Grace Covenant Church of Mid Mo
The Blessed Unity of God’s People

      • Hebrews 1:3NKJV

      • Psalm 133:1NKJV

      • Psalm 147:3NKJV

      • Psalm 133NKJV

  • Psalm 133:1-3 ,
    Psalm 133:1–3 NKJV
    Blessed Unity of the People of God A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.
    Church, there are some things we must not rush past. There are some words in Scripture that demand that we stop walking, stop talking, stop reaching for the next thing, and simply behold. Psalm 133 begins with that holy interruption: “Behold.” David is saying, “Look at this. Don’t let this pass by unnoticed. Don’t treat this as common. Don’t call it ordinary.” Unity among God’s people is so precious that heaven tells us to pause and look at it. We live in a world that has become skilled at division. People divide over names, titles, backgrounds, histories, mistakes, preferences, wounds, and opinions. But when God brings His people into the same room, under the same blood, with the same Lord, moving by the same Spirit, He says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is.”
    David does not say unity is only good. He says it is good and pleasant. There are some things that are good but not pleasant. Correction is good, but it does not always feel pleasant. Discipline is good, but the flesh does not always rejoice in it. There are also some things that are pleasant but not good. Sin can be pleasant for a season, but it leaves the soul in bondage. But unity among the people of God is both good and pleasant. It is good because it agrees with the heart of God. It is pleasant because it brings peace into the house. It is good because it reflects the nature of the Kingdom. It is pleasant because it makes life among the saints sweet again.
    David says, “For brethren to dwell together in unity.” He does not speak of strangers tolerating one another from a distance. He speaks of brethren dwelling together. That means unity is not proven when we wave at each other from across the sanctuary. Unity is proven when we serve together, pray together, disagree and still love, get corrected and stay submitted, get wounded and still choose healing, get overlooked and still choose humility. It is easy to look united from far away. It takes grace to dwell together.
    Psalm 133 is called a Song of Ascents. These were songs sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. They came from different tribes, different regions, different families, different experiences, but they were walking toward one place for one purpose. That is a picture of the church. We did not all come from the same background. We do not all carry the same story. Some came from pain. Some came from religion. Some came from broken homes. Some came from pride. Some came from shame. Some came from seasons where we barely made it. But when we come into Christ, we are walking toward the same Zion. We are moving toward the same worship. We are lifting up the same Savior. We are being formed into one body.
    This is why Jesus prayed the way He prayed in John 17:20-23. Before He went to the cross, He prayed for those who would believe on Him. He prayed that we would be one. Not just gathered, but one. Not just seated in the same room, but one. Not uniform in personality, not identical in gift, not the same in expression, but one in the Father and the Son. Jesus tied the witness of the church to the unity of the church. He said that the world would know the Father sent Him when His people became one. That means our unity is not only for our comfort. Our unity is evangelistic. Our unity preaches. Our unity testifies. Our unity tells a divided world that Jesus still reconciles.
    John 17:20–23 NKJV
    “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
    When David reaches for language to describe unity, he says it is like precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down to the edge of his garments. This is not common oil. This is priestly oil. This is oil connected to consecration. This is oil that marks a man for service before God. Unity is not cheap agreement. Unity is not everybody pretending nothing is wrong. Unity is holy. Unity is priestly. Unity is the evidence that God has touched the head and the oil is flowing through the body.
    Notice the movement of the oil. It starts at the head and runs down. This is a picture we must not miss. In the church, unity flows from the headship of Christ. We cannot have spiritual unity while ignoring the authority of Jesus. We cannot have holy fellowship while each person demands to be their own head. Christ is the Head of the church. When the Head is honored, the body receives the oil. When Christ is central, the house becomes fragrant. When Jesus is lifted, the atmosphere changes. The oil starts at the Head, and when we are rightly connected to Him, it flows down upon the body.
