Hymns: I’d Rather Have Jesus than Silver or Gold

I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the old hymns.

Today’s song is I’d Rather Have Jesus than Silver or Gold from 1932

1 I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Refrain:
Than to be the king of a vast domain
or be held in sin's dread sway.
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
this world affords today.

2 I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause;
I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I'd rather have Jesus than world-wide fame.
I'd rather be true to His holy name [Refrain]

3 He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom'
He's sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He's all that my hungering spirit needs.
I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead [Refrain]

I remember singing this one in church back in the 1990s. I always thought of it as somewhat peculiar. You’re not directly worshipping God. And nowadays, I can’t imagine many people thinking in terms of wanting silver or gold or being the king of a vast domain. It’s sounds quite old-fashioned.

Yet, it makes a good point. When we sing it together, we’re reminding ourselves that Jesus is our priority. Wordly wealth and popularity can distract us from following Him. You can see this in the parable of the sower:

Matthew 13:22-23
²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

In this parable, I like how it reminds us that some are more successful than others in producing fruit for Christ. They key thing is that we are disciples – maybe a modern word would be students. And when we commit ourselves to Jesus, He simply wants us to perserve in learning. You don’t get kicked out for being less than perfect. But so many don’t even bother to commit their lives to Christ. They might remain as cultural Christians or they might not bother with any of it. And it makes a big difference to be among others who’ve commited their lives to Christ. So, when I hear this song, I try to focus on the fact that it was written and is often sung by people who are committed to Christ. It might sound a little corny or old fashioned, but I don’t want to be enslaved by the desire to be hip and cool 😀.

Mark 8:36
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

Here are some other versions: