Godly Unity and Harmony!
“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” (Psalm 133).
Unity Sets the Tone for God’s Blessing!
God called Abram out of his country. Abram’s nephew Lot joined him. With the leadership of Abram over his life, Lot was blessed and increased in goods but then his people started striving with Abram’s people. Abram and Lot went separate ways, Abram to the barren but promised land of God while Lot settled in the plains of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The above Psalm of Ascent describes the prerequisite for God’s immense blessing upon a home, team, community, and nation. Unity sets the tone for God’s blessing.
Dwelling in Unity!
The Hebrew word used for “dwelling” is “yaw-shab” meaning “sit, stay, remain, inhabit, abide, marry.” Dwelling in unity specifically applies to two special places:
1) A Marriage
2) The Church
A husband and wife are united in a holy matrimony and so is the Church of Jesus. Apostle Paul writes to Ephesians: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25).
In both places, dwelling in unity is “good and pleasant.” The Hebrew word for “pleasant” is “naw-eem” which means “pleasant, delightful, sweet, lovely, agreeable, singing, sweetly sounding!” Dwelling in unity brings:
· A pleasant atmosphere
· Their presence of each other becomes delightful!
· There is a sweet fragrance in all their dwellings!
· There is no contention but agreement. Their union begins with questions, explanations, and understanding of each other but at the end, there are not many words or questions but godly agreement in their union!
· Their dwelling becomes a symphony with songs in harmony and in one accord and one mind. Their harmony lifts them up and their whole atmosphere into heavenly places!
The word “unity” is derived from the Hebrew “yakh-ad” which means “union, unitedness, altogether alike, ONE.”
Jesus’ relationship with the Father was in unity. Jesus used the language of “I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me,” “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” “I and My Father are ONE!” That is exactly what is promised for a home in unity and a church in unity.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1)!
Unity Begins with Leadership but Covers the Whole Body!
“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” (Psalm 133:1).
“It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that ran down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that came down upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body]” (Psalm 133:2, Amplified Bible).
The burden of unity and harmony begins at the top of the leadership. When a leader cries out to God for His pleasant atmosphere at home and in the church, God grants his request. As a teenager, I cried out to God from a treacherous home of division, strife, pain and sorrow, and offered up a prayer of dedication: “Lord God, this is a curse I am living under. This is not what You intended a godly home to be. I dedicate my life to You, Lord. Bless me indeed with a home You will give me, where I will live with my wife and children in harmony, unity, and peace. Take all of me and make me wholly Yours. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!” God gave me a home like that in unity and harmony.
When God called me to bring the churches in a town together back in 1990, I had already experienced the peace, unity, and harmony in my home which was a springboard to experience unity in the community. God spoke to me for several hours from the Book of Joel and commanded me to bring the whole worshipping body in a community before the altar of God: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar” (Joel 2:15-17).
In all our preparations leading to the annual meetings here in Daytona and elsewhere, I prayed to repent and plead with God for unity and harmony. In those city meetings, God’s power and presence came down. We then brought Christians and Jews together to cry to God with a collective brokenness. God heard our cry and intervened.
I applaud the leaders God is calling and installing to bring the cities together before God. They have a solid and united home as their base from which they aspire for unity in their communities. The unity in their home is their protective covering to withstand the demonic stronghold of the regions that stand opposed to their cry for unity and harmony. Be careful not to try for unity in your community, if your home is in disarray. You cannot bear the consequences of such a holy undertaking.
When the leader of a home or a church cries out for unity and harmony, God is immensely pleased to act according to His word to consecrate not just the leader but the whole body of the home and the church.
The Dew – God’s Word!
“It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion” (Psalm 133:3).
“It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion” (Psalm 133:3, Amplified Bible).
Mount Hermon is a lofty mountain with its peak up in the clouds. It is visible from Caesarea Philippi. We can see the snow-covered tops of Mount Hermon. The analogy is this - The leader dwells with God and his head experiences the dew which then filters down and covers all the little hills of Zion.
Moses spoke to his people: “My message shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the light rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb” (Deuteronomy 32:2). God’s speech is also like the dew that distills upon the grass (upon us). The dew comes upon the lofty mountain first and then covers all its hills. Likewise, a leader and the people committed to unity and harmony will experience God’s speech, God’s Word, with its revelatory power and clarity.
God-ordained unity and harmony bring God’s Word to a home and a church dedicated to Him. Strife goes out and love descends. Division and discard go out but a united cry for holiness dominates. No one points their fingers at each other but to themselves and continues to cry out to God for His indwelling presence among them.
God’s Commanded Blessing!
“There the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore” (Psalm 133:3).
“There the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high and the lowly] (Psalm 133:3, Amplified Bible).
There is something special about God’s Commanded Blessing! The Hebrew word used for “command” is “tsaw-vah” which means “command, charge, appoint, order, give orders, commission, and ordain.
There are two places where God’s commanded blessing comes down:
· Year of Jubilee: God’s commanded blessing is His Jubilee Blessing. In the year of the Jubilee (50th year), this is what God said: “Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years” (Leviticus 25:21). God’s special blessing will bring produce and productivity in your fields lasting three years!!
· Place of God’s Unity and Harmony (Psalm 133:3): God appoints, commands, charges, commissions, and ordains His irrefutable and undeniable blessing upon the home, church, and place of unity and harmony to the point we will see increased productivity, creativity, sufficiency, and enriched blessing without sorrow!
Life For Evermore!
There are two Hebrew words used, one for “life,” and the other for “forevermore.”
Here they are:
Life (Hebrew ‘khah-ee’ meaning “alive, fresh flowing water, active, revival, renewal!”)
Forevermore (Hebrew ‘Olam’ meaning “everlasting, constantly existing without stoppage!”)
“There the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore” (Psalm 133:3).
God’s commanded blessing includes life, revival, and renewal, unstoppable and everlasting. Abraham called God by the name “El Olam” (“Everlasting God”) in Genesis 21:33. The meaning is simple – God intervenes in the place of unity and harmony with His renewal, revival, and commanded blessing with life everlasting and unstoppable!
A godly home with unity and harmony will experience it!
A powerful church with unity and harmony will thrive in it!
A community with unity and harmony brought on by the CHURCH of the community will experience revival and renewal.
What is revival/renewal in a home and a church?
· Living in the revelation of God’s Word every day!
· Living with the holy fear and reverence of God daily!
· Living with the unshakable reality and revelation of the CROSS of Christ that has changed us (and still changing us) forever and ever!
Godly Unity and Harmony are Delightful, Sweet, Lovely, Agreeable, and Good!
God Will Bless the Couple, Home, Church, and the Community that Live in Unity!
Godly Unity and Harmony Consecrate the Whole Body, Starting with Leadership Down to Every Single Participant!
Godly Unity Brings the Revelation of God’s Word to the Whole Family!
The Family and the Church with Unity and Harmony Experience God’s Commanded Blessing with Productivity, Creativity, and Continuity with Growth!
Life, Revival, Renewal, Freshness are the Results of Godly Unity and Harmony!
The Presence of God will be Permanent and Everlasting upon Such a Home and the Church!
Let us Pray for and Live in Unity and Harmony with God and One Another!
Prayer
“Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You and bow down before You. How I long to live in agreement with You, and Your Word, my Lord! I pray earnestly for God’s anointing like a precious ointment to flow down from heaven to touch and transform me and my whole family. Father, please forgive us, as we cry out to You for renewal and revival that will engulf my whole church and community. We desperately need You, Lord. I thank You, Lord, for listening to my plea and intervening by Your grace. In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. Amen!”
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