it out of context and gives it an improper meaning. And Jesus quotes Scripture back to him, but in right context and properly applied, and that is how he defeated the temptations. God's truth cannot be refuted. It cannot be destroyed. There are false versions of it. There are perversions of it that Satan has put out into the world, but that still has not taken away God's truth. And it stands the test of time and the test of man.
Gregory:The third thing I want you to see in this song is that it is critical for us to obey Scripture. It's not good enough to know it. We must do something with that knowledge. The song says in verse three, "all its precepts I will obey." Psalm 119 says "thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee." the purpose of memorizing and more importantly, internalizing Scripture. It's not to win a Bible competition or to look impressive to people. It's to keep ourselves from sin. That is why we should learn it, to live the way that God wants us to.
Gregory:I love how the song also highlights that it's not by our power that we do so. Verse four says, " by grace alone, I expect to live it and to prove it and make it mine." It is by God's power. that we obey Him, not our willpower.
Gregory:Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, that is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." God saves us so that we will be able to do good works through the power of Jesus. Not the other way around where you do good works for Jesus. And then he saves you.
Gregory:For more Scripture and concepts about resting in Christ's power. I encourage you to check out episode two of the podcast covering "Christ Liveth in Me."
Gregory:For this song. Another part of the refrain is "I will plant my feet on its firm foundation for the Bible stands."
Gregory:It's amazing to me how Peter describes the encounter he had with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, and Jesus gave Peter, James, and John just a little glimpse of His glory and the Father calls from heaven. "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." And yet. Peter tells us, "we have also a more sure word of prophecy." In other words, the Scripture that we have is more sure than if we were to be there to see the glory of Christ and to hear the Father call out from heaven. We have a more sure word of prophecy, " whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation." Again, it did not come from man, it wasn't by the will of man. This more sure word of prophecy, this firm foundation, is coming straight from God. It is rightfully called God's Word.
Gregory:What is the Bible to you? Is it a collection of inspirational stories? Do you just think of it as a good "religious" book? Do you see it as a crutch for weak minded people who just want something to believe in? Is it something you claim to live by, but fail to appreciate, study and obey? Or do you see of a truth that it is the inspired and preserved Word of God by which he tells us who he is, who we are, and why he made us.
Gregory:Your relationship with God hinges on how you view His Word.
Gregory:I've seen many people question Scripture simply because it is written down. And that makes no sense to me. They act like the fact that it's written down means it has been corrupted, when the reality is, it's nature of being written, is what allows us to be certain that it's not corrupted. We can compare the thousands of physical copies, to ensure that nobody has a monopoly on Scripture and is able to change it.
Gregory:Perhaps you've never seen the importance of Scripture. If that's the case, I find it likely that you have never looked to it for salvation. It is God's Word that shows us we are sinners in need of a Savior. it is His truth that reveals to us how Jesus God in the flesh came to be that Savior and how he though innocent died for the guilt of our sins so he could bring us to God after His resurrection. It is the firm foundation of the Bible that explains to us we can only be saved by faith in God, receiving who Jesus is and what he did for us.
Gregory:If you have not for yourself trusted Jesus, I beg you to do so today. Don't put it off yet again. Choose Him now. If you're driving or doing something that is pulling your attention away, take a break. Pull over. Take the time right now to ask Him to save you, believing that he will. It's not about the prayer you pray. It's about trusting the God who hears the prayer.
Gregory:If you have any questions about that or have made the decision to accept God's free salvation, please email me at UnderstandingHymns@outlook.com. Again, that's UnderstandingHymns@outlook.com. And I'll leave that in the show notes for you.
Gregory:For those of us who already have been saved, you know as well as I do that we do not treasure God's Word as we ought-- maybe because we use man's excuses about it being corrupted, or maybe because we'd rather make a God after our own preferences rather than truly following the one who made us and reveals Himself to us through the Bible.
Gregory:Do not be deceived into thinking you can be a perfectly all right Christian while passing by His Word. This is how he communicates to us. It's how he speaks to us. The Holy Spirit takes His Word and applies it to our hearts. If we are to be the children that He created us to be, we must be strongly connected to Him through His Word.
Gregory:May we no longer take the abundant availability of the Bible for granted. May we plant our own feet on its firmness and seek to love and obey it with everything that we are. May we understand our Creator as He revealed Himself specifically through His Word.
Gregory:Come, let us magnify our God together and glorify Him for who He is and what He's done.
