Church Weekly
22 Jan 2023

CHURCH WEEKLY

HOW GOOD AND PLEASANT IT IS TO DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY (PSALM 133:1-3) - PART 2

Dear Members in Christ,                                                                          

How good and pleasant it is to dwell together in unity (Psalm 133:1-3) - Part 2: The biblical desire for unity among brethren

As a continuation to the previous article, we are reminded that our theme for this year is, “How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity”, taken from Psalm 133:1. It is quite obvious that King David had a great desire for unity amongst God’s people when he wrote,

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in 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; 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.”  Psalm 133:1-3

In the previous article, we covered some biblical accounts in the life experience of King David where he had witnessed strife and disunity. Sometimes these events of strife and conflict occurred between those that were serving him, in other instances David himself was the victim of strife and ill-will. It is no wonder that when King David penned these words of the psalm, it was an expression of the deep desire in his heart to see God’s people united instead of striving against one another.      

The beauty and pleasantness of unity

The Bible passage written by king David presents the pleasantness of unity amongst the brethren. In Psalm 133, the psalmist David uses an imagery of the anointing of the high priest as an object lesson to describe in a metaphorical way, the beauty and fragrance of unity amongst brethren. The fragrance described comes from “the precious ointment upon the head…” This is a reference to the fragrant anointing oil used to anoint the priests for their consecration. But, what exactly is this fragrant oil? We have a description in Exodus 30:22-25,

“Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.” Exodus 30:22-25

This is the holy anointing oil, full of fragrant spices, and it is consecrated for the use of anointing the holy objects in the tabernacle. It is also used for anointing priests, and God had instructed Moses, “And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.” Exodus 30:30.

This anointing oil is used with a perfume, described to Moses in Exodus 30:35 “And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy.” Like a fragrant perfume, the pouring out of this oil and the fragrance of the perfume imparts a sweet nasal sense to all that are standing around. Like a sweet aroma that lingers, and is pleasant to the senses, and it bestows a sense of being in the presence of that which is clean and holy and pure. This is a wonderful description of how pleasant and beautiful it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Our desire (and prayer) for unity and likemindedness

The sense of the beauty and pleasantness of unity should be the desire of every Christian. We have the words of the Apostle Paul who wrote to the Philippian Christians, “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Philippians 2:2.

The Apostle Paul used the phrase, “fulfil ye my joy…” or literally, to “make my joy full”. The Apostle Paul made it clear that it was his deep desire to see the Philippian Christians united in mind and in love; just as the psalmist David describes the unity of brethren as a pleasant fragrance and an ambience which is pleasing and cleansing to the nasal senses.

Paul is also directive in his words. He tells them to be likeminded, which means to be of the “same mind” a phrase which is contrary to having a contest of divided wills. I am sure we can see the contrast. A pleasant and fragrant environment of peace, and unity amongst brethren is much desired. Contrary to that is one that is divisive, full of strife and conflict. Perhaps words such a putrid, pungent and foul-smelling would be an apt description of disunity, division and constant conflicts.     

Brethren, let us take the example of the Apostle Paul, and also the Psalmist King David. Let us desire the unity of the brethren. Let us desire deeply, and pray for unity and love for one another. May our love and bond in our Lord Jesus draw us close to Him and give us the greater zeal to serve Him. Amen.

In Christ,
Rev. Lim Seh Beng