Noteworthy Blog

The exact origin and author of How Firm a Foundation remains a mystery. First included in John Rippon’s book A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors in 1787, it has remained a popular hymn ever since. It has been sung at funerals of U.S. Presidents and even played a pivotal role in uniting the American army during the Spanish-American War. In its nearly 250 years of existence, it has been included in over 2,100 hymnals.   In How Firm A Foundation, we find five promises of God in five stanzas, all set to a beautiful, simple, easy-to-sing, and memorable tune. These promises take us on a journey from the sufficiency of God’s word through His presence, comfort, and protection to His never leaving us. And oh, what a beautiful journey through scripture it is. How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
 is laid for your faith in God's excellent Word!
 What more can be said than to you God hath said,
 to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?   The hymn begins with the sufficien...

According to the writers, this modern hymn took shape mostly on a two-hour plane ride from Louisville to Dallas in late 2012. The final version was finished two months later, in January 2013. There are over 160 scripture references that support these lyrics. It truly is a fantastic song. For some context, let me direct you to 2 Corinthians 3 where Paul is calling on the Christian Jews in Corinth to realize the temporal glory of the law of Moses had ended and the permanent glory of Christ had begun. N.T. Scholar Paul W. Barnett writes, “Paul is making two closely related points. On one hand, he is referring to Moses’ own words that the people willfully failed to comprehend the meaning and significance of God’s rescue of them from Egypt. On the other, Paul is implying that, because of this, God did not let them understand the promises made under the Mosaic covenant which would be fulfilled in Christ.” He says, “The veil, which in Moses’ day prevented the Israelites s...