“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” – Psalm 133.
There is a dwelling together in unity. This is more than coming together in some form of worship of God. In the New Testament the saints were breaking bread from house to house. A dwelling together! Genuine and unfeigned love, holy get-together, unity of mind and purpose and others-centeredness all implied here! This, in the sight of God, leads to a flow acceptable to Him: a ‘giving and sharing’ of pleasant smell rising up to the throne of God and attracting His Spirit’s descent among men.
A flow, a running down from the head to the beard down to the skirts: When there is this kind of dwelling together, one that is void of self and allows what we have to flow from up to down (and we refer to giving, sacrificial giving: be it spiritual, physical or financial), it is always good and pleasant in the sight of God. Result: He commands ‘the’ (not ‘a’) blessing. And what is that? Life for evermore! This is the Holy Spirit in action. This is its chief purpose, even life for evermore. All other things are secondary and additives. The place of genuine love among brethren – saints or holy brethren that is – in having the Holy Spirit to work eternal works among us cannot be overemphasized.
‘Life for evermore’ is the chief promise of both Testaments. From it every other thing proceeds. It is not otherwise. Jesus says we should seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and other things shall be added. Later we shall see the relevance of the brethren dwelling together in love and its relationship with this ‘life for evermore’ both as it relates to those within the fold or household of faith and as it affects those without; that is, how it enhances their having this ‘life for evermore’ and getting added to the church.
Mountains of Zion and Brotherly Dwelling!
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore”.
The word used here is ‘brethren’. It means, in New Testament usage, those who are born again or saved from sin by Jesus Christ and now having the life of God. And further more it means those who are living right and acceptably so by God. How good and how pleasant it is for those genuinely born again and living holily to dwell together in unity! The two: born again and living right, are very key in understanding a serious word: Brethren! Then it says that the dwelling together in unity of these brethren (always remember who they are) is like the precious ointment upon the head of Aaron that ran down his beard flowing down to the skirts of his garments’ just as it is with the dew of Hermon and with the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion (think about it). For there, that is, the mountains of Zion, God commands the blessing, even life for evermore. If where the brethren dwell together in unity is liken to mountains of Zion (with its dew) where He commands His blessing, then we can create many mountains of Zion today; mountains of Zion where He will command His blessing. And these mountains of Zion are ‘where the brethren dwell together in unity’.
These multiplied mountains of Zion here and there is what grace makes possible. We really now do not need to go seeking out mountains of Zion in Israel to be thus visited by God. And indeed, now is the time we must worship the Lord in truth and in Spirit for the Lord seeks such to worship Him. And one very key element in worshipping God in truth and in spirit is the unfeigned practice of what we are here talking about: Dwelling together in unity, sharing with and loving one another as members of one household. Of course, by this shall men know that we are His disciples!
And when men know without doubt that we are His disciples because our being born again and our individual holy lives translates to genuinely loving one another, God shall empower our words within as in days of old and shall command the blessing, even life for evermore and add to the Church daily those that are being saved. And our own lives will also be better for it, for nothing translates a Christian better from glory unto glory than living holily, living in genuine love with the brethren and seeing new believers, believers indeed, being added to the fold of Christ, especially in our little corners.
Dwelling in One Accord, and Life for Evermore
One key thing guaranteeing that we make Heaven after our salvation is sharing: and it could be godly knowledge, love, substance or material wealth (i.e. money and possessions) etc. Wherever there is unity of the brotherhood or household of faith, there God commands the blessing: life for evermore. This kind of living is that which makes men to know that we are his disciples. It recommends the Gospel to them acceptably. It makes God to add to the church daily such as are saved; souls embedded with eternal life: Life for evermore.
Unity of the brotherhood – when we are bonded in love – strengthens the bond of the Spirit which in turn increases the unction, anointing and flow of the Spirit upon His people to comfort them, lead them appropriately and empower them to do the works of God without restraint. And the first and chief goal of the Spirit here is ‘life for evermore’: Increased or more life of God for the old believers and introduction of the life of God to those just transiting from eternal damnation unto life eternal. Other things come by way of addition.
In Acts 5: 12-14 we read that the disciples “… (were all in one accord in Solomon’s porch. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women)”. Note here that everything is within parenthesis. You can never miss the context therefore. That is, the addition of these multitudes of believers to the fold is a factor of the old believers being in ‘one accord’ in Solomon’s porch.
It is very significant. When God sees the love He commands in His people; when He sees that his people have caring hearts, compassionate bosoms and loving embrace; enough to receive, lead and keep new converts, He opens doors of salvation to the heathen. He commands the blessing: Life for evermore! But when his people so-called are living only to themselves, caring for only themselves, staying in ceiled houses with their families and feeding their lusts, no matter the sermons from the pulpit and pretentious love and hypocritical holiness we parade, people may be added to our numbers but not believers, not according to this that is written: ‘And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women’.
Acts 2: 42-47 puts it another way: “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believe were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness
of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”.
The last sentence should read: And the Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved. This agrees with Acts 5:12-14 above and other versions of the Scriptures (see New Living Translation and New International Version for instance). For we all know that it is those actually saved that God adds to His Church.
Brotherliness, Holy Unction and Binding and Loosing
Holy and practical love makes God not only to confirm our everlasting life we have in Him but helps Him draw others into everlasting life or to Himself. There are many things we labor to get by works and even by prayer that can easily be gotten either otherwise – that is, by genuine practical love – or by making it (genuine practical love) to lead our other efforts. One of such things we can easily see multiply in our fold in this wise is The Blessing: Life for evermore. Love, Bible love, is the scent of sweet smell, an aroma that moves God to do divine things in our midst. The place of unfeigned and sacrificial love in the move of the Holy Spirit in the church cannot be overemphasized. Its place in making us access eternal things in God is nonesuch.
We want to consider some few things in Matthew 18:18-22 and see how it relates to our present subject matter. “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them. Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
