In every age, the enemies of the sovereign Lord have raised their fists in defiance and hatred. The theme is even included in Israel’s songbook. In Psalm 2 we sing these inspired words.
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
Are we to shrink in terror and despair when we see that happening? It may be from hostile forces outside our nation, threatening us with either militaristic terror assaults or by economic or cyber warfare. Or it might even be from within our own land by the forces of militant secularism in media or education or legal attacks against biblical principles we hold dear.
As Christians, we recognize that we have biblical promises from the Lord that He will not desert us, even in those circumstances. He might call us to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, not only through persecution but even to martyrdom. Even then, as Isaiah wrote, when we go through the river or the fire, the Lord will be with us (Isaiah 43:2).
But isn’t there also the hope, indeed the confidence, that a day is appointed when God will come in judgment to put an end to all wickedness, to destroy once and for all the arrogance of His foes, and to rescue His people, settling us into the eternal home of peace and joy He has promised? Yes, we have that hope to sustain us through these temporary dark days.
Here is a hymn by John Milton (1608-1774) that points us to that day for our comfort right now. “The Lord Will Come and Not Be Slow.” We know Milton as one of the greatest poets in the history of English literature, but few have heard this wonderful poem that he composed for Advent. He wrote it in April of 1648. It was first published as a hymn in 1859. As an Advent hymn, it not only looks back to the first Advent when Jesus came as a child in His incarnation, but also to the second Advent when He will come as a conquering hero and judge of all the earth.
Milton is best-known for his epic poem, “Paradise Lost,” first published in 1667, which earned him an international reputation in his own lifetime. It is widely regarded as one of the finest pieces of literature of all time. He later wrote the sequel “Paradise Regained.” Other than a few metrical settings of Psalms, his contributions to hymnody are very slight. But his influence on English literature has been enormous. Every student who has taken a course in English literature has been challenged in the study of Milton’s phenomenal literary skills.
He was born in London on December 9, 1608. He was an undergraduate at Christ’s College, Cambridge, from which he graduated in 1629. It was in that year that he wrote his poem, “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity,” at the very time his Puritan contemporaries were increasing their opposition to any celebration of Christmas Day as a part of Roman Catholic extra-biblical worship practice.
He considered ordination as an Anglican priest, and stayed on at Cambridge to receive his MA in 1632. However, he never proceeded to ordination. After receiving his MA, Milton retired to his father’s home in Hammersmith, and spent six years in self-directed private study there and at Horton in Berkshire. He then travelled throughout France, Switzerland and Italy, returning to England as the Civil War began to unfold. He was known to be one of the best-educated men of his day, being fluent in half a dozen languages.
Back in England, Milton continued to write, supporting himself as a school teacher. He met and fell in love with Mary Powell, who at 16 years old was half his age. They had four children before she died in 1652. By the mid-1650s, Milton was blind, perhaps from glaucoma or retinal detachment, yet he married a second and a third time. In his blindness, he continued to write by dictating to his amanuensis.
Though he was never a clergyman or a theologian, he was a well-informed and thoroughly committed Calvinist. His writings reflect considerable biblical knowledge and a solidly reformed theological perspective. It has been said that there are nearly 10,000 biblical quotations in his written works.
He became very outspoken in his writing against episcopacy and in support of the Puritan and Commonwealth cause. He vigorously attacked the high church party of the Church of England and their leader William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, with frequent passages of real eloquence lighting up the rough controversial style of the period, and drawing from a wide knowledge of church history.
At the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, he went into hiding. A warrant was issued for his arrest and his writings were burned. He was arrested and jailed briefly, and subsequently lived out his days in London and in “Milton’s Cottage” in Chalfont St Giles. He died on November 8, 1674 and was buried at Saint Giles in Cripplegate.
It is very impressive to realize that he was blind for the last 25 years of his life. His literary output during those years is matched by the spiritual strength with which he continued to trust and serve the Lord. Many have heard the last line of his poem “On His Blindness.” Confident that he had a valuable place in God’s world despite his disability, he wrote words that have become famous around the world, “They also serve who only stand and wait.” His example has been a significant encouragement to countless others who have struggled with their loss of sight.
