Psalm 133: when God blesses, He blesses abundantly
I read Psalm 133 for my devotion this morning. The KJV has the first verse as: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” The NJB (New Jerusalem Bible) says: “How good, how delightful it is to live as brothers all together!” David is credited with this psalm, and I couldn’t help wondering what the reason behind the psalm was. Okay, so David is pretty high on unity. But in what way?
People are naturally fragmented, due to family clusters, differing opinions, lifestyles, etc. David knew this well, after all, the nation of Israel was made up of twelve tribes, each with their own customs and tightly knit family units. What sort of unity was he talking about? I couldn’t figure it out until I picked up the NJB, and in a footnote, it said: “or ‘to sit down’, perhaps for a communion meal to end the pilgrimage of the feast of Shelters.” Aha! That was the clue I sought. If you’re unfamiliar with the Feast of Shelters, and in particular with the Festival of Sukkot, go here for more info.
The Festival of Sukkot “shows the meaning of the seven-day festival of the seventh month carried to its final prophetic fulfillment in the reward of eternal life within the Family of God… The meaning of this festival relates to the eternal relationship between God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the people of God.” This is from the website referenced above. Now the psalm makes sense, doesn’t it? After or during such a festival, you would be high on unity, especially as you understand its context in God’s promise of eternal life.
I like the imagery in verses 2 and 3 as well. It is the very essence of abundance in God’s blessings. The pouring of the ointment signified God’s blessing, and the pouring of it in such quantities that it would run down the beard and to the skirts of Aaron’s garments really shows the blessings in no uncertain terms. It’s the same in verse 3, where the dew doesn’t simply wet the tips of the blades of grass or the flower petals. No, it descends upon the mountains of Zion, which figure so prominently in the Bible. It envelops them in God’s blessing.
It’s also interesting to note that the promise of eternal life is made quite clear here. Yet centuries later, during the time of Christ, Pharisees and Saducees kept arguing about it to no end, as if David and the Bible hadn’t made it clear that there would indeed be eternal life for those who obeyed God’s commandments and lived righteous lives.