    That is why division is so dangerous. Division does not simply hurt feelings. Division interrupts flow. Division dries up what God intended to pour out. Division takes energy away from worship, service, prayer, evangelism, discipleship, and care. A church fighting itself cannot feed the wounded world around it. But when the brethren dwell together in unity, the oil flows. Mercy flows. Healing flows. Wisdom flows. Strength flows. The gifts flow. The presence of God rests on the house in a different way.
    The oil also ran down upon Aaron’s garments. That means unity does not stay with the person at the top. It reaches the edges. It touches the hem. In a healthy house, the blessing does not stop with leadership. It reaches the children. It reaches the new believer. It reaches the wounded saint. It reaches the quiet servant who never asks for a platform. It reaches the person standing on the edge wondering if there is room for them. When unity is in the house, the edges get blessed too.
    Then David gives us another picture. He says unity is like the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion. Dew is quiet, but it is powerful. Dew does not arrive with thunder, but the ground knows it came. Dew refreshes dry places. Dew gives life where the heat has taken strength. Church, unity does that. It refreshes the tired. It strengthens the weak. It makes the dry places live again. Some people do not need another argument. They need the dew of grace. Some families do not need another battle. They need the dew of forgiveness. Some churches do not need another performance. They need the dew of the Spirit resting on people who have decided that Christ is greater than their private offense.
    Psalm 133 ends with a word that ought to make us tremble with joy: “For there the Lord commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” There. Not everywhere. There. Where brethren dwell together in unity. There the Lord commands the blessing. We cannot command the blessing by shouting louder while refusing to love better. We cannot command the blessing by having gifts without forgiveness. We cannot command the blessing by having order on paper while carrying disorder in the heart. The Lord commands the blessing where unity dwells.
    This blessing is not merely emotional. It is not just a good feeling after a good service. It is life forevermore. David lifts our eyes beyond the present moment. That is the anagogical hope of this psalm. Unity now points to the eternal fellowship of the redeemed. One day, every tribe, tongue, people, and nation will gather around the throne and cry, “Worthy is the Lamb.” There will be no jealousy there. No pride there. No competition there. No suspicion there. No division there. The unity we practice now is rehearsal for eternity. Every time we forgive, we rehearse heaven. Every time we serve together, we rehearse heaven. Every time we choose covenant over conflict, we rehearse heaven.
    David knew something about the beauty of covenant unity. We see it in his relationship with Jonathan. In 1 Samuel 18:1-4, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. That language is deep. Their hearts were not merely friendly. They were knit. God tied them together in covenant love. Jonathan was the son of Saul. By natural order, Jonathan stood in line for the throne. David was the shepherd whom God had chosen. In the flesh, Jonathan had every reason to be jealous. He could have seen David as a threat. He could have protected his position. He could have fought to preserve his name. But Jonathan had a heart that could recognize the hand of God on another man.
    1 Samuel 18:1–4 CJB
    By the time David had finished speaking to Sha’ul, Y’honatan found himself inwardly drawn by David’s character, so that Y’honatan loved him as he did himself. That day, Sha’ul took David into his service and would not let him go home to his father’s house any more. Y’honatan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as he did himself. Y’honatan removed the cloak he was wearing and gave it to David, his armor too, including his sword, bow and belt.
    That is real unity. Unity rejoices when God uses somebody else. Unity does not become bitter because another person carries a grace we do not carry. Unity does not attack what God has anointed because it makes our flesh uncomfortable. Jonathan gave David his robe, his armor, his sword, his bow, and his belt. He honored what God was doing in David. He did not lose his identity by honoring David’s calling. He revealed the purity of his own heart.
