Blessed Unity of the People of God A Song of Ascents. Of David.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.”
PEACE AND UNITY! We all desire peace and we claim to desire unity; however, sometimes unity depends on the definition in operation. Sometimes groups will work together for the sake of survival against harsh economic or climactic conditions. Sometimes unity is a fragile temporary situation that can be disrupted as soon as a situation destabilizes. The history of Israel is rife with horrible examples of conflicts among clans, conflict between Israel and Judah, etc. Little wonder then, that the psalmist describes unity among brothers as good and pleasant. But what’s this about oil? The oil referred to here is the scented anointing oil Moses used to anoint Aaron when he was consecrating Aaron as the first high priest. When Aaron was anointed, Moses used so much oil that it literally poured all over Aaron, even running down on the edge of his garments.
Mount Hermon is a 9,232-foot-high snow-capped ridge in the northeast corner of Israel. It is the only place in Israel where one may go skiing. The dew from Mount Hermon and the precipitation from its storms and melting water from its ice cap feed several streams, one of which comes out of the rock at Caesarea Philippi, while they all eventually unite to create the Jordan River. The idea here is of uncountable blessings and abundant life flowing from heaven when brothers dwell in unity.
APPLICATION: Here in Africa, there is a strong traditional emphasis on maintaining unity in groups; however, loyalties can be confused, with family loyalties, religious loyalties, or tribal loyalties making it challenging for honest people to maintain their integrity. Whistle blowers may be viewed as trouble makers and disturbers of the peace. Negotiating a way through this moral labyrinth can be very tricky; yet, we must do the best we can to work for peace without compromising honesty.
How committed are we to preserving peace and unity where we live and work? What if you find yourself in a toxic situation, one in which your boss or coworkers continually run one another down or undercut one another? Jesus gave the answer when he was teaching his disciples, advising them to “pray for those who despitefully use you.” While we have no control over the actions of others, we can still control our responses and we can pray for all those around us. Jesus has promised to give those who follow him a peace that the world cannot take away. We can always ask Jesus to give us his peace so that we will become people of peace and instruments of peace for others.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us find ourselves in difficult situations in school, at work, or even in our families and our living situations. Thank You, that You can give us peace. Make us people of peace who will spread Your peace to all those around us. Help us to continue to pray for those around us, so that they will repent and become people of peace as well. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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