Idylls of the Bible/Deliverance
DELIVERANCE.
Rise up! rise up! Oh Israel, Let a spotless lamb be slain;The angel of death will o'er you bend And rend your galling chain.
Sprinkle its blood upon the posts And lintels of your door;When the angel sees the crimson spots Unharmed he will pass you o'er.
Gather your flocks and herds to-night, Your children by your side:A leader from Arabia comes To be your friend and guide.
With girded loins and sandled feet Await the hour of dread,When Mizraim shall wildly mourn Her first-born and her dead.
The sons of Abraham no more Shall crouch 'neath Pharoah's hand,Trembling with agony and dread, He'll thrust you from the land.
And ye shall hold in unborn years A feast to mark this day,When joyfully the fathers rose And cast their chains away.
When crimson tints of morning flush The golden gates of day,Or gorgeous hue of even melt In sombre shades away,
Then ye shall to your children teach The meaning of this feast,How from the proud oppressor's hand Their fathers were released,
And ye shall hold through distant years This feast with glad accord,And children's children yet shall learn To love and trust the Lord.
Ages have passed since Israel trod In triumph through the sea,And yet they hold in memory's urn Their first great jubilee.
When Moses led the ransomed hosts, And Miriam's song arose,While ruin closed around the path Of their pursuing foes.
Shall Israel thro' long varied years These memories cherish yet,And we who lately stood redeemed Our broken chains forget?
Should we forget the wondrous change That to our people came,When justice rose and sternly plead Our cause with sword and flame?
And led us through the storms of war To freedom's fairer shore,When slavery sank beneath a flood Whose waves were human gore.
Oh, youth and maidens of the land, Rise up with one accord,And in the name of Christ go forth To battle for the Lord.
Go forth, but not in crimson fields, With fratricidal strife,But in the name of Christ go forth For freedom, love and life.
Go forth to follow in his steps, Who came not to destroy,Till wastes shall blossom as the rose, And deserts sing for joy.