The title Hope of Israel from this hymn comes from the Old and New Testament and is mentioned in Jeremiah 14:8, 17:13, and Acts 28:20. These passages refer to Israel’s Lord and Savior as the “hope of Israel”. The lyrics to this hymn characterize the youth of today as the hope of Israel. This is one of my favorite hymns because it is upbeat and has a great message. I tried to capture a bit of a march feeling with this arrangement, given that it seems more and more like both the youth and adults of today are required to decide what they stand for and who they will stand with. It is more and more apparent that there is a battle going on between good and evil and it is no longer possible to sit comfortably on the sidelines and not choose a side. The world and circumstances of today are forcing each of us to decide what we feel is right and whether or not we will be willing to defend and stand up for what we believe in.
