Psalm 133

 A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! [or dwell together]

There’s an old line that goes, “I love humanity. It’s people I can’t stand!” We all love unity and world peace, but there are some people we just can’t stand. If we’re honest we could write a list of people that annoy, irritate and frustrate us, whether we know them personally or not. It’s easy to bemoan a lack of unity in the abstract while ignoring the need for reconciliation with others in our sphere. “Brothers” are technically members of the same family. They should be close, having grown up together and shared more experiences together than anyone else, but sometimes they are estranged and bitter. What if the “brother” here refers not to distant people who have a few things in common, but those that are closest to us, our immediate family, our co-workers, and our friends? That’s where unity becomes more challenging because all of these people rub us the wrong way at times. We all love unity and agree it’s a good and pleasant thing, so who in your life are struggling to “dwell together” with? That’s where the work needs to start. In as much as it is possible with you, live in peace with all men. Be a friend and brother to others, reconcile with any who you have fought with in the past. 

2 It 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!

The first of two metaphors depicting the goodness of brothers living together well is that of the oil of anointing. In the ancient world, guests were anointed with oil (Psalm 23:5) as an act of honor. The fragrant oil gave a nice sheen to the hair, softened the skin, and filled the air with a pleasant fragrance. I’ve always assumed that body odor was a problem in pre-modern times, so anointing someone with oil, particularly after a journey, would have been helpful for everyone. Priests and kings were also anointed, and that is the reference here. In addition to the sense of honor, anointing also indicated a “setting apart” for service, whether in the temple or on the throne. It was a signifier of God’s choice and blessing. Both offices (king and priest) were offices that one was born into, but an anointing took place nevertheless to signify a moment that God’s grace and goodness were poured out on them. The anointing would also later signify the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this text there is a copious amount of oil, flowing down the beard of the priest and saturating his garments. Oil has a way of saturating whatever it touches, so that it is very difficult to wash out. There is a permanence to it, unlike water which evaporates quickly. Oil leaves an indelible mark, one is anointed as priest and king for life. All of this pleasantness -- fragrance, abundance, softening, beautifying, saturation, setting apart for service in a special way, God’s favor (Holy Spirit) -- all of this is what brothers getting along well feels like. 

3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

The second metaphor for the goodness and pleasantness of unity is that of dew that falls on the mountains of Zion. Mt Hermon was high in elevation and thus had abundant moisture. The word “dew” here may also refer to drizzle, again, suggesting abundance. It is as if all of that moisture were falling on the mountains around Jerusalem, a much more arid place. This dew would bring plant life to a high level of flourishing, greening up the land, another symbol of life and blessing. In fact, this is how the psalm ends, the LORD has commanded his blessing: life evermore. The question of interpreting “life evermore” is a bit tricky. In context it may refer to the overall blessing of unity in the nation. This is a life giving thing as long as it lasts. This is a healthy society and that is inherently life-giving. Reading it through a more New Testament lens, where the idea of immortality is stronger, this may indicate a promise of eternal life from YHWH. He has commanded his blessing, “life forevermore,” and this blessing is stated from Zion. God speaks from his temple presence and commands life in the context of national unity, brothers, family members living together in harmony. Unity is life-giving. When couples and families get along well, communities and nations are blessed. When the family of believers gets along well, their circle of blessing is even wider. Be a source of life to someone today by bringing people together.