Unless stated otherwise, my source for hymn texts and tunes is The Lutheran Service Book.

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

LSB #599 "O Gracious Lord, with Love Draw Near"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Titus 3:5-8, Romans 6:4

Matthew 28:19:  "'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'"

Mark 16:16:  "'Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'"

Titus 3:5-8:  "5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.  These things are excellent and profitable for people."

Romans 6:4:  "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

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Titus 3:5-8 could be cited for the end of the second verse ("For in that pure baptismal flood / They have been cleansed by Jesus' blood") and part of the fifth verse ("With fruits of faith their lives now bless").  Matthew 28:19 and Romans 6:4 could also be cited for the line about "fruits of faith."  For the most part, though, the cited verses (especially Mark 16:16) seem to be merely background for the hymn text.

The third verse, which begins with the line "Deliver them from ev'ry wile," expands upon part of the Lord's Prayer:  "'And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil'" (Matthew 6:13).  The last line of that verse ("That they may not Your Word despise") echoes the explanation of the Third Commandment from Luther's Small Catechism:  "We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it."

The line "And make them strong, each cross to bear" at the end of the fourth verse could be cited from a few places:  Matthew 10:38, Matthew 16:24, or Luke 9:23.

The last verse, particularly the line "Then robed in white before Your throne," is drawn from Revelation 7.