Responsive Hymn: The God of Abraham Praise

What hymn brings together the Hebrew Yigdal (doxology), a Welsh Wesleyan preacher and John Wesley? The answer is "The God of Abraham praise" -- a hymn that has made a fascinating journey. 

Its author, Thomas Olivers (1725-1799) was orphaned at age 4. After getting bounced from relative to relative for years, he was eventually apprenticed to a shoemaker. The shoemaker was a god-fearing man, but this young apprentice, he would have none of it. And eventually this young man lost his way. 

As the decade of the 1740’s was coming to a close, Olivers heard the great evangelist, George Whitefield, preach a sermon on Zechariah 3:2, “Is not this a brand, plucked from a fire?” And having heard that sermon, he became a new creation. This orphan was now a child of God. 

In a few years, Olivers teamed up with the brothers Wesley. And he had quite a ministry of his own. And while not nearly to the extent of John and Charles Wesley, he also wrote hymns. 

While in London in 1770, he went to hear a renown Jewish cantor by the name of Myer Lyon, at the Great Synagogue in London. Lyon also doubled as an opera singer under the name, Max Leoni. 

Olivers had likely heard Leoni sing opera at the Covent Garden Theatre, and now he wanted to hear him sing sacred music in the Synagogue. That night, Lyon sang the Yigdal, a song dating back to the 1400’s. It prayerfully speaks of the majesty of God. So moved by the song, Olivers waited after the service to meet with Lyon. 

In the ensuing days, Oliver said about transforming this Jewish prayer in Hebrew into a Christian hymn in English. He worked with Lyon on the tune. The collaboration resulted in a 12 stanza hymn we know as, “The God of Abraham Praise.” Olivers credited the tune to Lyon, entitling it “Leoni.” 

The God of Abraham is still our God today and is worthy of our praises to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost — both now and through eternity. 

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Adapted from Stephen Nichols’ article titled “The God of Abraham Praise” at https://www.5minutesinchurchhistory.com/the-god-of-abraham-praise/. Accessed 6 Dec 2019.