Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Oh Friends, Today’s Bit might seem and sound simple, but those few words carry more weight and complexity far beyond their basic meaning. I wonder if Bruh David really knew the gravity of those words when he penned them and the role they’d play down through the ages? I doubt it. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ Wow! Friends, it’s a priceless statement, one of inestimable value for it highlights the very importance and sacredness of family unity. Bruh David describes it thus: ‘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.’ (Ps.133:2) He’s likened it to the precious and costly oil they used for anointing in his day. It wasn’t wasted, but apparently when it was poured on a person’s head, enough was used so that it ran down their face, through their beard and down to the hem of their garments. The allusion to Aaron was possibly to his priestly anointing. Back in Bruh David’s time the world was small compared to ours today, but even in that small, closed society there was much dissension and disagreement within families. Bruh David’s is a prime example: one son raped his sister, then was killed by his brother, then that son, back stabbed his father and rebelled against him. So Bruh David knew first hand the destructive tendencies of disunity within families and how, if allowed to fester and brought into the open, could also have negative effects on the society itself, especially if it was amongst the ruling elite, like his family. No wonder the Psalm is titled, ‘The Joy of Brotherhood.’ And Friends, you don’t need me to tell you what a wonderful feeling it is when people live good together. Unfortunately though, there’s much too little of it in our world today, which is filled with endless strife within and between families, and it ends up spilling over into the society as a whole. That’s one of the reasons our society is so violent and unproductive; its basic entity, its foundation, the family unit, is broken, severely fractured by dissension, backbiting and confusion. No society, or any entity, can function properly if it’s foundation is not whole, not secure. And the sad part is that a lot of the strife that’s causing the dysfunction is foolish, petty, selfish stuff, brought on by the ungodly ways in which we’ve recently chosen to live. From early on, smart humans knew the negative values of strife and sought to avoid it. A perfect example is Abram and Lot. ‘And Abram said unto Lot. Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.’ (Gen.13:8) What made that conversation necessary? ‘And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of of Lot’s cattle.’ (Gen.13:7) But Abram was wise enough to know that they both could not exist in the same area, so he gave Lot first choice, then took what remained. However Friends, total separation like that is not easy, or always possible, so we have to come to terms with our brethren on whatever problem(s) that’s causing strife and animosity between us. And don’t think for one moment that disunity is only prevalent amongst the ungodly households or societies. I have news for you Friends, those supposedly godly households today are also rife with anger, strife and dysfunction. I just heard about a son and his wife treating his mother like real dirt, laying some bad emotional abuse on her and that angered me, for it’s the same son whom the mother over the last twenty years slaved behind, after leaving an abusive marriage. But now he’s letting a virtual stranger turn him against the one who bore him and dedicated her life to raising him in a half decent manner. Why are people like that eh? And from what I gathered, she isn’t an interfering mother in law, so why the animosity and the emotional mistreatment eh? Steups! I guess it’s just a part of man’s make up, because it’s found in all walks of life; one of the most frustrating being religion. Even the people who worship the same God can’t seem to agree on basic principles or topics, that’s why there are so many splinter groups. So can you imagine the animosity inherent in those worshipping different deities? Sadly, it’s something you don’t have to imagine because it’s playing out right now over the whole world. Politics is another hotbed of disagreement. Even when there is only one right way, the partisan sides cause confusion and disagreement due to self-interest, so the best interest of the country goes a begging. Hn! I really don’t understand us nuh Friends, as the old people would say, we like to cut off our noses to spite our faces, and that’s the sad truth, for none of the family disunity so prevalent all over the world today is improving or building anything. It’s only destroying what little positive and productive family life we still have. But mih people, we, believers have to do better than we’re currently doing. A lot is at stake, and a lot of any resurgence or resurrection of good family life will have to begin with us, since that is what Jesus died for us to have, and how He wants us to live. And to be true believers, we need to set better examples than we’re currently doing. Anyway, to wrap this all up, I’ll leave us with some most appropriate words from Hebrews, which wisely advises us to ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares…Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb.13:1,2,5) Yes Friends, that’s the way we’re supposed to live, in unity with each other, in Jesus name. Let’s try to live up to that standard nuh. Much LOVE!…only when breddren live good together…can the true face and purpose of Jesus be seen…
