Psalm 133 (1)—Dwelling in Unity - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2025

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments.
Psalm 133:1-2

Psalm 133 (1)—Dwelling in Unity
In Psalm 132 we see Messiah reigning in Zion. In Psalm 133 we see Him as the great King and Priest upon His throne at the beginning of His millennial reign (see Zech. 6:13). He will gather the outcasts of Israel in unity around Himself.

In spirit we know Him thus now; the Christian anticipates that time to come. In a very real sense we are "millennial" now, yet the world does not now recognize us, or Him. He is seated on God's throne, but by faith "we see Jesus" crowned with "glory and honor" (Heb. 2:9). In that day He will be clothed with garments of "glory and beauty" but we thus behold Him now.

We often extol the virtue and pleasantness of brethren dwelling together in unity. This is wonderful, but we know the practical failure that can mar its expression; as we often say:

To dwell above with those we love,

That will indeed be glory;

To dwell below with those we know,

Well, that's different story.

The unity is described here as being like the precious oil that descended from the head of Aaron to the very bottom of his garments. Oil is often viewed as a type of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, it is the Holy Spirit, who descended from the true Aaron, our Head in heaven, who alone can preserve that unity. By way of illustration, in our automobiles, the oil facilitates the smooth operation of the motor, which keeps friction to a minimum. It is only the Holy Spirit who can empower us "to keep the unity of the Spirit" (Eph. 4:3). Without this, sadly, it will be otherwise, but we have no excuse if this is so.

Brian Reynolds