“Hail to the Lord’s Anointed”

“Of all Montgomery’s renderings and imitations of the psalms this is the finest.” So commented one authority on this Advent hymn by James Montgomery, based on the seventy-second Psalm. It is felt that he has captured the spirit and “exhibited some of the principal beauties” of the Hebrew poetry itself. Though Montgomery has done so well with it, he revealed in a letter to a friend his humble awe in working with the inspired Word this way, saying that his “hand trembled to touch the harp of Zion.” Such an attitude toward the sacred Word has given life and fire to the works of this gifted and consecrated hymnwriter. Let this hymn lead us into the spirit of Advent. We greet the Advent season with a “Hail!”
Hail to the Lord’s anointed,
Great David’s greater Son!
It is a time of joyful expectation. The long-promised Deliverer is actually coming. The Christian Church awaits the celebration of the birth of its Deliverer. For when He comes it means the end of oppression and captivity under sin and Satan. It means that help for them is imminent. The work shall be made strong—those who have been sighing over their sins shall be made to sing over their redemption. The darkness of death shall be turned into light of Life. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in His sight (Psalm 72:14).
Sometimes, when speaking of such sublime subjects as this one, the far-reaching impact of the advent of God’s Son, poetry succeeds where prose fails. At least, there is vigor and beauty in the Advent scene created by Montgomery:
He shall come down like showers
Upon the fruitful earth,
And joy and hope like flowers,
Spring in His path to birth.
Before Him on the mountains
Shall peace, the herald, go
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.
The momentum of the Advent season also has a mission undertone, which this hymn brings out so well. It depicts what might well take place in far-off Arabia, for instance. There a desert ranger dismounts from his beast of burden and bends his knee in worship to the King of Heaven. The dusky native of Ethiopia traverses difficult mountains and desert wastes to see the newborn King. All other kings are insignificant in comparison, for this is “the Lord’s Anointed.” They, too, shall bow down before Him. The hymn re-echoes the words of the Psalm: The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him (Psalm 72:10-11).
Thus the Advent of this King betokens an overwhelming victory. His foes are to be defeated, His friends are to be eternally blessed. And as this progresses, His kingdom shall increase and His glory become more glorious. The covenant of love that He has made with those who by faith receive Him can never be removed, and for that His name will always be engraved indelibly upon His people.
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His name shall stand forever,
That name to us is Love.
This article, written by the Reverend Paul Madson, is reprinted from the December 1963 issue of the Lutheran Sentinel. “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” is hymn 103 in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary.