Psalm 133 - The Pleasantness of Unity

Psalm 133 is the fourteenth of the fifteen “Ascent Songs” or “Pilgrim Psalms” and from the title we see that the writer was David. When David became king he was 30 years old and he inherited a divided nation and almost a civil war. He first was anointed king of Judah and Benjamin and ruled in Hebron for seven-and-a-half years. But then the Lord gave him a united kingdom (2 Sam. 5; 1 Chron. 12:38-40) and he ruled over all twelve tribes from Jerusalem for the next thirty-three years. He could well have written this psalm when he began his reign in Jerusalem.

The people of Israel usually journeyed to Jerusalem in family groups (see Luke 2:41-52) to observe their three special feast days, so this psalm perfectly suited the situation. It applies to individual believers and churches today, for we also have our "family quarrels" and need to learn to walk together in love. Maintaining the spiritual unity of God's people is the work of every believer, with the help of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:1-6).  For God’s people to enjoy the pleasantness of unity we must experience at least three ministries of the Spirit that are illustrated in this psalm.

In verse 1, David called the people “brethren”. The Jewish people all had a common ancestor in Abraham; they spoke a common language; they worshiped the same God; they were children of the same covenant; they shared a common land; and they were governed by the same holy law. Christians today have experienced being born again by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-6),  worship the same God, declare the same gospel message, preach from the same Scriptures, and are headed for the same heavenly city. How sad though, that there is often more division among us than unity! Yet all of us know that spiritual oneness in Christ (Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 4:1-6) is both "good and pleasant."

In verse 2, we can also experience the pleasantness of unity because we are anointed by the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, this means that we are being filled by the Holy Spirit and under the control of the Spirit. When the high priest was anointed, the oil ran down his beard to the front of his body and over his collar. This suggests that the oil "bathed" the twelve precious stones that he wore on the breastplate over his heart, and this "bathing" is a picture of spiritual unity. When God's people walk in the Spirit, they forget about the externals and major on the eternal things of the Spirit. Externals divide us, gender, wealth, appearance, ethnic prejudices, social or political standing, while the Spirit brings us together and we glorify Christ.

In verse 3, we have a beautiful illustration of being refreshed by the Holy Spirit for our daily task. The Jews were basically an agricultural people and they depended on the early and latter rains and the dew to water their crops (Deut. 11:10-17). In Scripture, dew symbolizes the life-giving Word of God (Deut. 32:2), the blessing of God that brings fruitfulness (Gen. 27:28, 39; Deut. 33:13, 28), and God's special refreshing on His people (Hos. 14:5; Zech. 8:12). How often we need the refreshment of the Holy Spirit that comes silently but bountifully, like the dew upon the grass! The dew speaks of fruitfulness and the anointing oil speaks of fragrance, for the unity of God's people is both "good and pleasant."

The word “there” in verse 3 no doubt refers to Jerusalem on Mt. Zion. “Salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22). It was “there” that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice that made it possible for us to have “peace with God”, and the experience “the blessing and life forevermore”. Both images, the oil and the dew, remind us that unity is not something that we "work up" but that God sends down by His Holy Spirit. When we get to the heavenly Zion (Heb. 12:18-29), there we will enjoy perfect unity. But why not seek to have that kind of unity today?

God bless!