They call aloud in sorrowful squawks when they can’t find each other. Wing over shoulder they sleep through the trance of night until their first cackle of the morning. Our white and brown hen are never apart except when laying eggs. They are a united pair. If we attempt to corner one, then the other will scold us. There is a reason for their defense. One by one, a predator diminished the flock they started in. TOGETHER, they are a poultry force to be reckoned with.

Unity is often never thought about until it is under attack. King David, who ruled within a fractured kingdom, most likely penned psalm 133, which is only three verses long. Although brief, the elegant words of the Psalm praise the value of unity. Perhaps the Psalm came about because David longed for solidarity. (Many times, we see more clearly the benefit of something when we live in its absence.)

Parts of our life are supposed to be about preserving unity. Marriage, family, and churches are a few of the more obvious arenas where God expects us to protect the bonds that bind us together. Even our walk of faith as a Christian believer presents us the opportunity to unify our “self” with the teachings and actions of Christ.

From what God repeatedly shows us about ourselves in the Bible, it seems He is most pleased when we are NOT constantly grasping for what we want, need, or aspire to be.

If God specified these places of unity, then He must be delighted when we work to keep them intact and functional. If we are bold enough to ignore and conflict the good He wants to do in our relationships, then we should expect Him to be full of wrath over our actions.

From the creation of Adam and Eve, it seems that God is intent on promoting proper “relationships” over “self.” Even the ten commandments are about including God, foremost, and treating your “neighbor” (think beyond literal and substitute husband, wife, child, mother-in-law….) AS YOURSELF.

Psalm 133 describes God’s place of unity with others as “good” and “pleasant.” The devil will try to convince us that we can only exist in a relationship as a victim, or we have to control and exert power over others. Throughout scripture, God provides many teachings against this association.

Using the pictures of oil, poured out to anoint the high priest’s head, and the renowned profuse dews of Mount Hermon, Psalm 133 gives us analogies about the benefit when God ordained unity is preserved. There seems to be a “trickle down” effect from such harmony. When we love others as we love our self the result  “spills down” and leads into “abundance” that affects all!

When mom and dad love each other, children notice.

When church members encourage and uplift each other, the world observes.

When we let Christ’s teaching enter our minds, dwell and take shape in our actions, others see a difference.

And…

GOD sees all of this. By His very nature, God presents the most holy and extreme example of unity.

He is One God manifested as….

The Father

The Son

And  The Holy Spirit

Psalm 133:1

“Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity!”

Another example is Christ’s prayer in John 17, which is primarily about preserving, protecting, and unifying His people.

John 17:22

“I have given them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be ONE even as We are ONE.” (Read the entire prayer. It has numerous references to “oneness.”)

All the Biblical emphasis on “oneness” and “loving others” lends validity to the idea that if our actions uphold God’s structures for unity, then we’ll see within the same structures the release of God’s “good” and “pleasant.”

I think I’ll give this idea about unity some testing! How about you?

My Prayer

God, how amazing that in the three verses and two pictures in Psalm 133 You have given me so much to think about in regards to unity! Your word is absolutely chock full of food for my soul. I praise You for Your generosity and good design! In the places of unity You have created, help me to be more aware of my role of either cooperation or defiance OF YOU! Teach me not to defy or defile what You have ordained in Your places of unity! Amen.