The Love Of God

© Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

   God engineers our circumstances as He did those of His Son; all we have to do is to follow where He places us.  The majority of us are busy trying to place ourselves.

- Oswald Chambers.

   This song, The Love Of God, was written by Frederick M. Lehman, who, at the pinnacle of his remarkable career,  was appointed as US Solicitor General in 1910 by President William Howard Taft.    Wikipedia writes:

   About Lehman's oral arguments, Justice Louis Brandeis said: "He was so eloquent, you hated to rule against Lehman; you felt as though you were ruling against God."

   The third verse of this song is simply awesome.  In his book, Songs That Lift The Heart (1972:46-47),   George Beverly Shea writes:

   Speaking of Frederick M. Lehman’s great hymn ‘The Love Of God’, reminds me of something I learned about it not long ago.  Rumor has it that the third verse lyrics were found on the wall of an institution about the time this popular hymn was written in 1917.  Though this could be true, the roots of it go back to the eleventh century, at least, and maybe further.  According to my information, a modern-day translation of the verse was made by Rabbi Joseph Marcus from Aramaic. A close approximation of the verse is used one day each year in the Jewish observance of Shayuot (Festival of Weeks) which begins seven weeks after Passover … whatever the origin of the third verse’s origin it is good to know that Christians and Jews share in the sentiments expressed in these great words of praise to God. 

YouTube

The Love Of God

(Frederick M. Lehman, 1853-1931)

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star,

And reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child, He reconciled,

And pardoned from his sin.

Chorus Oh, Love of God, how rich and pure?

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure –

The saints‘ and angels’ song.

3^rd verse

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Tho’ stretched from sky to sky.

Piet Stassen

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.    Beverly Shea, George & Bauer, Fred (1972)  Songs That Lift The Heart.  Lakeland.

2.    Chambers, Oswald (2008 ) The Quotable Oswald Chambers. Oswald Chambers Publications  
          Association, Limited.  
3.      Frederick M. Lehman. Accessed At <http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/l/e/h/lehman_fm.htm> [online] 2013.   
4.      Wikipedia  Frederick M. Lehman.  Accessed at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_William_Lehmann> [online] 2013.