Harmony

Psalm 133
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
2It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!
3It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

I’ve never spent much time researching this short little psalm. Other than verse one, that encourages us to get along, it doesn’t seem to have much relevance to our lives today. But a bit of deeper digging always brings up a few golden nuggets. It appears that while the first few words espouse the benefits of dwelling together in harmony, the next two verses give a “how-to” if you will regarding both our spiritual lives and our earthly needs.

Exodus 29:7
You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.

The oil of Aaron’s anointing saturated all the hair of his beard and ran down on his priestly robes, signifying his total consecration to holy service. Similarly, brotherly harmony sanctifies God’s people. I think that we are encouraged by the culture to live in a state of drama. Disagreements and chaos often seem to be the order of the day and it can be exhausting. But the priests of the Tabernacle were anointed with oil as a part of their ritual cleansing. Now this anointing is nothing like we practice today. We might make the sign of the cross on a forehead using consecrated oil. But for those priests, it was more like a shower or even a bath. Their entire heads were covered in oil. It was literally poured over them in large quantities. As such, it rolled down over their clothing as well as their hair and face. Harmony was is likened to that oil. The decision to get along can permeate our entire lives.

The dew of Hermon is an interesting image, and one that is repeated a few times in the Old Testament. Dew is a powerful source of irrigation for the grasses of the Middle East. I have heard it said that the little tufts of grass that grow on the western slopes of the mountains in Israel, that are snipped to the ground by grazing sheep during the day,  are able to grow up again overnight because of the moisture in the air the blows in off of the Mediterranean.

133:3 dew of Hermon … on Mount Zion. A dew as profuse as that of Mount Hermon would make Mount Zion (or the mountains of Zion) richly fruitful. So would brotherly unity make Israel richly fruitful. The two similes (vv. 2–3) are well chosen: God’s blessings flowed to Israel through the priestly ministrations at the sanctuary)—epitomizing God’s redemptive mercies—and through heaven’s dew that sustained life in the fields—epitomizing God’s providential mercies in the creation order.
Hoeber, R. G. (1997). Concordia Self-Study Bible (Psalm 133:3, p. 928). St. Louis: CPH.
Zechariah 8:12
For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

So in three short verses we find David giving an admonition to us all about living in harmony with God and with each other. Clearly, there are benefits to both. I won’t be reading these verses dismissively ever again.

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