Psalm 133 NKJV

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.

As one of the Psalms of Ascent written by David, Psalm 133 paints a vivid picture of the importance of unity among believers—that of liquids “running” and “descending.”  David uses the liquids oil and dew because of their significance to the Jewish culture.

First, David uses the simile “like the precious oil on the head” to describe the importance of unity. The oil described here is a fragrant, refreshing oil used to consecrate a priest…it was HOLY and for those set apart.  The priestly intent is clear because the Psalm refers to Aaron, part of Israel’s priestly tribe. “Moses ordained Aaron to the priesthood by anointing his head with oil,” (Leviticus 8:12).

Second, David uses the image of the dew of Hermon to describe the importance of unity. Mount Hermon is the north of Jerusalem (i.e. Mount Zion). Mount Hermon rises above the upper Jordan Valley. The melting snow, or dew, flowed down into the valley and fed the Jordan River all the way to Jericho.  In arid land where the rain is scarce and the rivers dry up, the land and the people depend on water that “flows down.” It is the scarcity of water in the dry lands, which makes Mount Hermon’s dew so valuable. Imagine great thirst and this is analogous to the church in disunity, without clear vision and purpose. Water is essential to life. Perhaps you’ve been dehydrated before. Your body literally starts shutting down, trying to use whatever fluids it can find to keep your essential organs going. In this passage David describes how unity is the opposite of dehydration…it is an essential ingredient to making making not only our physical bodies function properly, but also the body of Christ.

We need to be reminded often of the importance of unity in our churches. Scriptures regarding unity abound because frankly, the human tendency is to “do it my own way.” For instance, Philippians 2 reminds us that we are to consider the needs of others over our own, being like-minded and of one accord. That’s the key, friends! If we will live in mutual submission, guided by biblical truth, we will live in unity. Yet how many of us have stories of how disunity has caused great strife in our churches? The stories of worship wars, as well as a whole host of other divisive ways the enemy uses to “dehydrate” the body of Christ, are far too commonplace today.

A couple of weeks ago, I was speaking with a lady about how to be more intentionally  intergenerational in her church. She wanted some advice on how her church could be more unified in this philosophy, really. She told me of several long-time members who were upset with the new music being sung in their church. She recounted that recently the church had called a new worship leader who, in her opinion and apparently a large component of the membership, felt was doing his best to sing lots of different types of music intending to help bring the generations together. She described this small group as unwilling to show up to meetings to discuss the vision and direction of the church. Apparently, this small group has been content to fume. She asked me what I would do. I mentioned a couple of things I think are necessary to resolve conflict. I could’ve mentioned more, but here’s what I said then:

1. Affirm the direction of music with your worship pastor. He is new and needs your support and help understanding the church culture and the heart language of the people. As long as the music chosen is biblically strong, it is useful for corporate worship.
2. Those in leadership should meet with the lead pastor and worship pastor to make clear that the leadership of the church backs the direction of worship ministry. If not, there will never be unity. That’s probably the problem. If so, the direction should be clearly articulated before anything else happens. If it has been clearly stated…go to number 3.
3. Since the group won’t come to a meeting designed to share the vision, go to them…but don’t go alone. Bring a few people that can articulate the vision and explain how the changes will continue to be biblically faithful to the idea of “singing a new song.” In that meeting be SURE to tell them how much you value them and listen to their concerns.
4. Remember: some people are just NOT going to be satisfied until they get their way. Nothing you say is going to change that. But your actions from that point forward must reflect the vision you’ve cast. By the way, don’t talk poorly about these folks with others. That’s gossip, which is sin.
5. PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! Only God can soften hearts. He desires unity. We can do our best to initiate ways to facilitate unity, but it is GOD who brings about unity as we humble ourselves and seek His face.

Once we are walking in unity, we will walk in the Spirit. If we don’t, our churches will be contentious. Since we are imperfect people, evil and selfishness are sure to intrude. We must guard our hearts and stand firm on biblical truth to preserve and protect our unity. Unity is necessary, not only for us in the church, but it reflects who we are to the world. The image and witness of any church should be unified and clear. Remember the image of the anointing oil? As image bearers of Christ, we are to be holy and set apart. How can we do that if we live in disunity? Our selfishness and personal agendas do nothing to reflect Christ of His character. In fact when the mission of the church is tainted by selfishness and pride, God’s glory is squelched. And friends, last time I checked, the bride of a Christ must reflect and magnify the glory of Christ by living in unity with biblical purpose.