As we observe the spread of wickedness at home and the rise of terrorism abroad today, we find it easier to understand the imprecatory Psalms of the Old Testament, Psalms which call on God to rise up to judge His enemies and bring vengeance on those who have oppressed His people. It would come as a surprise to most people to learn that of the 150 Psalms, 15 of them, ten percent, are imprecatory Psalms!
It is in that context that we look in this study at Milton’s poem, now set for us as a hymn, “The Lord Will Come and Not Be Slow.” Because the theme of divine judgment is not a popular one today, it is not surprising that it is rare to find the hymn included in modern hymnals. And yet with the instinctive longing in our hearts for divine response to the wickedness we see, should it not enjoy fresh appreciation? As we long for justice, for deliverance, for hope, here is a hymn that can express all of that in biblically acceptable words and emotions.
Stanza 1 puts all of this into a different perspective. Yes, it can seem to us like His coming is slow. We long to know why God doesn’t respond sooner. Why does He delay? That’s what Mary and Martha wondered. Why did Jesus delay coming to heal Lazarus? But from God’s perspective, based on God’s perfect timetable, His coming will be exactly on time! And when He comes, a royal herald will announce the arrival of perfect righteousness.
The Lord will come and not be slow,
His footsteps cannot err;
Before Him righteousness shall go,
His royal harbinger.
Stanza 2 identifies two things that we long to see in our world … truth and justice. Satan spreads lies and perverts justice. But when Jesus returns, truth and justice will be restored under His reign. What powerful imagery for both. Truth will rise up as a flower with its bud and then its splendid colorful blossom. And justice will spread across this arid, desert landscape bringing cool, verdant shade to all who live in the new heaven and earth.
Truth from the earth, like to a flower,
Shall bud and blossom then;
And justice, from her heavenly bower,
Look down on mortal men.
Stanza 3 more directly points to the theme of the first Advent, the setting for which it was composed, and with which it is most often associated in British hymnals and choral music. The thought that “salvation is at hand” was the hope of Old Testament saints who looked for the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah’s prophecies highlighted the glory of the Lord that would appear when the Redeemer had come (Isaiah 40:5).
Surely to such as do Him fear
Salvation is at hand!
And glory shall ere long appear
To dwell within our land.
Stanza 4 is an earnest prayer to the Lord, that He would soon come as judge to respond to the rampant wickedness around the earth. The wicked assume that He does not exist or does not notice, but on that day every person will answer to Him. For the saints, Christ will rise to our defense, having already suffered the punishment we deserved. For the reprobate, they will call on the mountains to fall on them to shield them from the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:15-17).
Rise, God, judge Thou the earth in might,
This wicked earth redress;
For Thou art He who shalt by right
The nations all possess.
Stanza 5 is drawn directly from Philippians 2 where we read that Jesus, having humbled Himself even to the point of death on a cross, will be highly exalted by the Father with a name above every name. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord. What a sight that will be when we will join that vast throng from every tongue and tribe, bowing before the Lord and glorifying his name!
The nations all whom Thou hast made
Shall come, and all shall frame
To bow them low before Thee, Lord,
And glorify Thy Name.
Stanza 6 concludes by ascribing to the Lord the greatness of His person and magnificence of His works, both in creation and in redemption. He sits in divine majesty on His throne and will never be moved from that position of supreme sovereignty and honor. It will be our privilege to laud the name of the triune God for ever. That is what we do today as we sing this marvelous hymn.
For great Thou art, and wonders great
By Thy strong hand are done:
Thou in Thy everlasting seat
Remainest God alone.
Among the hymn tunes to which the words have been sung is ST MAGNUS, probably written in 1701 by Jeremiah Clarke. Clarke was organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London near the end of his life. His name is familiar as the composer of “The Prince of Denmark’s March,” a trumpet and organ voluntary frequently used in wedding processionals. This is the tune used in the “Trinity Hymnal” and the “Trinity Psalter.” In the British Isles, where it is frequently used as an Advent hymn, it is more commonly sung to the tune ST STEPHEN, and with a slightly different text in a couple of the stanzas.