Church Harmony and Hermon's Dew

Psalm 133:1

How good and pleasant it is
    when brothers live together in unity!

Psalm 133:3

It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
  For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore.

As mandated by the Mosaic Law, the Israelites would go up to Zion to celebrate the God-ordained feasts three times a year (Exo.23:14). They have a set of songs to sing on their way up which we now call The Song of Ascents; the 133rd Psalm is one of them. What a pleasing sight it would have been to witness people from all walks of life singing a song about national and spiritual unity!

Two out of three of those annual feasts take place on dry months. At the peak of a drought, there is not even a drop of dew in Zion and in the  rest of the land (1 Kings 17:1).

There is a mountain range between Lebanon and Syria, and the tallest among them is Mount Hermon. In contrast to Zion, there is never a time in a year when Hermon is dry. You could  find ice at Hermon's peak even in the most severe droughts in the region. The dry months increase the usefulness of Hermon as its melting ice become a source of water to nearby places including the Jordan River.

One traveller narrates some memories from his visit:

"The vapour, coming in contact with the snowy sides of the mountain, is rapidly congealed, and is precipitated in the evening in the form of a dew, the most copious we ever experienced. It penetrated everywhere, and saturated everything. The floor of our tent was soaked, our bed was covered with it, our guns were dripping, and dewdrops hung about everywhere. No wonder that the foot of Hermon is clad with orchards and gardens of such marvelous fertility in this land of droughts."(Henry Baker Tristram, 1867)

The Psalmist is saying that in the unity of God's people, it is as if Jerusalem is refreshed by the water descending from Hermon. Jerusalem may be too distant to be a recipient of Hermon's dew, but it is very near God, the one who has "commanded the blessing." And where there's water, the grasses are green, the trees bear fragrant blossoms, the grains are plump, luscious fruits are in abundance, and the animals are well-fed. Best of all, human life is sustained.

Individual members of God's people face various trials daily. Souls are severely dehydrated wandering around the Desert of Sahara. May they find oasis in our churches. Let's pursue unity.

Church Harmony and the Oil Poured on Aaron

Psalm 133:1

How good and pleasant it is
    when brothers live together in unity!

Psalm 133:2

It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
  running down on Aaron's beard,
    down upon the collar of his robes.

Unknowingly, those who cause unnecessary divisions in the church deprive themselves of wonderful blessings, much like dumping a pile of mud on the very well where they fetch water.  

Psalm 133 should motivate us to pursue church unity; for it pronounces blessing upon brothers who "live together in  unity". That blessedness was likened to two things: first, the oil poured upon Aaron (verse 2); and second, the dew of Mt. Hermon (verse 3).

In this post, we will dwell on verse 2. The third verse will be tackled in the next post.

1. The Oil Conveys the Blessing of Being Special
We derived this first point by looking into two questions:
       a. What the oil was?
       b. What the oil did?

Both of these questions are answered in Exodus 30:22-33.

As to the question "What the oil was?" we see that it was a very special fragrant oil. It was exclusively for tabernacle use. The proper blend was a general knowledge; the right proportion is known by all for it is written in the book. But I guess no one dared to imitate the blend for personal use, for a warning was issued: "Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people.'"

As to the question "What the oil did?", we find out that whatever it touched became holy (v.29). Ordinary utensils became holy. Ordinary men from the tribe of Levi became special when the oil was applied on them.

Thus, church harmony is pleasant for it conveys that we are a special people. It is a manifestation that we are a holy nation. We may look ordinary in the eyes of men, but our unity in the faith testifies that we are a people belonging to God.

2. The Oil Conveys the Blessing of Acceptable Worship.
The mention of Aaron's name drives us to look into the significance of the Aaronic ministry. The primary aspect of the ministry is to offer sacrifices in behalf of the people.

In Leviticus 9, after Aaron offered the sacrifices, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out before the Lord's presence to consume what was offered. The people fell on their faces out of reverence yet they were shouting with joy knowing that their sacrifices were accepted.

Another aspect of Aaronic ministry is to pronounce the priestly blessing upon the people (Numbers 6:23-27). Part of the formula to be uttered is "the LORD make his face shine upon you" (v.25). The NLT renders it as "May the LORD smile on you". The opposite of that is for the Lord to face you with a frown. When a king is displeased with you, you know your life is in danger. You may sing praises to him all day but it will not change a thing; it may even aggravate the situation for your voice is an abomination to his ears.

Church harmony is pleasant for it conveys that out worship is not in vain. We can come to God corporately and he faces us with a smile. We may not be the best of singers but our praises are accepted before his throne. He is pleased with what we offer and he bestows blessing upon our lives.

3. The Oil Conveys Abundant Grace
Notice that the Psalmist pays attention to the quantity of the oil poured upon Aaron. Upon the first drop, it would have been enough to make Aaron fit for the ministry. Yet the oil was poured lavishly that it flowed from his head, to his beard and to his robe. You can also imagine how fragrance filled the air.

Church harmony is pleasant because it conveys the abundance of God's grace on his people. When he bestows blessing upon us, he doesn't measure it in teaspoons. What he gives his people is "grace upon grace" (John 1:16)