Come thou long expected Jesus, Born to set thy people free
From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in thee
Israel's strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth thou art
Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart
Joy to those who long to see thee, Dayspring from on high appear
Come thou promised rod of Jesse, Of thy birth we long to hear
O'er the hills the angels singing, News, glad tidings of a birth
Go to him, your praises ringing, Christ the Lord has come to earth
Come to earth to taste our sadness, He whose glories knew no end
By his life he brings us gladness, Our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend
Leaving riches without number, Born within a cattle stall
This the everlasting wonder, Christ was born the Lord of all
Born thy people to deliver, Born a child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever, Now thy gracious Kingdom bring
By thine own eternal Spirit, Rule in all our hearts alone
By thine all-sufficient merit, Raise us to thy glorious throne
Theology
This beautiful Christmas carol was based on the original song by Charles Wesley in 1744. The first verse focuses on the fact that the coming of Jesus Christ fulfilled Israel's longing for the Messiah. As the one whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, He is the "long-expected Jesus."
A few of the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled are Isaiah 7:14, which spoke of a virgin giving birth to a child whose name would mean "God with us;" Isaiah 9:6, which told of a child whose name would be called "Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, eternal Father, the Prince of Peace;" and Micah 5:2, which said that from Bethlehem would come a ruler whose "goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity."
These and many similar prophecies looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, and many devout Jews prayed earnestly for the day when He would arrive. Luke 2 tells of Simeon, a man of faith who was "looking for the consolation of Israel" (v. 25). When he saw Jesus as an infant, Simeon knew that this Child was the fulfillment of his messianic hope. Charles Wesley was borrowing from this passage when he described Jesus in this song as "Israel's strength and consolation."
The second verse tells us why Jesus can meet our expectations: He was "born a child and yet a King." As the One who is both God and man, Jesus was able to satisfy God's wrath completely by dying on the cross for our sins. When Wesley wrote about Jesus' "all sufficient merit," he was referring to Christ's ability to bring us to salvation.