No hope within could I see,
They searched thru heaven and found a Savior,
To save a poor lost soul like me
Chorus
Oh what a Savior! Oh Hallelujah
His heart was broken on Calvary,
HIs hands we nail scared: His side was driven,
He gave his life blood for you and me
He left the Father, with all his riches,
With calmness sweet and serene,
Came down from heaven and gave his life blood
To make the vilest sinner clean.
Chorus
Death's chilly waters I'll soon be crossing,
His hands will lead me safe o'er
I'll join the chorus in that great city,
And sing up there forever more
Chorus
O What a Savior was written by Marvin P. Dalton in 1948. As a musician I find it one of the most beautiful hymn melodies we sing. Let's face it, folks—the modern hymns have a tendency to hover over four to six notes and repeat three or four of them incessantly (along with a lot of word repetition as well). I have asked more than once, "Can't anyone write a melody anymore?" Well, this man knew how to do it.
Yet I have heard many want to do away with this hymn because of this one line: "They searched through Heaven and found a Savior." Why? Because we all know that God already had it in mind "before the foundation of the world" that Jesus would become flesh and dwell among us, eventually dying on the cross for our sins. No search was necessary! Well, of course God had it all planned, but that objection shows a whole lot of ignorance of Scripture.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon. And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon: and one of the elders said unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof (Rev 5:2-5).
Did you catch that? "No one was found"—that phrase implies a search. And where did they search? "In heaven, on the earth, or under the earth." John, speaking in figurative language, uses the metaphor of a search to impress upon us the absolute impossibility of anything or anyone other than Jesus the Messiah being able to save us. Just as God paraded the animals in front of Adam to prove to Adam (not Himself) that he needed the woman, John is showing us a search to prove to us that we need Christ. It's called poetic license, and if you read the Psalms, this sort of thing is not uncommon.
God has always used language the way we use it, the same rules of logic, the same use of figures, the same rules of reading (such as context), and language that anyone, not just a scholar, can understand. The Psalms his people sang in the Old Testament used all these things, and John does, too, in his highly figurative Revelation. Mr. Dalton was simply using a time- and God-honored way of writing poetry. Sometimes we get so picky that if it were up to us half the Bible might be thrown out. Be careful what you are showing about your Biblical knowledge, or lack thereof, and enjoy this beautiful melody and thoroughly scriptural song.
Dene Ward