Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. We officially passed the one-third mark in our reading plan today. Congratulations! Every year when I get to this day in the reading plan, it makes me laugh. I don't know why the people who put the plan together did it this way, but some of you are glad because it gives you a chance to catch up if you're behind. Even though it's short, there's a lot more to Psalm 133 than meets the eye.
First, this is one of the songs of ascent. So this would be a song the Israelites sing as they travel on foot from wherever their tribal allotment happens to be, all the way to Jerusalem, three times a year. These are all hopeful, triumphant praise songs, but they each have a bit of a different angle on what they're praising God for. So what were they singing about this time? Here's a little bit of a background on where this psalm likely came from.
Do you remember back in Genesis 13 when Abram and Lot had to part ways because the land wouldn't support them both? This happened again in Genesis 36 with Jacob and Esau. They had made up after years of fighting and being estranged from one another, but they had so many family members in such large flocks that the amount of land required to feed everyone was too much, so they had to separate. In both instances, the phrase used is the same one used here to say, "...dwell in unity."
When David says how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity, it's not just a nod to a peaceful situation between the brothers. It's also a nod to God's provision. This isn't a desert land that can't feed many people like Abram and Lot and Jacob and Esau encountered. This land is flourishing and can provide for everyone.
This doesn't just point to the good relationship between brothers. It also points to the good relationship between them and God and His faithfulness in giving them the land He promised. But that's not to diminish the fact that it does speak to peaceful unity between the people. Imagine the whole nation of Israel walking together to one city. All those millions of people from various tribes three times a year taking weeks-long journeys, sometimes with their kids and animals in tow. It sounds kind of like a nightmare to me.
They're all heading to Jerusalem and they're going to have a feast to God and remember His provision and protection, but that kind of road trip is bound to incite some family fights. So this is probably a good song to sing when you're in that situation. Maybe you want to download this one for your next family vacation. The verse also points them back to Israel's first priest, Aaron, on the day he was consecrated. God was pleased to set him apart and mark him as a servant to demonstrate His presence with Aaron.
And this psalm points out that living peacefully in the Promised Land is a lot like that. David's final comparison is to the dew falling on Mount Hermon, which is the highest mountain in Israel, and on Mount Zion, which is the highest point in Jerusalem. It's almost like the nation and its religious capital are being consecrated by God as well, but with dew instead of oil. And that dew is also a means of keeping the land green and fruitful, which is another aspect of the blessing of God's provision.
My God shot today relates back to something we also saw back in Deuteronomy 28, where God said He would command His blessing on Israel in the Promised Land if they kept the covenant. We saw that again today in the final line of this psalm. It says, "...the Lord has commanded the blessing." But then it keeps going. "...the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore."
The things David mentions in this psalm represent the best things of life on earth. Unity, bounty, peace, blessing, provision. But God's blessing for his kids doesn't stop there. In fact, this closing verse seems to show that the thing God considers the real blessing is life forevermore. Eternal life with God where we live under the blessings of his presence. That is the real gift.
A peaceful life of provision on earth is real nice, for sure. But it's such a flash in the pan. But the future that awaits his children when he restores all things and we live in that restored space with him? That's where real life is found. He's where the joy is. ♪
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