Psalm 133

 A clear indication to us on the value that the Lord places on UNITY.

DEAR KY FAMILY,
As we begin this year, I am deeply convicted that we need to work towards greater UNITY.
Scripture declares in Psalm 133 (NKJV),
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing – Life forevermore.

The first imperative in this Psalm is “behold”. To “behold” is to see or observe someone or something of a remarkable or impressive nature. The Psalmist exhorts us to pause and “behold” something that he surmises is extraordinary.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! (Ps 133:1)

What is this thing that the Psalmist calls extraordinary? It is the scene of brothers (and sisters) dwelling together in unity. In today’s world, however, people interacting and doing life together in harmony is highly unusual. In fact, we hear of more instances of the exact opposite! We hear about nations at war, communities in conflict, even neighbours stealing from each other. We read reports everyday of the cut-throat world we live in – hostile corporate takeovers, moral and ethical standards being violated at the highest levels of leadership, the poor and destitute being taken advantage of, and even the recent exposé of leadership failure at a prominent Pentecostal church in America.

And so, the Psalmist’s declaration of this extraordinary sight of brothers and sisters-in-Christ dwelling together in unity is indeed extraordinary! To describe the extent of how “good” and “pleasant” this scene is, the Psalmist likens it to two scenarios – the anointing of Aaron as High Priest of Israel, and the watering of the mountainous region of Zion.

In the last two editions of Pastor’s Heart, I shared about unity in the Body. We cannot manufacture unity, instead it is a spiritual heritage and a gift of God that we receive when we come into relationship with Jesus and thus are accepted into His Body. However, Scripture reminds us that we must learn to keep this unity going by being humble and gentle, patient with each other and making allowance for each one’s faults (Eph 4:2).

The promise of God, if we “make every effort” to keep the unity He gave us, is that the Lord will command His blessing upon us (v3). The blessing is nothing less than “life forevermore”. The Hebrew words are “hayyim as-ha olam”. Hayyim refers to “covenant life” or “life in a right relationship with God and with others”. As-ha olam means “forever and ever”. Isn’t it interesting that God would predicate the blessing of eternal life with the unity of the Body?

This is not to say that we can earn our salvation. Instead, it is a clear indication to us on the value that the Lord places on UNITY. If Jesus is truly the Head over the church, then His Body must be a united one under His Lordship. And by brothers and sisters dwelling together in unity, the world will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. All glory to God!