Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It 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! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. – Psalm 133

In The Parable of the Spoons, a man saw a vision of heaven and hell. In hell, he saw a long table with delicious food. The people at the table starved because they had long spoons and could not feed themselves. The man saw the same table of food in heaven. Those in heaven also had long spoons. But everyone was satisfied because they served one another across the table. 

• We are most like heaven when we serve one another. 
• We are most like hell when we only serve ourselves. 

That is the message of Psalm 133: God blesses his children who dwell in unity.

The ascription reads: A Song of Ascents. Of David. As pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem for the holy feasts, they sang this ode to unity. The category teaches spiritual unity is essential to true worship. Matthew 5:23-24 says, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” 

The ascription also tells us this psalm is “Of David.” The authorship teaches spiritual unity is essential to true godliness. 1 John 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.” 1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 

David did not write this psalm in error, naïveté, or denial. David knew the bad side of human relationships. 

• He lived through family discord. 
• He was betrayed by a close friend. 
• He suffered from political infighting. 
• He was the lightning rod of a civil war. 
• He witnessed religious hypocrisy. 

David did not allow “church hurt” to make him cynical. He sings of the wonder of unity because he saw the terror of its absence. Psalm 133 is a song, not a sermon. It does not explain, defend, or apply unity. He rejoices over it in this brief, vivid, eloquent psalm. 

Can you sing this psalm? Psalm 133 celebrates three dynamics of spiritual unity. 

The Beauty of Spiritual Unity 

Verse 1 begins with a call to attention that denotes emphasis and urgency: “Behold.” We pay divisive people too much attention.  

• Troublemakers should be ignored. 
• Peacemakers should be honored. 

Rhett Dodson wrote: “I think of this psalm as God’s marketing plan for unity.” 

Christians should look for and labor for it. Ephesians 4:3 urges us to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Believers seek unity that unbelievers may see it. John 13:35 says, “By this all people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” After a call to attention, verse 1 describes and defines the beauty of spiritual unity. 

Spiritual Unity Described. Verse 1 describes spiritual unity with double adjectives: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.”

Unity is good. It is good objectively. The word is used in Genesis 1. God spoke a benediction over creation, calling it “good.” Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” We were created for community. It is good for us to dwell together in unity. 

• In Genesis 3, sin separated man from God. 
• In Genesis 4, sin separated man from man. 

The fall alienates us from God and one another. But it is good for brothers to dwell together in unity. Psalm 34:8 says the Lord is “good.” David says the same thing about unity.

Unity is pleasant. 

• “Good” speaks of objective reality. 
• “Pleasant” speaks of subjective experience. 

Pleasant is sweet, charming, attractive, lovely, or pleasing. It brings delight. Satan hates unity. It is pleasant to God and the godly. John Stott said, “The unity of the people of God has always been his will and the object of their desire.” Some things that are good for you are not pleasant. Some things that are pleasant to you are not pleasant. David says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is.” 

Spiritual Unity Defined. “Brothers” may refer to physical or fraternal brotherhood. Here it refers to brothers and sisters in covenant with God. What is spiritual brotherhood?

Togetherness. Deuteronomy 25:5 begins, “If brothers dwell together” – a tribal clan living together. Spiritual unity is living together. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the. More as you see the day approaching.” When we disagree, we vote with our feet, choosing consumerism over community.

Unity requires we lay aside our tastes, desires, and felt needs for others. But togetherness is more than going to church. In life-on-life discipleship, followers of Jesus help others follow Jesus. 

Bill Wilson was a hopeless drunk. Someone advised him to consider the help of God or “a higher power.” He tried it, and it worked. During an unsuccessful business trip to Akron, he was tempted to drink again. A phone call led to him meeting a fellow alcoholic, a doctor named Bob Smith. Through their conversations, they discovered that a way to stay sober is by helping another drunk. Dr. Bob had his last drink on June 10, 1935. Alcoholics Anonymous mark that date as the anniversary of its founding. How much more can spiritual transformation happen when Christians do life together?

Oneness. When Abraham and Lot became wealthy, their herders clashed over land. Abraham said, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen” (Genesis 13:8). In brotherhood, Abraham proposed they go their separate ways. Unity sometimes separates separation. You can be together and not be united. Spiritual unity is togetherness and oneness.

In John 17:20-21, Jesus prays, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” 

Unity is not uniformity. It is organic, not organizational. Unity is oneness in Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:10 says, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you are united in the same mind and the same judgment.” How do we live this out? 

Rupertus Meldenius said, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” Essentials are Christian fundamentals. Nonessentials may be essential for working together. Many divisive issues have nothing to do with essentials or nonessentials. Churches fight over buildings, money, and power. We split over preferences more than principles. 

Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

The Basis of Spiritual Unity 

If you tune a hundred pianos to one another, you will still have discord. If you tune each piano to the same tuning fork, there will be perfect harmony. It is the “triangle formula” of spiritual unity. The closer we get to Christ, the closer we get to one another. This is the basis of spiritual unity. Verses 2-3 paint two pictures of God-given and God-centered unity. 

Spiritual Unity is Holy. Verse 2 says, “It 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.” The most obvious point of this picture is that unity is fragrant. It’s easy to sniff out the health of a church.

• Division leaves a foul odor. 
• Unity leaves a sweet aroma. 

Rhett Dodson said: “Unity will make your church smell good.” But there is a larger point here. The “precious oil” was used to anoint Aaron as high priest. Exodus 20:23-33 tells us the oil was made of the finest spices. The Lord himself mixed the recipe. It was not to be used for any other purpose. Precious oil is sacred oil. Spiritual unity is sacred before God.

• It is purposed by God the Father. 
• It is purchased by God the Son. 
• It is produced by God the Holy Spirit. 

The Father wills unity. Jesus died for unity. The Holy Spirit enables unity. The oil was not dabbed on Aaron’s forehead. Leviticus 8:12 says it was “poured” on him. It ran down his beard to the collar of his roads. Spiritual unity is all-encompassing. It starts with the head and covers everything. 

1 Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” Spiritual unity involves radical forgiveness. The blood of Jesus covers our sins. Love for one another covers a multitude of sins. 

Spiritual Unity is Heavenly. Verse 3 says, “It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion.” Hermon is the highest mountain in Palestine. It stands more than 9,200 feet at its peak. The Holy Land is dry and arid. Mt. Hermon was known for its heavy dew. It was a primary means of irrigation. The dew produced snowcapped mountains that fed the Jordan River. David pictures the dew of Hermon being so great it reaches Zion one hundred miles away. 

See the divine nature of spiritual unity. Dew is not a manmade irrigation system. It falls from above. A verb is used three times in this psalm. Verse 2 describes the oil as “running down” twice. Verse 3 translates it “falls.” Only God can turn selfish sinners into selfless saints. Thus, spiritual unity requires believing prayer. God unites us in and through Christ. Ephesians 2:14 says, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” 

That’s another point this picture of dew makes. God can make the dew of Hermon reach Zion. The ground is level at the cross.Galatians 3:27-28 says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ.”

The Blessing of Spiritual Unity 

Psalm 133 ends with a benediction: “For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” This is the upside-down kingdom of God. The world thinks you must look out for number one. God blesses his children who dwell in unity.

A Strategic Blessing. Verse 3 says, “For there the Lord has commanded the blessing.” Geographically, “there” refers to Zion. James Boice said, “Earthly Zion is a type of heavenly Zion.” Ultimately, “there” is where brothers dwell in unity. You cannot be blessed if you are not there! Proverbs 6:19 says God hates “one who sows discord among brothers.” Sow unity, not discord. 

Titus 3:10-11 says, “As for the person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” Pride, envy, gossip, slander, and bitterness rob us of blessings. Do what it takes to get “there.”

A Sovereign Blessing. Verse 3 says, “For there the Lord has commanded the blessing.” “Commanded” is a forceful verb. It reflects God’s sovereign authority to give orders. Imagine the heavenly Father on his throne, watching over his children on earth. When he sees brothers dwelling in unity, he commands his blessings, “Go there!” 

The Lord is always on the side of peacemakers. By the authority of his word, he will command his blessings on you. Numbers 6:24-26 belongs to brothers who dwell in unity: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” 

A Supreme Blessing. When brothers dwell in unity, God commands the blessing. He does not let the brothers pick the blessing. God prescribes the blessing: “For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” 

If God allows us to select the blessing, we choose something less than the best. Physical health, material prosperity, personal fulfillment, worldly success, and social prominence are not God’s best blessings. The supreme blessing is “life forevermore.”

• “Life” is vitality. 
• “Forevermore” is eternality. 

God gives life forevermore through faith in the bloody cross and empty tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”