Psalm 133: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
This is a psalm of degrees and one of the national anthems of Israel. It is sung in homes and the parliament. Candles are lit on Fridays in preparation for the Sabbath; this is one of the songs that is sung. David wrote this Psalm after the defeat of his son Absalom. The people turned back to David as king and to God. No wonder David wrote a song speaking of the goodness and pleasantness of dwelling together in unity. He compared it to the precious ointment of the temple and to the dew. Let’s take a look at this.
It is a day of confusion, hatred, discord, and division in the world; it even reaches inside our churches at times. We find it easier to talk about someone than to pray for them– and we say we do it in the name of the Lord. David loved Absalom in spite of war he waged against his father for the kingdom. At his death, David cried and wished it would have been him to die instead of Absalom. Coming out of a war which resulted in the death of his son, David fully understood the necessity of unity.
The Wonder of Church Unity: Remember we are brethren. Everyone who knows Jesus as Savior is the same; we are more than Christians; we are brothers and sisters. Verse one speaks of dwelling together. We live (dwell) in one place. Christianity is not an every now and then thing; it is a dwelling. We exist together and have been placed in the same fold, the same body of Christ. This gives the idea of being under one roof as an earthly family would be. We dwell under the roof of God. Our Christian experience is more than being stuck with someone; we should stick together. This is the pleasantness– in unity– you, me and Jesus dwell together; we are fused. If we dwell in Jesus we must dwell with each other. This cannot be done apart from the Lord. We must come to the realization of our togetherness as the body of Christ. There is one heart, the heart of Jesus, and it has the same rhythm for all. We have the same mind, the same spirit, the same movement. We are one unit in Christ.
Unity’s Goodness and Pleasantness: Unity is good in itself, but unity is also agreeable to the will of God. In John 17 Jesus prayed that we all would be one as he and the Father are one. Unity shows the conformity of the church to heaven and not the world. It is how it will be in heaven. We cannot wait until we get to heaven to have unity; we must have it here; we must dwell in it now. It is good for us because there is comfort and joy in unity. It just feels good. Everyone feels like somebody. When we put others down it shows how miserable we are with ourselves. It is good for the unsaved, those outside the church, to see unity. It makes Christianity desirable and believable.
Unity’s Preciousness: In Exodus 30:22-33 Moses wrote a specific recipe for the precious ointment to be used in the tabernacle and on the priests. Everything in the tabernacle was anointed with it. Olive oil is the carrier oil; the rest of the spices are not native to Israel. There were to be no substitutes; it was not to be imitated. It was sacred and a deliberately blended and used. This oil was considered a sweet savor in the nostrils of God; it was a pleasant aroma to him. Our unity is like that to God. As believers each of us is an ingredient that must be blended together. To use the oil any other way than God intended meant to be cut off from him. Without unity we are nothing.
David then compared unity to the dew on Hermon. Dew is precious to a parched land. Without unity we are dry and parched and are like the temple without the oil and the blending of the spices. God would not bless. We are called to dwell together in this way. It is good and pleasant for us and to God.
The service was closed by singing the anthem, first in Hebrew and then English. The words were handed out on a piece of paper with a drop of this special blended ointment put on it. The aroma indeed is pleasing.
Heenay. Motov. Ooo. Maniem. Shevet. Achiem. Gam. Yachad
Heenay. Motov. Ooo. Maniem. Shevet. Achiem. Gam. Yachad
Heenay Heenay Motov Una La
La La La, La La La, La La-La!
Behold how good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together.
Behold how good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together.
Behold how good and pleasant it is!
La La La, La La La, La La-La!
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 