The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free;
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.
As the fourth of July approaches, I thought it would be appropriate to look at one of the great patriotic songs of our country. The song was written during the Civil War by a lady that visited a Union Camp in 1862. The author visited the Union camp and said her eyes had seen “the glory of the Lord” and also saw “Him in the watchfires.” We often times think about seeing “God’s hands and feet” in disaster relief after a hurricane or tornado, or seeing “God’s glory” in nature, but I have really never thought about seeing Him working during a war. However, I believe she meant that the soldiers were about the Lord’s work. The war that was being fought was not just a physical war, but also a war over what is right and what is wrong – a spiritual battle. Paul tells us in Ephesians that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, against the rulers of this dark world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places.” There are also battles in the political world today. I think that Christians too often try to win the battle through political means (if I can just get my guy elected), but forget that we are in a spiritual battle, and the only person that can change the hearts of men is God. I am not concerned about “God being on my side” when it comes to electing the next President, Senator, or Governor. I am concerned about being on God’s side on the important issues of our day. Many of these issues do not always align with Democrat or Republican labels. As Christians, I do think we need to be involved politically and search the Scriptures for the reason why we are for or against certain political issues, but we are kidding ourselves to think that either party has the solutions for the problems of our world. The problem of the world is sin, and there is only one cure for that, Christ.
In the 3rd verse, we are reminded that God is “sifting out the hearts of men.” The Bible uses this kind of language when it refers to sifting wheat from the chaff. Sifting wheat and chaff is a separation of good from bad, healthy from unhealthy, pure from unpure. The Bible uses the sifting wheat from the chaff analogy when it discusses Christ coming to judge the hearts of men. Although it is a hard word, John also gives us details about what happens to the chaff after the sifting process in Luke 3. “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Our mental picture of Christ is typically one with children on his lap, or preaching to the crowds, or maybe even the picture of Christ on the cross. However, we don’t typically see Him as a righteous judge “sifting” the hearts of men. Although we may not like that picture of Him in judgment, He has and will continue to judge the hearts of men.
God’s truth is a marching on. I pray that we are on His side and we are marching behind Him when it comes to important issues of the day. Be thankful you can worship in a free country because men paid the price hundreds of years ago. But never forget that we are only free because He has set us free.