Robert Grant was born in India, in 1779, the second son of
Charles Grant. Like his father, an evangelical Christian and social reformer
with a burden for global missions, Grant drew upon his deeply personal faith to
guide his public life. His family relocated to England in 1790. There is no
other information about his growing up years.
Among the family’s many contributions was a partnership with
William Wilberforce toward the emancipation of enslaved Africans in the British
Empire and an end to the slave trade.
Grant studied law at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and in
1807 passed the bar. He became a Commissioner in Bankruptcy. Between 1818 and
1832, he was an elected member of Parliament for several different Burgs. He
was deeply concerned with social issues.
He married Margaret Davidson, daughter of Sir David
Davidson. They had four children, two daughters and two sons.
Grant was a strong supporter of world missions and
influential among evangelicals in the Church of England. He was a man of varied
interests and considerable accomplishments.
Grant was asked to be governor of Bombay and accepted. He
took over his new duties in 1834. As governor, he had opportunity to put his
social concerns into practice, for the poverty and spiritual condition of the
common people were appalling. Among his accomplishments were the opening of
several new roads and inducement to commerce. Through his persistent efforts a
bill was eventually passed which emancipated England’s Jews. He fought for
other minority groups, too,
He held the governorship only four years, dying in the
year 1838 at the young age of 59. The people came to love him. When Sir
Jamshedji, a well-known Parsi (a person of the Zoroastrian faith), built a
medical college, he gave it Robert Grant's name. It is the second oldest
medical college in India.
The year after Robert's death in 1838, his brother Charles
printed Sir Robert's twelve hymns in a slender volume called Sacred
Poems. The only one which is still sung by many people is "O Worship
the King."
This hymn is a paraphrase of Psalm 104. Grant’s paraphrase
is a very free version of the psalm: “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God,
Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honor and majesty. Who covers Thyself
with light as with a garment: who stretches out the heavens like a curtain: Who
layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds His
chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh His angels spirits;
His ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it
should not be removed forever.” (Psalm 104:1-5, KJV)
Erik Routley, one of the most prominent hymnologists of the 20th century, said: “For sheer literary grace and beauty . . . may be one of the six finest hymns in the [English] language.”
Studylight.org, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible: The Ancient of Days should here be capitalized as it could not possibly refer to anyone else except Almighty God; and the fact that in the New Testament (Revelation 20) it is Christ who sits on this throne, such is a natural result of the early church’s acceptance of our Lord as indeed Deity, to whom the Father has committed the judgment of all men.
Studylight.org, Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible: The Ancient of Days, meaning the eternal Deity Himself.
Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: A phrase expressive of His omnipotence which cannot be stayed; and which is able to cast down the proud, and dash them to pieces, as well as to exalt the humble; but to be under [His hand] in a humble manner is safe and profitable; such are hid as in the hollow of His hand, and are safe as in a pavilion, and comfortable under the shadow of His wings; and such humiliation and submission to Him, and putting themselves under His Mighty hand and care, is the way to exaltation.
Biblehub.com, Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible: Behold, God is mighty . . . This is a clear plain truth, and worthy of notice that God is mighty, the most mighty, the Almighty, as appears from His works of nature and providence; making all things out of nothing, upholding them by the word of His power . . . and from the works of redemption and grace; ransoming His people out of the hands of them that are stronger than they; converting them by the power of His grace; assisting them to do all they do in a spiritual way; supporting them under all their troubles; protecting and defending them from all their enemies; supplying all their wants, and preserving them safe to His Kingdom and glory.
Biblehub.com, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible: It is one of the glorious attributes of the true God, that He can and will thus notice the needs of the mean as well as the mighty; and one of the richest of all consolations when we are afflicted, and are despised by the world, is the thought that we are not forgotten by our Heavenly Father. He who remembers the falling sparrow, and who hears the young ravens when they cry, will not be unmindful of us. “Yet the Lord thinketh on me,” was the consolation of David, when he felt that he was “poor and needy.”
Enduringword.com, David Guzik: The singer gives us more reasons for confidence in God. When we trust in the Lord as the Creator of all things, we realize He has power to help us and deliver us that even great men do not have.
True worship is an act by a redeemed man, the creature, toward God, His Creator, whereby his will, intellect and emotions gratefully respond to the revelation of God’s person expressed in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit illuminates the written Word to his heart. This hymn is a model for worship. Its descriptive names used in exalting the Almighty are significant: Shield, Defender, Ancient of Days, Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend. Also the vivid imagery — “pavilioned in splendor,” “girded with praise,” “whose robe is the light,” “whose canopy space,” “chariots of wrath," “wings of the storm”— aids us in the worthy praise and adoration of our Heavenly King. This hymn originally had thirty-five verses describing the magnificence of our Creator.