Oh Friends, Today’s Bit might seem and sound simple, but those few words carry more weight and complexity far beyond their basic meaning. I wonder if Bruh David really knew the gravity of those words when he penned them and the role they’d play down through the ages? I doubt it. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ Wow! Friends, it’s a priceless statement, one of inestimable value for it highlights the very importance and sacredness of family unity. Bruh David describes it thus: ‘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.’ (Ps.133:2) He’s likened it to the precious and costly oil they used for anointing in his day. It wasn’t wasted, but apparently when it was poured on a person’s head, enough was used so that it ran down their face, through their beard and down to the hem of their garments. The allusion to Aaron was possibly to his priestly anointing. Back in Bruh David’s time the world was small compared to ours today, but even in that small, closed society there was much dissension and disagreement within families. Bruh David’s is a prime example: one son raped his sister, then was killed by his brother, then that son, back stabbed his father and rebelled against him. So Bruh David knew first hand the destructive tendencies of disunity within families and how, if allowed to fester and brought into the open, could also have negative effects on the society itself, especially if it was amongst the ruling elite, like his family. No wonder the Psalm is titled, ‘The Joy of Brotherhood.’ And Friends, you don’t need me to tell you what a wonderful feeling it is when people live good together. Unfortunately though, there’s much too little of it in our world today, which is filled with endless strife within and between families, and it ends up spilling over into the society as a whole. That’s one of the reasons our society is so violent and unproductive; its basic entity, its foundation, the family unit, is broken, severely fractured by dissension, backbiting and confusion. No society, or any entity, can function properly if it’s foundation is not whole, not secure. And the sad part is that a lot of the strife that’s causing the dysfunction is foolish, petty, selfish stuff, brought on by the ungodly ways in which we’ve recently chosen to live. From early on, smart humans knew the negative values of strife and sought to avoid it. A perfect example is Abram and Lot. ‘And Abram said unto Lot. Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.’ (Gen.13:8) What made that conversation necessary? ‘And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of of Lot’s cattle.’ (Gen.13:7) But Abram was wise enough to know that they both could not exist in the same area, so he gave Lot first choice, then took what remained. However Friends, total separation like that is not easy, or always possible, so we have to come to terms with our brethren on whatever problem(s) that’s causing strife and animosity between us. And don’t think for one moment that disunity is only prevalent amongst the ungodly households or societies. I have news for you Friends, those supposedly godly households today are also rife with anger, strife and dysfunction. I just heard about a son and his wife treating his mother like real dirt, laying some bad emotional abuse on her and that angered me, for it’s the same son whom the mother over the last twenty years slaved behind, after leaving an abusive marriage. But now he’s letting a virtual stranger turn him against the one who bore him and dedicated her life to raising him in a half decent manner. Why are people like that eh? And from what I gathered, she isn’t an interfering mother in law, so why the animosity and the emotional mistreatment eh? Steups! I guess it’s just a part of man’s make up, because it’s found in all walks of life; one of the most frustrating being religion. Even the people who worship the same God can’t seem to agree on basic principles or topics, that’s why there are so many splinter groups. So can you imagine the animosity inherent in those worshipping different deities? Sadly, it’s something you don’t have to imagine because it’s playing out right now over the whole world. Politics is another hotbed of disagreement. Even when there is only one right way, the partisan sides cause confusion and disagreement due to self-interest, so the best interest of the country goes a begging. Hn! I really don’t understand us nuh Friends, as the old people would say, we like to cut off our noses to spite our faces, and that’s the sad truth, for none of the family disunity so prevalent all over the world today is improving or building anything. It’s only destroying what little positive and productive family life we still have. But mih people, we, believers have to do better than we’re currently doing. A lot is at stake, and a lot of any resurgence or resurrection of good family life will have to begin with us, since that is what Jesus died for us to have, and how He wants us to live. And to be true believers, we need to set better examples than we’re currently doing. Anyway, to wrap this all up, I’ll leave us with some most appropriate words from Hebrews, which wisely advises us to ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares…Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb.13:1,2,5) Yes Friends, that’s the way we’re supposed to live, in unity with each other, in Jesus name. Let’s try to live up to that standard nuh. Much LOVE!…only when breddren live good together…can the true face and purpose of Jesus be seen…
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