Sister Sheri Peterson
Ward Music Director
In the words of J. Spencer Cornwall, "One could sermonize at length on the apt title of the song 'Hope of Israel'. The perpetuation and growth of the church membership is in large measure dependent on the continuing faith of the youth.
Throughout scripture, battle imagery has represented the war against evil. The image of church members as a military body fighting a fierce war serve some useful purposes. It is natural to think of the metaphor of a battling army when we are concerned with such characteristics as loyalty, courage, and determination.
Clearly the armor Paul was describing, "the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:13), is a figurative armor, meant to be symbolic, not a literal suit of armor for an actual battle. Though some denominations have decided to omit from their hymnals all references to battle and warfare, several such hymns were retained in our 1985 hymnal on the assumption that we, like Paul, are able to picture a symbolic battle. When "Hope of Israel" mentions "the sword of truth and right", clearly this is a "sword" meant to convert and enlighten, not one meant to maim and kill.
This hymn was a result of the collaborative efforts of Joseph L. Townsend and William Clayson during the time they served in the Sunday school organization in Payson, Utah. It was first published in the Juvenile Instructor in 1880. William Clayson's birthplace, Wilby, Northamptonshire, England, is the source of the tune name.
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