    Some of the deepest division in the house of God comes when people cannot celebrate what God is doing in somebody else. But the spirit of Jonathan teaches us another way. We can say, “If God’s hand is on you, I will not fight you. If God is raising you, I will not curse you. If God is using you, I will not secretly hope you fall. We are in covenant, and your victory does not make me less.” That kind of unity carries oil. That kind of humility brings blessing.
    David did not forget Jonathan’s covenant. After Jonathan died, David asked in 2 Samuel 9:1, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” That is the fruit of unity. Covenant outlives convenience. David could have ignored Mephibosheth. He could have said, “That season is over.” But covenant unity remembers. It honors. It reaches across time and pain and says, “Because I loved your father, there is a place for you at the table.” That points us to Jesus Christ. We were crippled by sin, unable to come to the King on our own, but for covenant’s sake, the King brought us to His table. Not because we deserved it. Not because we earned it. But because mercy remembered us.
    2 Samuel 9:1 NKJV
    Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
    We also see unity in the relationship between Elijah and Elisha. In 1 Kings 19:19-21, Elijah found Elisha plowing, and he cast his mantle upon him. Elisha understood that this was not a casual invitation. This was a call. He left the oxen, kissed his father and mother, offered sacrifice, and followed Elijah. Scripture says he became his servant. Before Elisha ever carried the mantle, he served the man who carried it.
    That word is needed in our day. Everybody wants a mantle, but not everybody wants a towel. Everybody wants authority, but not everybody wants submission. Everybody wants impartation, but not everybody wants formation. Elisha did not begin by commanding prophets. He began by serving Elijah. He walked with him. He learned from him. He stayed close enough to see the weight behind the oil.
    In 2 Kings 2:1-14, when Elijah was about to be taken up, Elijah told Elisha to stay behind. But Elisha answered, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” He said it again and again. At Gilgal, he would not leave. At Bethel, he would not leave. At Jericho, he would not leave. At Jordan, he would not leave. That is unity under pressure. That is loyalty when transition is near. That is the heart of a son who knows that inheritance is connected to proximity.
    Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. He was not asking for celebrity. He was asking for inheritance. He was asking to carry the work forward. When Elijah was taken up, the mantle fell, and Elisha picked it up. There is a blessing that comes when leadership and servanthood are not at war. There is a blessing that comes when one generation does not despise the next, and the next generation does not dishonor the former. There is a blessing when fathers pour and sons receive, when mothers nurture and daughters rise, when leaders guide and servants remain faithful.
    The church needs this kind of unity. Not a weak unity that avoids truth. Not a false unity that excuses sin. Not a shallow unity built on personality. We need a Christ centered unity that can survive correction, endure transition, handle difference, and still keep walking together. Ephesians 4:1-6 tells us to walk worthy of the calling with lowliness, gentleness, longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Paul does not say we create the unity of the Spirit. He says we keep it. The Spirit gives unity, and we are called to guard it.
    Acts 2:42-47 shows us what this looked like in the early church. They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. They worshiped together. They shared together. They cared for one another. They moved with one heart. The result was not simply that they enjoyed church. The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. When fellowship is healthy, witness becomes powerful.
    1 John 1:7 says that if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Fellowship is not built in darkness. Fellowship grows in the light. That means unity requires honesty. We do not hide bitterness and call it peace. We do not bury wounds and call it maturity. We bring our hearts into the light of Christ, and there the blood cleanses us. The closer we walk with Jesus, the cleaner our fellowship becomes.
    Philippians 2:1-11 takes us even deeper. Paul tells the church to be of one accord and one mind, and then he points them to Jesus. Christ did not cling to reputation. He humbled Himself. He took the form of a servant. He became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. That is the moral shape of unity. Unity requires the mind of Christ. We cannot dwell together in unity while every person is fighting for the highest seat. Somebody must be willing to stoop. Somebody must be willing to serve. Somebody must be willing to forgive. Somebody must be willing to say, “The mission is bigger than my mood. The Kingdom is greater than my preference. The cross is heavier than my complaint.”
