Rejoice, the Lord Is King
Rejoice, the Lord is King
Charles Wesley
Verse 1
Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice, give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Verse 2
Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Verse 3
His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o'er earth and Heav'n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv'n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Verse 4
He sits at God's right hand till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Verse 5
He all His foes shall crush, shall all our sins destroy,
And every saint shall rush with pure unending joy;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Verse 6
Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th'archangel's voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!
Charles Wesley wrote this hymn, and it was first published in 1744 in his brother John’s Collection of Moral and Sacred Poems. Charles later published it in his own anonymous Hymns for our Lord’s Resurrection in 1746. The theme of the text is celebration of Christ as King and Lord of all the earth.
“Rejoice the Lord is King” opens with a jubilant call to rejoice in the reign of our Lord. The middle stanzas are rich in biblical allusions to the triumphant reign of Christ. We are assured that Jesus has removed the guilt of our sin and is now reigning at God's right hand, in complete control over death and hell (Hebrews 1:3, Revelation 1:18). The final stanza reminds us to look forward in hope of Christ's Second Coming (1 Peter 1:21) In view of this joyful future, the refrain reminds us to “Rejoice, again I say rejoice” (see Philippians 4:4).
Wesley originally wrote six stanzas, but hymnals vary on which of these are included today. The original first and third (“His kingdom cannot fail”) stanzas are always included in modern hymnals, while the fourth (“He sits at God’s right hand”) appears only occasionally, and the fifth (“He all His foes shall quell”) is almost always omitted. The other two stanzas (the second, “Jesus the Savior reigns,” and sixth, “Rejoice in glorious hope”) are usually included. Each stanza concludes with a refrain, which is identical for stanzas one through five. Stanza six originally had a unique refrain, but more often today, it is given the same refrain as the other stanzas. This may be due to how the refrain fits the common tune, DARWALL.
Easter Blessings,
Dorene