Psalm 133

We’ve been singing Psalm 133 for a couple of weeks now, but I wanted to give a brief exposition of the psalm since it may not be immediately clear what it’s talking about. It begins with call to remember this truth:

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

It then goes on to illustrate this truth with two images. First, it describes the anointing of Aaron the priest.

It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!

The picture presented there is of abundance. This isn’t a drop of oil; instead, it runs down his beard all the way to the bottom of his robes, down to his feet. That is paired with a second image:

It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!

Hermon is the tallest mountain in the bounds of Old Testament Israel. Hermon is a snow-capped mountain. It’s also a place where rain falls heavily. In the spring, the water from this mountain flows southward toward Jerusalem and Mount Zion, where the temple stood.

Both of these taken together tell us what it means when the saints of God gather together. When we gather, we are united under the high priest, who is Jesus Christ, and we receive all the blessings he offers in abundance. This is what Christ means when he says, “Where two or three are gathered together, I am there.” When God’s people come together in unity, and especially in public worship (this is, of course, a psalm of ascents, intended to be sung as the people of Israel gathered at Zion), Christ is with us.

But why does he come to us? Psalm 133 tells us:

For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

In the gathering of God’s saints, the church, Christ comes down and gives to us eternal life. That’s what Lord’s Day worship is. It’s not merely a social event where people and families share a common interest and listen to a Bible study. In the church’s public worship of God, we are receiving eternal life through the gospel from the hand of Christ himself. And when we sing this psalm, that’s what we’re rejoicing in.

Arise, My Soul, Arise

This Sunday, our closing hymn is “Arise, My Soul, Arise.” Since I’ve been with you, I’m not sure that we’ve sung it in worship, but not only is it a very fitting hymn for this week’s sermon text, it’s also a hymn we should know. It speaks of Christ’s intercession for his people and the Father’s gracious response on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice. You can listen to it below as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

Your friend in Christ,
Reid