Folk Spiritual
Break the Vessel, Blow the Trumpet
Words: Ryan Daniel Cornett
Music: William Walker; arr. Roland Green
Tune: THORNY DESERT
Meter: 8.7.8.7.D.
Stanza 1
Break the vessel, blow the trumpet,
Raise your torches, sheathe your swords;
Though we number but three-hundred,
Lo! The battle is the Lord's.
In the dreadful, darkened valley,
God bewilders ev'ry foe;
Fretting not that awful army,
Foll'wing Him, to battle go.
Stanza 2
Crush the clay that hides the ember,
Let the holy fire burn bright;
Earthen shards reveal the splendor,
So the world beholds the light.
Stand in ranks and sound the portents,
See the wicked fear and flee;
In the weakness of His servants,
God proclaims His majesty.
Stanza 3
We are frail and quickly shattered,
Yet remain God's chosen band;
Thus our enemies lie scattered,
Felled by His almighty hand.
Shout aloud through Christ's dominion,
Lift your eyes and bend the knee;
Jesus is our greater Gideon,
His th' eternal victory!
About the song
Break the Vessel draws upon Gideon's victory over the Midianites to proclaim God's power displayed through the weakness of His servants. The shattered vessels and blazing torches become vivid pictures of the believer's frailty and God's glory, ultimately pointing to Jesus Christ, our greater Gideon, whose triumph over sin and death is eternal.
Themes
Scripture references
Judges 6:11-16; Judges 7:1-22; Exodus 14:13-14; 1 Samuel 17:47; 2 Chronicles 20:15-17; Psalm 20:6-8; Isaiah 42:6-8; Zechariah 4:6; Matthew 5:14-16; 2 Corinthians 4:6-10; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:27-29; Ephesians 6:10-18; Colossians 2:13-15; Philippians 2:9-11; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:11-16