A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD
A
mighty fortress is our God,
a
bulwark never failing;
Our
helper he, amid the flood
of
mortal ills prevailing:
For
still our ancient foe
doth
seek to work us woe;
His
craft and power are great,
and,
armed with cruel hate,
On
earth is not his equal.
Did we
in our strength confide,
our
striving would be losing;
Were
not the right Man on our side,
the Man
of God's own choosing:
Dost
ask who that may be?
Christ
Jesus, it is He;
Lord
Sabbaoth, His Name,
from
age to age the same,
And He
must win the battle.
And
though this world, with devils filled,
should
threaten to undo us,
We will
not fear, for God hath willed
his
truth to triumph through us:
the
Prince of Darkness grim,
we
tremble not for him;
His
rage we can endure,
for lo,
his doom is sure,
one
little word shall fell him.
That
word above all earthly powers,
no
thanks to them, abideth;
The
Spirit and the gifts are ours
through
Him Who with us sideth:
Let
good and kindred go,
this
mortal life also;
the
body they may kill:
God's
truth abideth still,
his
kingdom is forever.
This powerful hymn may be the greatest of all to come out of the Reformation.
Written in 1529 by the leading Reformer, Martin Luther, this hymn became the
rallying anthem of the Reformation. Very like the French La
Marseillaise whose rousing strains aided Napoleon to win many
victories, or the British Anthem, God Save the Queen; this hymn
draws upon the deep wells of spiritual thirst for the abundant waters of the
Fountain of Life to be rained upon a “dry and thirsty land where no water
is.” (Psalm 63:1) The
hymn is sung to the tune of ‘Ein’ feste Burg’ it was likely written by
Luther at Coberg, Germany, at a time when Luther’s very life was in danger. He
was preserved and protected by many amazing miracles from the Allies of the
Papal See. The hymn is so cherished by lovers of God and His Providence that it
is even included in most Roman Catholic hymnals. Luther was an Augustinian monk
who was awakened from the spiritual slumber of Rome’s heretical doctrines by a
reading of the Book of Romans. An underlying biblical reference may be the
words of the Psalmist who was likewise under constant threat of death for a
multitude of enemies:
"God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth should change,
though the
mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the
mountains tremble with its tumult"
(Psalm 46:1-3)
The hymn reveals many long hidden gems of scriptural truth that had lain
smothered in the ashes of Roman superstition for centuries. God truly is a
Mighty Fortress to His people. How does a fortress and prison differ? They both
are constructed of heavy stone and iron construction. They both have walls that
are secure from penetration. They both provide for defenders on high towers
that shadow the lower walls. They both require authorization to enter or
depart. They are both defended by armed guards. Consider this main difference:
A PRISON is
designed to deny freedom to its occupants. It is designed to keep the offender
INSIDE its walls. Its purpose is to defend the people OUTSIDE its walls from
those malefactors INSIDE. A FORTRESS offers just the opposite
benefit. It is designed to PROTECT all INSIDE from all OUTSIDE. Its bulwarks
are ramparts of defense and not offense. It PROTECTS the freedom of its
occupants rather than suppressing those freedoms. This is precisely what God is
to those who fear Him. He is our Ark of Salvation in the same way Noah’s Ark
offered salvation to its eight human occupants – and pairs of animals.
Be not deceived for we are truly
faced with the Ancient Foe of our souls – Satan and his minions. So we need a
hiding place, a cleft of the Rock, an Ark of protection and salvation. Where
may we find such? We may find salvation only in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is
our Ark. In Him, we rise higher and higher above the destruction below as it
gains in terror and devastation to its victims.
Luther points out in stunning
meter the complete helplessness of man without God. We are without hope if that
hope is not focused on God. We cannot help ourselves. The Foe is great and none
can compare to him on earth, but we have the Lord High King as a Protector and
Advocate. He is ALMIGHTY and able to save to the uttermost. Knowing that the
Prince of Darkness is nothing to be feared compared to the wrath of God, we
shelter under His wings and are consoled until the final victory when the
legions and armies of Heaven descend for the final Battle.
That
word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the
gifts are ours
through Him Who with us sideth
The Word of God is under
constant attack by the powers of darkness. They have failed to smother its
voice, so they now attempt to amend it through erroneous translations and
applications; but the Word stands Immutable and Inviolate as our Ancient
Landmark of Faith, Hope, and Charity.
An
entire book could easily be written about the truths contained in this great
hymn, and this devotion falls woefully short in scope and space to cover them.
I hope the Reader will study this hymn in the context of Holy Scripture in
order to glean so many more powerful and wonderful truths that it contains. The
witness of the great Reformer, Martin Luther, lives on in this wonderful hymn
to the glory of our God. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,
Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith
the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow
them.” (Rev 14:13)
