The Ointment of Unity - Pastor Stacey Shiflett
- Pastor Shiflett
- Dec 17, 2023
- 4 min read
The Ointment of Unity
Psalm 133
· 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
· 2 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;
· 3 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.
A. The Pleasantness of Unity - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is…
He used the word “how” twice.
He used both the word “good” and “pleasant” to describe just how great it is.
Some things that are pleasant are not good.
The forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was pleasant, but it was wrong; it was bad; it was evil.
Unity is both pleasant and good.
B. The People of Unity – for brethren…
We are one with Christ:
· Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
We are one with the Church:
John 17
· 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
· 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
· 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
· Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
C. The Picture of Unity – it is like the precious ointment…
This ointment was no ordinary ointment.
The ointment that is referenced here is the oil used to anoint the high priest.
Exodus 29
· 4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.
· 5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:
· 6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
· 7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.
This unity is like an anointing that keeps going; it keeps flowing.
It “ran down.”
I. It Determines the Mind of the Brethren - 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head,…
· Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
· 1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
· Philippians 4:2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
· 1 Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
Brother love and unity affect every decision and act within the body.
Having the same mind is key for unity to prevail within the church.
Submitting one to another is a sign of the Spirit-filled life. (Ephesians 5:21)
II. It Displays the Maturity of the Brethren - …that ran down upon the beard,
The beard is unique in that it is not found on babes and the youth.
Only after years of growth and maturity can a beard be grown.
The ointment of unity is something that is found in the life of the mature, stable, spiritual believer.
The church of Corinth was filled with division, strife and contention.
The reason was they were immature and childish in their behavior.
1 Corinthians 3
· 1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
· 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
· 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
People that put themselves above the unity of the church are immature, childish and carnal.
III. It Defines the Ministry of the Brethren - …even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
Exodus 28
· 40 And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.
· 41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
The priestly garments of Aaron the high priest were unique amongst the children of Israel.
The Levites were given specific garments because they had been set aside for a specific ministry.
The ointment of unity was crucial in the success of the ministry.
Each one of the Levite families had specific tasks to complete.
There could be no fighting and strife over who did what, and when, and how.
They had to work together to fulfill the plan of God.
David said that the unity of the brethren was like the ointment that ran down do the skirts of his garments.
Conclusion: There is a consistent picture presented in this chapter.
The oil started at the head, and RAN DOWN to the garments.
The dew of Hermon descended upon the mountains Zion.
Hermon is about 9,000 feet above sea level and gets a lot of snow and dew; Zion is much lower and drier.
True unity unifies the highest with the lowest; the rich and the poor; the strong and the weak.
It flows from the leadership all the way down to the youth group.
It flows from the seasoned Christians all the way to the newest convert and church member.
There is no lack of -*ointment; it is everywhere.
