“The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine”
- one of the original verses of Newton’s great hymn - not one of the ‘traditional’ four that we normally sing, but resurrected for inclusion in the new Chris Tomlin version.
Anyone care to comment on exactly what this means, and where I might find it in my Bible? Alternatively, do you think it’s just a metaphor describing the most solid and stable things we know as tenuous and shaky compared to the constancy and steadfastness of God’s love for us?
I’ll gladly join in singing it again once I understand what it means. Till then, it makes me uncomfortable...
J
6 comments:
The sun forbearing to shine is referred to in Joel 2:28-32, quoted in Acts 2.
The metaphor as well.
Thanks anonymous, that's interesting, though the earth dissolving like snow bit remains elusive.
This verse:
Joel 2:31:
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
Always makes me think
"Ah, a solar eclipse!"
followed by
"Ah, a lunar eclipse!"
followed by
"...at the same time! How is that possible?"
Try 2 Pet 3:10-12 for a melting reference. Not exactly definitive, but I'm not sure it's supposed to be a literal description.
Yep, think you're probably right.
I guess there are many metaphors about our lives being like mist and that sort of thing and the 'earth dissolve like snow' is another (from bible or not) - I think the point is that the earth as we know it is temporary, and one day it will end, and there'll be all the Joel, Daniel, Revelation stuff .... but meanwhile, God has called us here, he has called us from here - where we are - and we'll be his, and He our God forever.
The last line actually reminds me of a similar line from 'In Christ Alone' - 'For I am His and He is mine...'
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