There are some things that churches today seem to empahsized much more than does God. For example, while the New Testament talks about "the assembly" of Christians, the details are never really fleshed out. Churches today really stress the details, hence all the drama over the "worship wars." Think about all that has been said and written about the right style, form and format of church music when the New Testament barely has enough material on music to make a good paragraph.
On the other hand, God seems so obviously interested in some things to which the church barely gives lip-service. How much does the Bible say about unity, peace and harmony among believers? But we'd rather fight over church music!
God goes to great lengths to emphasize unity. Look at the rather unique imagery of Psalm 133 where David extols the the beauty of fellowship and unity. He affirms that it is good and pleasant when God’s family lives together in peace and harmony. This little Psalm is dripping (pun intended) with metaphors that emphasize this message of harmony. There are two types of anointing here that stress the sweetness of unity:
- Anointing of the Priest. Here the oil runs down Aaron’s beard and onto the collar his robe, joining the priest and the priestly robe are together. Though the sweetness of the oil isn’t specifically mentioned, that seems to be the imagery here.
- Anointing of the Mountain. Here the dew of Mt. Hermon, the highest of the mountains in Palestine and one known for its moisture, falls on (and thus anoints) little Mt. Zion, the hill upon which Jerusalem sits. So the two mountains are joined by the anointing.
Maybe the focus of the Psalm is seen in the second couplet of verse 3— “For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” It is God who takes the initiative to make unity possible. It is on Mt. Zion, at the Temple, in the presence of God that this blessing of unity is given. This sweetness of harmony is not possible when based solely on human power alone. Just think about how well people get along today in the region of Mt. Hermon and Mt. Zion! It was God who made unity possible in Israel. It is God who makes unity possible today. And that is Paul’s point in Ephesians 2:17—
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.
Not only does God demand unity, He is working to bring it about in us. If we keep ourselves close to Him, then we will also stay close to all others who are seeking Him. When we come closer to the cross, we also come closer to each other! That’s why unity is no optional extra for those seeking the face of God. The closer you get to Him, the more you bump into to others seeking to get close to Him as well!
1 comment:
Lifting up others in His service, living in peace and unity through moral uprightness, fasting, praying, generosity of grace mercy and forgiveness are all emphasized by the originator of the one church of which there are many faithful followers.
The imagery painted by your writings of the anointing of the priest and the mountain and the joining of those had previously escaped my minds clasp. Here they are made clear.
The point is well made that all seeking the goodness of God’s face will find one another in His peace and what a wonderful union that is!
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