    Colossians 3:12-14 tells us to put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another. Above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Love binds what pride keeps tearing apart. Love covers. Love confronts with tears. Love corrects without cruelty. Love stays when flesh wants to run. Love believes that Christ can heal what conflict has bruised.
    Colossians 3:12–14 NKJV
    Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
    So we must ask ourselves some honest questions before God. Are we protecting unity, or are we poisoning it with quiet words in private corners? Are we carrying oil, or are we carrying offense? Are we behaving like Jonathan, willing to honor what God is doing in another, or are we allowing jealousy to dress itself up as discernment? Are we walking like Elisha, faithful under leadership, or are we asking for a mantle while refusing the path of servanthood? Are we making it easier for the blessing to rest in the house, or are we giving division a place to sit?
    Hear the encouragement of the Lord today. Unity is possible because Jesus is alive. We are not left to our own strength. The same Christ who prayed for our oneness still intercedes for His church. The same Spirit who came upon the believers in Acts still fills the people of God. The same blood that reconciled us to God can reconcile us to one another. We do not have to live dry. We do not have to live fractured. We do not have to be a house full of separate agendas. We can be one body, under one Lord, filled with one Spirit, moving toward one hope.
    And where that unity dwells, God commands the blessing. Not a man. Not a committee. Not a personality. The Lord commands it. He commands life into dry places. He commands strength into weary saints. He commands peace into troubled homes. He commands oil to flow where pride has been broken. He commands dew to fall where forgiveness has been released. He commands blessing where brethren dwell together in unity.
    Today, the call is not simply to admire unity. The call is to practice it. Go make the phone call. Go ask forgiveness. Go release the grudge. Go honor the gift in your brother. Go cover your sister in prayer. Go serve without needing applause. Go submit to godly order. Go refuse gossip. Go speak life over the house. Go back to the table. Go back to fellowship. Go back to the place where Christ is Lord and we are family.
    For the one who does not know Jesus, this unity begins at the cross. Sin separated us from God, but Jesus came to reconcile us. He died, He was buried, and He rose again with all power. Today, He calls you out of isolation, out of shame, out of rebellion, and into the family of God. You do not have to stand outside the house looking in. The King has made room at the table.
    For the church, let us lift our hearts before the Lord and ask Him to make us one. Not silent, but one. Not artificial, but one. Not afraid of truth, but one in love. Let the oil flow from Christ the Head. Let it touch every leader, every servant, every family, every child, every elder, every wounded heart, every hidden place. Let the dew of Hermon fall on Zion again. Let dry places live. Let weary saints breathe. Let the house be refreshed.
    Father, in the name of Jesus, make us one. Break the spirit of division. Heal the wounds that have made us guarded. Remove jealousy, pride, suspicion, and selfish ambition. Give us the heart of Jonathan, that we may honor Your hand on another. Give us the spirit of Elisha, that we may serve faithfully and carry the mantle with humility. Give us the mind of Christ, that we may stoop, forgive, love, and obey. Let Your commanded blessing rest upon this house. Let life forevermore be seen among us even now. Let our unity preach Jesus to the world. Let our fellowship carry fragrance. Let our worship rise from clean hearts. Let our homes, our church, and our relationships be covered in the oil of Your presence.
    And now may the Lord who commands the blessing cause His oil to flow and His dew to fall upon us. May He bind us together in Christ, strengthen us in love, keep us in peace, and make our fellowship a living witness of His grace. May we dwell together in unity, and may the world see Jesus through the way we love one another. In Jesus’ name, amen.

      • Psalm 133:title–3NKJV

      • John 17:20–23NKJV

      • 1 Samuel 18:1–4NKJV

      • 2 Samuel 9:1NKJV

      • Colossians 3:12–14NKJV

      • Deuteronomy 1:11CJBIB

      • Hebrews 1:3NKJV

      • Psalm 133:1NKJV

      • Psalm 147:3NKJV

Grace Covenant Church of Mid Mo
info@damascusministries.org
573-290-2144
https://www.mograce.org
17 members