StandUpPsalms 133
- 133:1
Look, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
Yes, indeed, unity is a good and beautiful thing, which in the Old Testament lasts about 40 minutes.
The psalmist celebrates the beauty of brothers living together in complete unity. Given that the biblical narrative is filled with intense sibling rivalries and deep-seated family conflict, why is total harmony so rare in practice, and what makes it so incredibly fragile to maintain?
- 133:2
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes.
When most people think of peace and harmony, they don’t think of a senior citizen getting waterboarded with Olive Garden dressing.
The text uses the vivid image of anointing oil dripping down a priest's face, beard, and clothing to represent unity. Why would ancient writers use a messy, overwhelming, and physical substance to describe a spiritual and relational concept like peace?
- 133:3
It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.
Mount Hermon is a massive, snow-capped mountain up north. The mountains of Zion are dry, dusty hills hundreds of miles south. So he saying: It’s like the crisp snow of the Rockies falling on a strip mall in Phoenix.
The text creates a strange weather map by taking the dew from a snowy northern peak and dropping it onto a dry southern hill. What does this unusual geographic blending reveal about how ancient people imagined blessing flowing through the land, and why does the poet use an impossible physical miracle to describe what true harmony feels like?