Tune: PASS ME NOT
A lot of folks question the theology of this hymn, wondering
whether the gentle Savior would pass anybody over… or pass them by. I’ll leave
that argument up to the theologians and the over-opinionated squabblers. I’ll
just deal with this one line… the final line of one the hymn’s stanzas.
I have no idea what Fanny Crosby had in mind when she wrote
this hymn-line, but quite honestly, every time I get to this phrase, I stumble
a bit. Up to this point in my singing, I’ve been ‘with her’: kneeling at the
throne of mercy in contrition; pleading for help in my disbelief; trusting in
the merits of Christ; coming for healing of my wounded, broken spirit. But when
I sing, “Whom have I on earth beside
thee? Whom in heav’n but thee?” – that gives me pause. Does it
bother you a bit?
Fanny Crosby is one of my favorite phrase-turners in her
writing; so many of her texts are among my favorites. But here – here I am a
bit confused.
Whom have I on earth
beside thee? On this earth, in this life I have supporters – I have faithful
upholders. There are many humans who are always there for me, always on my side
even when I side with the wrong side!
The second phrase probably only began to bother me after my
mother died… then my father a few years later. I have a support system in
heaven as well. I realize that we know blessed little about what goes on just over in the glory land, but I can’t
imagine that family members and friends who dwell there are not continuing
their concern for my well-being – especially my spiritual well-being.
Therefore, when I get to that questioning hymn-line Whom have I in heaven but thee?, I begin
to make a mental list of all the people there. At the top of the list are
always Hedy and Raymond Huff, and my list is lengthened all the
time.
Maybe that’s what Fanny wanted us to think about. Perhaps
she wanted us to make that mental list and realize that we are not alone in our
struggles in this life, and that there is a great cloud of witnesses pulling
for us in the life yet to come.
Maybe it is just a rhetorical question that needs no answer…
and I’m making too much of it!
Ultimately, no one
ever cared for me like Jesus does. I get that. But I think that as long as
we continue to sing this hymn in worship, I’m going to have the same answer to
the questions: “I have lots of people who are unswervingly supportive – on both
sides of the river.”
Well, I sure opened a can of worms on this one, huh?! But I still love this old hymn!
I have been praying through the books of Psalms. Today, as I was praying through Psalms 73 I came to verse 25 where it says (in the New Kings James Version) "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides you." I felt like I have heard this verse (or versions of the verse) in a hymn but couldn't remember which hymn. That is when I googled the words "whom have I in heaven but thee" and this hymn by Fanny Crosby came up. One of the hits on google was Huff's own reflection on this line.
ReplyDeletePast of Huff's comments is his reflection or question about what Fanny Crosby meant by the line that she includes at the end of her hymn. When you compare Psalms 73:25 it becomes clear that this verse was Fanny's inspiration for the last phrase in her hymn which is the subject of Huff's comments. While my reading of the Bible teaching about the state of the dead and whether someone goes to heaven when they die leads me to a different conclusion from Huff's position expressed in this comments, I will leave that part for another day and focus just on what I perceive as the message of the line in Fanny Crosby's hymn question, in light of Psalm 73:25.
Based on the progression of the message the composer is communicating in the previous stanzas, this last line captures the truth that there is no one in heaven who can be compared with God. No one can be to us what God is. God is all-sufficient. All of our happiness and our being centers in Him. For Fanny Crosby (given her life history and struggles), this intimacy of devotion was center stage in her life and walk with God (especially given her own life experiences and misfortunes).
She is quoting from Psalm 73. The sense seems to be “I have no one on earth or in heaven like you, God” - so, “pass me not,” because no one and nothing equals his worth. The New Testament writers often “loosely” quoted the Old Testament because there were turns of phrase that would have been familiar to their hearers. I think that’s what Fanny Crosby is doing here. The whole hymn is based on Luke 18, the healing of blind Bartimaeus, and an experience she had visiting a prison, where an inmate called out to God not to be overlooked by the savior.
ReplyDeleteShe is quoting from Psalm 73. The sense seems to be “I have no one on earth or in heaven like you, God” - so, “pass me not,” because no one and nothing equals his worth. The New Testament writers often “loosely” quoted the Old Testament because there were turns of phrase that would have been familiar to their hearers. I think that’s what Fanny Crosby is doing here. The whole hymn is based on Luke 18, the healing of blind Bartimaeus, and an experience she had visiting a prison, where an inmate called out to God not to be overlooked by the savior.
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