Psalm 133
A Song of Ascents.
1 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.
Meditation
Throughout the Bible (and particularly the Psalms) there are numerous poetic literary devices used to describe God, God’s kingdom, and God’s actions. One such device is the particular metaphor called a simile. A metaphor states that one thing is another seemingly unrelated thing. For example: “God is love” (1 John 4:16) is a metaphor. A simile, however, compares two things without making them the same. For example: “the kingdom of heaven is like . . . a great pearl, a treasure, a net” (Matthew 13 :44-50). Similes are always metaphors but metaphors are not always similes (the clue is the use of “like” or “as” for a simile). We use metaphorical language to describe God because we literally cannot express who God is or what God’s kingdom is or how God works any other way. God is mystery and mystery means something unexplainable; something that cannot be pinned down to any kind of facts.
Our Psalm today, is a very short and powerful simile about unity. Unity is like the anointing of Aaron and dew that overflows down Mt. Hermon. So, how did the psalmist find unity in Aaron’s anointing and dew on Mt Hermon? First, Aaron and his sons were set apart as high priests over Israel to unite the people with God. Their anointing is a visible act that shows God’s desire to be in relationship (united) with the people of Israel—a “good and pleasant” (vs. 1) unity.
Second, Mt. Hermon is the highest point in Israel. And the dew that “falls” on it would flow down to Zion. You see, Israel split into the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Mt. Hermon is located in what was the Northern Kingdom and Zion (another name for Jerusalem) is in the Southern Kingdom. The psalmist is expressing how unity is still found even in a physical separation—a hidden and pleasant unity of what seemingly is separated.
Both metaphors point to the Lord’s blessing of “life forevermore” (vs. 3) which is the “good and pleasant” (vs. 1) unity. “Life forevermore” is a prophecy of God’s people being united to God (in Jesus Christ) and each other through baptism. Baptism being the anointing into “the priesthood of all believers” (Martin Luther) as well as uniting believers into the family of God. Our faith in Jesus Christ is what unites us. May we seek glimpses of unity in our lives with God and with each other through the overflowing of ordinary blessings like the psalmist’s anointing oil and flowing dew.