DEn Hoeder Israel
The Watchful Guardian
God remains the ever-vigilant protector of His people, restraining the harm intended by the wicked.
The Guardian of Israel doesn't sleep or slumber, but carefully watches every evil scheme of the wicked. He keeps them in check so they can't harm the godly even a hair, wherever they may be.1
Creation in Obedience
All elements of the natural world, from the tides to the weather, stand in constant service to their Creator.
Everything must—take note of this! Ebb and flood, and sun and moon, stand ready for their Creator's service. Rain and wind, the swift storm, the air, and the earth must also serve Him promptly.2
Deliverance Through History
God's historical acts of deliverance, such as the Exodus, provide the pattern for His recent intervention at Cadzand.
By God's power alone, the fire appeared to the faithful at night when they meant to set out.✦ And by day, He led His people forward with a cloud through the water, where their enemy drowned.✦✦ Thanks be to God the Lord, who always watches over us so carefully and has helped us again now, when Spain recently intended to use force, by night and with combined strength, to strike hard at Cadzand.3
Read the original Latin
DEn Hoeder Israel Slaept noch sluymert, maer siet wel Al der boosen quaet op-stel. Hy Houts'in den toom, Soo dat sy de vroom' het zy oock waer Krencken konnen niet een hayr.
'tMoet alles, merckt toch aen! Tot zyns Scheppers dienste staen, Ebb' en Vloet, end' Son en Maen. Oock Regen en Wind; 'tOnweder geswind, En locht en aerd, Moet hem dienen metter vaerd.
Door Godes macht alleen, 'tVier de vrome 'snachts verscheen, Als zy wouden trecken heen. End' 'sdaechs met een wolck Geleyd hy zyn volck Door't water voort, Daer haer vyand in versmoord.
Danck hebbe God de Heer, Die steets voor ons waeckt so seer En geholpen heeft nu weer, Als Spanjen met macht Corts meend' inder nacht, Gemeender-hand, Sterck te vallen in Casand.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Exod.13.21-Exod.13.22 — And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. Exod.13.22 — The pillar of cloud did not depart by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
- ↩Exod.13.21-Exod.13.22 — And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. Exod.13.22 — The pillar of cloud did not depart by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
- ↩Exod.14.21-Exod.14.28 — Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind all night long, turning the sea into dry ground, and the waters were divided. Exod.14.22 — And the sons of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right and on their left. Exod.14.23 — And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them—all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen—into the sea. Exod.14.24 — And it came to pass in the morning watch that the LORD looked down upon the camp of Egypt through the pillar of fire and the cloud, and He threw the camp of Egypt into confusion. Exod.14.25 — And he removed the wheels of their chariots and drove them with difficulty. And Egypt said, "Let us flee from before Israel, for Yahweh is fighting for them against Egypt." Exod.14.26 — Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may return upon Egypt, upon its chariots and upon its horsemen." Exod.14.27 — Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned at dawn to its normal state, while the Egyptians were fleeing toward it; and the LORD shook the Egyptians off into the midst of the sea. Exod.14.28 — The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen—all the army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea. Not one of them remained.
Notes
- 1 ↩Houts'in den toom literally means keeps under the rein/bridle; rendered as 'holds them in check' for natural modern English while preserving restraint force.
- 2 ↩'metter vaerd' (metter vaart): rendered 'promptly' for ready, speedy obedience; could also be 'with speed' or 'swiftly'.
- 3 ↩Casand is the early modern Dutch form of Cadzand (Zeeland); rendered with the modern place-name. Gemeender-hand means jointly / with united forces; sterck te vallen in is a military idiom for attacking with force.
Nederlandtsche Gedenck-clanck (Netherlands Memorial Songs) companion
Never lose the rhythm again
Chosen Portion delivers your morning, midday and night office to your phone — the Hours, without the bells.
Chosen Portion is a modern Book of Hours: it turns the fixed-hour structure this collection preserves into scheduled, tappable daily prayer on your phone.
- Three daily prayer moments scheduled around your real calendar, not a monastery's
- Psalms and historic prayers sequenced for you — no page-flipping or decision fatigue
- A visible streak of completed offices, so the rhythm compounds instead of collapsing