Precious Unity

Psalm 133

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

 ¹Behold, how good and pleasant it is
   when brothers dwell in unity!
²It is like the precious oil on the head,
   running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
   running down on the collar of his robes!
³It is like the dew of Hermon,
   which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
   life forevermore.

This is a short psalm about a single subject: unity. Unity is announced as good and pleasant in verse 1 and is referenced as “it” in the two examples that follow in verses 2 and 3. For anyone who has ever tried to rally a group of people for a cause, unity is a sweet word. Moreover, anyone who has been involved in church administration or planning understands that unity in a body of believers, if it’s in accordance with God’s will, is unstoppable. This psalm might have been composed for David’s coronation as king (2 Samuel 5:3), a time when unity would be apparent and precious.  

The word pictures given to describe unity are interesting. Oily heads and beards sound a bit unnerving now, but we must recognize their place in traditional recognition of priests and kings. Mount Hermon (verse 3) is still there today. It’s a 9,230 feet-tall mountain at the border of Syria and Lebanon. The image of verse 3 comes from the fact that snow melt from this mountain fed (and still feeds) the Jordan River, such that Mount Hermon is sometimes called “mountain of snow”.

Consider two observations about this mountain that speak to unity.

Matthew 16 and Mark 8 mention Jesus and His disciples traveling to Caesarea Philippi, which was at the base of Mount Hermon. There, Jesus spoke in startling terms about the days ahead of them, and made this memorable statement to Peter: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Oh, what a beautiful declaration of unity, the church built upon the Rock of Ages against which nothing can prevail. This is the power we have when we work together to seek God’s will. It is, as the Psalmist writes: good, pleasant, precious, life-giving, eternal.

Today, the summit of that same mountain is controlled by Syria, while parts of the slopes are in the Golan Heights region, controlled by Israel. The mountain itself is a modern symbol of perhaps the greatest disunity on Earth. What has the so-called “Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” brought the world in our age? Nothing  good, pleasant, precious, life-giving, or eternal.

Pray for unity among Christians and for a world that desperately needs the united message of eternal hope we could bring.