A WORD FOR THE BRETHREN (Psalm 133)

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

This is how David began Psalm 133. Notice the exclamation point at the end of verse 1. He was pretty excited about it.

One of the keys is the word “brethren.” This is a family psalm, a word for the brethren. It is a psalm of real brotherhood. The principle of Psalm 133 is that our Heavenly Father wants there to be unity among His children.

There is nothing more aggravating than when the children are not getting along. If that is true in your house and mine, we must know that our perfect Father thinks that as well.

You can be brethren without being one. If you don’t think that is true, look at Cain and Abel or Joseph and his brothers. You can be in the family of God, having the same Father, and not get along.

Someone once said, “Many churches today are more like goat pens than sheep folds because everyone is butting heads all the time.”

It is not supposed to be that way. We are contending for the faith, but we should not be contentious within the family. There is to be unity among the people of God. We are to be filled with God’s love and be peacemakers.

Of course, everything must be centered on truth. I am not suggesting that we say anything just to get along. But there should certainly be unity among those who believe God’s truth so that that truth can march forward and the cause of Christ can advance.

Psalm 133 is a psalm of degrees; in fact, it is the 14th out of 15. This is interesting because you have this image of the people ascending the temple mount to worship, and the closer they got to the sanctuary and the presence of God, the more their unity was seen. I am thinking of the book of Acts in the New Testament and how they were of one mind and one accord.

When you get in the place of prayer and a spirit of worship, in the presence of a holy God, you are not fighting with one another anymore. When you are conscious of God’s nearness, you stop all the conflict over petty things.

We know this is a psalm of David, although we are not aware of exactly when he wrote it. Maybe it was after his war with Saul or Absalom’s rebellion. Perhaps it was when the Ark was returned. But we know that when you are after God’s heart, you rejoice in what makes God happy. David understood that the thing which brought the Lord the greatest joy and blessing was unity among the children.

Basis

There are only three verses in Psalm 133, and they give us three wonderful truths. Verse 1 shows us the basis for this unity, which is the fact that we are all part of the same family.

There is a family reunion being planned right now at the Father’s house. Soon, we will all be there together. Won’t that be glorious? Perhaps it would be good if all the family members started getting along better now before we get there.

Friend, you are in the presence of the Father today. Start treating other believers like children of God and not the enemy. The devil is the enemy, not each other.

Beauty

Verse 2 shows us the beauty of this 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.”

It is a beautiful thing. In fact, the word “pleasant” in verse 1 actually means “attractive.” I wonder sometimes if our Christianity is really attractive to others. When God has His rightful place in our lives, it is the most beautiful thing you could ever imagine. Most people look at true believers who are filled with the spirit of Jesus Christ, and they desire that. It is what happens when, as Titus 2:10 states, we “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.”

The ointment in verse 2 is a wonderful object lesson. What kind of ointment is it? It is olive oil, which in scripture is a picture of the Holy Spirit and His joy.

Some people are more abrasive or contentious than others. There are different personalities among all of us. But this is not about personalities at all; it is about the presence of God in your life.

What is the significance of it being poured on the head? When the high priest was anointed in the Old Testament, that was how it was done. What makes that a beautiful thought is that it was not sprinkled, but the container was emptied upon his head. It was abundance and extravagance, running down his beard and on to the skirts of his garment.

Who is our head, our high priest? It is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus, given without measure, according to John 3:34.

The ointment running down the beard and the clothing is a picture of it perfuming every part of the body. Isn’t this wonderful? The Holy Spirit, who was given without measure to the Lord Jesus Christ, is now given to every one of us. He runs down from Christ to touch all of our lives.

The oil of the Holy Spirit will bring such a fragrance and a beauty to your life that all conflict and contention with the brethren will be put away. It will stop needless fighting, silliness, and pettiness as the Holy Spirit brings you into union with God and His people.

Blessing

The blessing of this unity is shown in verse 3. “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.”

The blessing is represented by the dew. The dew is gentle, mysterious, and refreshing. It sounds a lot like the work of the Holy Spirit, doesn’t it?

Geographically, Hermon was in the east, and Zion was in the west. The idea here is that the beautiful unity spreads like a blanket and covers everything.

The Lord Jesus was able to take 12 men who had little in common — different professions and backgrounds, from different cities with different personalities — and bring them all together as one. True unity begins with the person of Jesus Christ. He is the One who brings us into the family and to the Father. Only Jesus can put aside these needless divisions among God’s people and bring about the unity that exemplifies the glory of God.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been one forever more, the triune God. That is exactly what God wants for every member of His family.

This is a word for the brethren. Lay aside the needless arguments, griping, fussing, and criticizing. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”