May 2nd

Today’s reading is the shortest so far in our Bible Reading Plan—and one of my favorite psalms: Psalm 133.

What makes this psalm so memorable is the vivid imagery. I can almost picture the glistening oil running down the beard of an older man. Knowing how expensive oil was in the ancient world, one might see this as wasteful—unless it’s understood as a symbol of something, or someone, of great worth. Just as Aaron was seen as valuable to the nation of Israel, our unity as believers is deeply precious to God.

The dew of Mount Hermon, the highest peak in northern Israel, is also part of the imagery. Unity is likened to that dew, being poured out to refresh even the hills of Zion. In other words, our unity is a blessing that flows outward—it affects and refreshes everyone in the body of Christ.

Take-away: Commit to valuing unity within the body of believers. Don’t allow anything to rob you of one of God’s most strategic blessings. In John 17:21, Jesus prayed to His Father:

“…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

There is no greater testimony to a watching world—and no greater blessing to the church—than the unity that draws the lost to Christ.