The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon (Thwaites)

Twelve thou­sand stand on Gi­le­ad

Yea

twice twelve thou­sand say!

They flocked at sil­ver trum­pet’s call

All men of Is­ra­el they.

But faith­ful Gi­de­on cried aloud

If crav­en heart there be

Return

faint-heart­ed

to your tents

Not yours the vic­to­ry!

Ten thou­sand stand at Gi­le­ad!

No crav­en hearts are these;

But will they speed at du­ty’s call

Or love they sloth­ful ease?

In wea­ri­ness

in watch­ings oft

The sol­dier’s lot must stand:

Can these ten thou­sand hard­ness bear

And march at God’s com­mand?

See! Har­od’s spark­ling waters

Flow flash­ing thro’ the plain!

The Lord will try His war­ri­ors

Again and yet again.

Down to the mar­gin of the stream

The thirst­ing sol­diers press

Their parch­èd lips ap­proach the stream

The leap­ing tor­rent kiss.

Some yield to wea­ri­ness and thirst

And

kneel­ing on the sod

Forget awhile the trum­pet’s call

Their coun­try and their God!

Some on­ly bend in man­ly grace

With hand dipped in the ford

And mar­tial stand

the sword in hand

To heark­en Gi­de­on’s word.

By these

by these

cried Gi­de­on

The Lord shall Is­ra­el save;

By prov­en men and chos­en

Three hun­dred war­ri­ors brave;

Lest Is­ra­el’s host should vaunt it­self

And dream that its pow­er and might

Or pru­dence of the wise and skilled

Had con­quered in the fight.

Three hun­dred stand on Gi­le­ad

Obedient men—but lo!

More than a hun­dred thou­sand

In Mi­di­an’s tents be­low!

What wea­pons for the war­fare?

A trum­pet and a light!

The shout of a king among them

Ringing thro’ Mi­di­an’s night!

O Lord

arise! Thy war­ri­ors choose

As erst at Har­od’s well

And prove them at the wa­ters—

Thy faith­ful Is­ra­el!

Swift as the ea­gle may they bear

Love’s em­bas­sy abroad!

Send out Thy sons of va­lor

To war

the wars of God!

They will not pause

those ea­ger souls

Where plea­sure’s waves glide by

Nor

heed­less of the Mas­ter’s call

In ease­ful lang­uor lie.

They hear the call of na­tions

The Mas­ter’s high com­mand

And pure re­solve and zeal in­spire

The mis­sion­ary band.

O flash the torch of truth athwart

The gloom of hea­then night!

And cheer ye with a song of faith

And trum­pet sound of might!

The bat­tle is not yours

but God’s;

Ring out the bat­tle cry!

The sword of God and Gi­de­on

Shall bring the vic­to­ry!