LEST WE ASUNDER PART
BY MITCH STEVENS
The last verse of the song “Blessed Be the Tie” (in our song book) is the reason why it is usually sung as a closing song, before a parting of the ways.
When we asunder part, / It gives us inward pain;/ But we shall still be joined in heart, / And hope to meet again.
That certainly works as a “farewell until next time,” but it is a bit of an overstatement if we simply mean “See you in three or four days.” The word asunder is part of the issue. It’s gone out of common usage, for one thing. That isn’t a reason to stop singing the song, in my opinion. Rather, it would be a reason why we should contemplate the richness of the words perhaps more than we typically do. Asunder is kind of a weighty word. John Fawcett wrote this song in 1782. So, his Bible was the King James Bible. How is asunder used in the King James Bible?
“... What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mt. 19:6b).
“Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out” (Acts 1:18). That was a pleasant one.
“They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword ….” (Heb. 11:37a). Wow. What a trend.
“And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God” (Acts 15:39-40). Better. Still severe.
“When we asunder part” doesn’t just mean “See you at the next assembly.” It’s pointing to when we are parted by things like death or brotherly disagreement. It calls to mind the failings of earthly fellowship. When, for human weakness, brethren can no longer share comforts, cares, woes, and burdens – the common work of a local church family.
Think of the tragic heap of examples – just the ones that you know of – of brethren parting ways over some disagreement or discontent. Strife and division frequently flare up among Christians. It is condemned as fleshly behavior (1Cor. 3:3). We are admonished to “agree in the Lord” (Phil. 4:2). How many times have you heard, or you yourself said, “I just can’t worship with that person anymore,” or, “I just can’t meet with that group”? Someone might ask, “Are you saying that people who DO meet with that group are WRONG to do so?” And lots of times the person will say, “No! Not at all! It’s just that I can’t … anymore.” It happens all the time, right?
Well, if the people “asunder parting” can’t and won’t say the other person is lost, then let me ask: Is it valuable for them to keep the last verse of this closing hymn in mind?
“But we shall still be joined in heart, / And hope to meet again.”
It warms our hearts to sing this when we have the dearly departed in mind. It should also remind our hearts of an important thing about the living Christians from whom we have broken off contact. Ω