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“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”
My first thought is that the psalmist obviously never had any brothers. Raising
siblings close together is rarely an adventure of unity and harmony. Just
ask my mother.
The writer of this Psalm surely knew that and yet he chose to use this imagery
to talk about life together in God’s family. In fact, maybe it was because
he knew that family life can be difficult that he uses this imagery. Eugene
Peterson writes, “Living together in a way that evokes the glad song
of Psalm 133 is one of the great and arduous tasks before Christ’s people…It
is easier to do almost anything else.” (A Long Obedience in the Same
Direction, p.173). But the positive message of Psalm 133 is not ignorance
or a denial of the challenges of community, but a declaration – despite
those challenges – of the rich blessings of community.
This psalm is placed near the end of a series of Psalms called Pilgrim Psalms
(Psalms 120-134). They form a songbook, or spiritual guidebook, for pilgrims.
They serve pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem, on a journey to higher spiritual
life or a deeper experience of their faith. The place of this psalm and its
location near the end of the spiritual pilgrimage it accompanies suggest that
the lesson it teaches is an important one for our completion of the journey,
our achievement of spiritual depth and maturity. In other words, despite the
messy character of this gift of community it holds a key that is essential
to our completion of our pilgrim journey.
The psalmist’s declaration, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers
live together in unity” is not an expression of mere sentiment. It refers
to historical custom and the counsel of ancient tradition. The ancient custom
of brothers dwelling together was rooted in the mutually enriching benefit
of keeping the hereditary wealth of the family together. If family members
went their own way they divided the property, thereby reducing their combined
wealth. When the family could live and work together they could combine their
resources and achieve greater prosperity.
What was “good and pleasant” was not necessarily the congenial nature
of the family interaction, but the benefits that enriched and benefited the
whole family community. It was ancient cultural wisdom that recognized the
mutual enrichment that resulted from brothers dwelling together, or –
conversely – the corporate impoverishment that results from a divided
family. It is this ancient wisdom about tribal families that is called to
mind in this celebration and call to God’s family.
Two graphic images are used to portray the blessing of community. It is described
as being like the oil running down Aaron’s beard (from Exodus 29). This
is an image of excess, more than enough, an overflow of riches. The second
image is the dew on Mount Hermon. At over 9,000 feet Mount Hermon is the highest
peak in the area. At higher altitudes a heavy dew falls, enabling the growth
of rich vegetation. It is an image of enriching blessing that sustains and
nurtures rich life. Both word pictures portray lavished blessings and richness
of life. Both word pictures are used to describe life together in community.
The building of life together – like brothers in unity – is a daunting
challenge. Community is a “messy” gift – sometimes so messy
and difficult that we may be tempted to give up on it or walk away from it.
But the bonding of community in Psalm 133 should be understood as a necessary
prerequisite for the blessings that God purposes for his people.
The description of the richness and joy of community is not just a pretty
picture of a place we might like to be. It is a description of a place on
our pilgrimage that is an essential part of reaching our destination. Verse
three concludes, “…for there (i.e. where the brothers live together
in unity) the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”
The psalmist tells us that the completion of our pilgrimage goes through Psalm
133. If the achievement of that kind of community seems to demand that we
work on it as if the very blessings of God depended on it – it’s
because they do.
