Beauty of Unity

From  http://www.urbanfaith.com

Last Sunday (26 August), our pastor taught us the beauty of Unity from Psalms 133 (New Living Translation).

How wonderful and pleasant it is 

    when brothers live together in harmony! 
For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil

    that was poured over Aaron’s head,

    that ran down his beard

    and onto the border of his robe. 
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon

    that falls on the mountains of Zion.

And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,

    even life everlasting.

Unity is good and pleasant thing. That's the reason Jesus wanted his disciples to live in harmony in John chapter 17. Jesus particularly prayed that the disciples will be one - 5 times there. 

The Psalmist compared the unity as Anointing Oil and as Snow. I read this images several times and never made sense. I am fortunate to learn from our pastor.

UNITY AS ANOINTING OIL

Anointing oils were used only for special purposes like ordaining king or priests. God specially instructed them the ingredients to make it and no one else must make it for any other purposed (detailed instruction in Exodus 30:22-33).

The text says, anointing oil poured on Aaron's beard and flows to the edge of his robes. It doesn't seem a pleasant experience. Who lives to be smeared with oil all over the body?

But the image is talking about the pleasant fragrance that perfume emits. The whole area is filled with beautiful smell, unlike stench from garbage. Fragrance attracts, stench repels.

Unity like good fragrance, draws people in. That creates good testimony. People will feel safety to be around.

UNITY AS SNOW
Mount Hermon is the highest peak in Israel, located in the north. Snow falls there. Snow from there melts and flows down as water in the form of River Jordan. River Jordan flows from north to south of the country. Thus giving life and fertility to the land, as Nile is to Egypt and Euphrates to Iraq.

Where there is unity, there is life. Unity encourages life, not death. Its conversely true that where there is no unity, there is fights and power struggle. You can hardly find a flourishing life in such context.

Interesting to note: And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.

The psalmist mentioned blessing and life.