Be gone, Unbelief !
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The Hymn “Begone Unbelief”, Methodist hymn 511(GBH 80), was written by John Newton.
John Newton was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was only seven years old. He joined his father at sea when he was just eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy, and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa! He escaped the capture, but then became the captain of a slave ship himself.
Several factors contributed to Newton’s conversion: a near-drowning experience, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he later married), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis’ “Imitation of Christ”. He gave up the slave trade in 1754; and eventually became an ardent abolitionist in association with William Wilberforce.
John Newton came under the influence of George Whitefield and the Wesley brothers (John and Charles Wesley) after the near drowning experience, and began to study for ministry. He later became an ordained minister in the Church of England.
John Newton’s greatest legacy to the Christian church includes his hymns; as well as his collaboration with William Cowper, in publishing Olney Hymns (in 1779), to which he contributed 280 hymns, including “Begone Unbelief”, “Amazing Grace” and many others!
A large number of Newton’s hymns have some personal history connected with them, or were associated with circumstances of importance. “Begone Unbelief” was about faith, to trust God. I reproduce all seven stanzas below.
1. Begone unbelief,
My Savior is near,
And for my relief
Will surely appear:
By prayer let me wrestle,
And he will perform,
With Christ in the vessel,
I smile at the storm.
2 Tho’ dark be my way,
Since he is my guide,
‘Tis mine to obey,
‘Tis his to provide:
To’ cisterns be broken,
And creatures all fail,
The word he has spoken
Shall surely prevail.
3 His love in time past
Forbids me to think
He’ll leave me at last
In trouble to sink’
Each sweet Ebenezer
I have in review
confirms his good pleasure
To help me quite through.
4 Determined to save,
He watched o’er my path
When Satan’s blind slave,
I sported with death;
And can he have taught me
To trust in his name,
And thus far have brought me
To put me to shame?
5 Why should I complain
Of want or distress
Temptation or pain?
He told me no less;
The heirs of salvation,
I knew from his word,
Through much tribulation,
Must follow their Lord.
6 How bitter the cup,
No heart can conceive,
Which he drunk quite up,
That sinners might live!
His way was much rougher,
And darker than mine;
Did Jesus thus suffer,
And shall I repine?
7 Since all that I meet
Shall work for my good,
The bitter is sweet,
The medicine is food;
Though painful at present,
‘Twill cease before long,
And then, oh how pleasant,
The conqueror’s song!
“Begone Unbelief” was based on 1 Samuel 7:12.
READ 1 Samuel 7:12
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying,
“Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12)
Israel was in turmoil! They had sinned and turned to other gods! God was not happy with them, and were defeated by the Philistines; with thirty thousand foot soldiers fallen! The two sons of Eli the priest — Hophni and Phinehas — were killed too; and the ark of God was captured! When Eli heard the news about the ark, he also fell off his seat and died! Phinehas’ wife put it rightly in 1 Samuel 4:21 when she said,
“The glory has departed from Israel!”
The Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it to Ashdod; and had set it by Dagon, the Philistine god. But they found Dagon flat on its face on the earth before the Ark the next morning! They set it back in its place, but found it again on the floor with all limbs broken, with only the torso left! And God struck Ashdod with tumors, so they sent the ark away. But wherever the ark went, the Lord struck them. They decided, after moving it around for seven months and being afflicted every time, to get rid of the ark; and finally returned it to the house of Abinadab at Kirjath Jearim; and it was there for twenty years (1 Samuel 5:1 – 7:1)!
The Israelites turned to the Lord, and put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and they served Lord only; and Samuel decided to intercede for them at Mizpah. But the Philistines came against them to attack them; and the Israelites were afraid and told Samuel,
“Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us,that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” (vv. 1 Samuel 7:8)
Samuel prayed, and then Lord used thunder to confuse the Philistines and they were defeated by the Israelites. So Samuel took a stone and set it up, as a remembrance of what the Lord had done; and called that place “Ebenezer”, saying
“Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
This is a memorial; a reminder of God’s salvation and faithfulness.
When unbelief threatens your faith, and hope seems to be diminishing; you just need to look back at God’s salvation in the past; at His memorials of faithfulness! Then tell yourself,
“Be gone unbelief!
He did it in the past, and will do it again.
Please find a beautiful rendition of this powerful, faith-building, one-of-a-kind hymn — “Begone unbelief” — by Nii-Okai and some Ghanaian musicians in the 2015 “Night of Hymns” classic collection here.
MEMORY VERSE
“Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12)
QUESTIONS
1. What circumstances are threatening your faith and trust in God?
2. Why not sing the hymn, “Begone unbelief”? And as you sing, look back in the past; see how far God has brought you, and know He never fails and will be with you to the end.
PRAYER TIP
Father, please help us to build unwavering and unshakeable faith in You.
Written by:
BENNY MALM
For:
TESTIMONY DEVOTIONAL
URGENT CALL
By nature, we are all sinful, and alienated from God. We ultimately face the wrath of God!
But God in His mercy and love gives us a chance to reverse this trend, join His family, be part of His household, and become His children.
The first step to becoming a member of God’s household is for us to be saved.
Salvation comes through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior.
It is a very personal decision. No one can make for you.
If you make that decision today, there will be great singing and rejoicing in heaven; because one new member has joined the family and household of God!
Do you want to make that decision today?
Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer” for guidance if you want to make that decision.
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God richly bless you
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