Psalm 133
Psalm 133 – The excellency of Brotherly Unity
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the LORD commanded the blessing–life forever.
Introduction to studying Psalm 133
I’m encouraged by a good friend of mine, Nikki Lerner, who recommends reading the scriptures slowly and repeatedly. I want you to do the same as you meditate on this passage of the Bible. Spend some time with it.
I also want to offer you some short background information about the passage as you work through Psalm 133.
Psalm 133 v. 1
There are times when it’s appropriate for people to be separated, especially when you need time to cool down in the midst of a fierce argument. But God intends for us to dwell together and do it with unity, living as a people with one heart and one Body.
Psalm 133 v. 2
The oil that is talked about in this passage represents the holy anointing oil. This was very precious, and not for common use. It was also strongly perfumed, which meant it smelled really good.
At the time, Aaron and his sons were not allowed to minster unto the Lord until they were anointed with this oil.
Psalm 133 v. 3
If you’re like me, sometimes I skip over words that I don’t understand and try to read it in context. Sometimes this works, but it’s much better to look up the word. I want to offer two definitions of the word dew.
1. It’s moisture condensed from the atmosphere, esp. at night, and deposited in the form of small drops upon any cool surface.
2.It’s something like or compared to such drops of moisture, as in purity, delicacy, or refreshing quality.
Questions to think about:
How does this relate to this church today? Are we really living in unity? Or do we think we’re living in unity?
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
For further study on Psalm 133:
Are you avoiding conflict for the sake of unity?
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 18:21-22
It’s inevitable…as different cultures and peoples come together we’re going to have to deal with conflict. It’s especially important in the church that we deal with conflict.
I’m talking about those things those conversations we avoid and turn into tolerance. And tolerance is NOT unity. And tolerance is NOT acceptance.
I believe tolerance is not where we want to be because it’s supposed to be very objective, but it somehow takes away the heart element that we need and want.
To be perfectly honest I tolerated black people for a long time. Why? I grew being taught to be afraid of black people. It’s true.
Maybe it was because of the news reports we would see, which doesn’t report good news. Maybe something happened to my parents, while growing up in Chicago, which made them feel this way. (Things are different now with my parents just so you know.)
It wasn’t until June of 2009 that the number of black friends I had dramatically went up. I was finally ready to accept people, specifically black people, for who they are instead of what I was taught to believe about them.
And those friendships have really enriched my life. Alisa, she’s really given me insight into the pain that the black community is still holding onto. Nikki, well, is a combination of someone who’s very outgoing and a great listener. This means I can ask her all the questions I’ve been wondering about the black community and she’s really gracious to answer them.
And there’s my friend Jelani who seems to know everything about everything…in a good way. He’s really helped me think outside the box because he’s so creative.
The multicultural church cannot be a place where we tolerate one another’s difference or feel like it’s some sort of privilege to be tolerant. The multicultural church needs to create those safe environments where we can ask questions, be honest, be vulnerable, forgive sins, confess sins, cry, and come together in Christ.
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284