Comprehension and Interpretation--When the priests were anointed, they were sprinkled with oil. But when they anointed the high priests of the line of Aaron, they soaked them with oil, so much that it ran down the beard and into the collar of the priestly robes. The dew that fell on the mountain, Hermon, is a phenomenon. The land around it would be parched, but then this dew would fall and refresh the earth. (It is now known as the Mount Hermon ski resort!) Just as these two events, the abundant oil poured out on the high priests, and the abundant dew poured out on the highest mountain in Israel, are phenomena, so is a group of people traveling and dwelling in unity. 😉Dew is a symbol of blessing (Genesis 27:28) and oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 1:9)
*Christ Connection*--After Jesus is crucified, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph gathers his courage and asks Pilate for permission to take His body and bury it. Joseph was a member of the council, the group of people that gave Jesus so much grief during His ministry. He had secretly been following the teachings of Jesus, searching for answers concerning the true kingdom of God. Nicodemus was also a member of the council, a Pharisee. He came to Jesus in the middle of the night to ask Him questions about the kingdom of God, to which Jesus famously answered "You must be born again." Nicodemus came with 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes. (Remember myrrh was one of the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus as a child.) 75 pounds would have been an excessive amount of oil and spices to prepare a body for burial. They broke some huge religious laws to touch Jesus' dead body- they would be unclean and not able to celebrate Passover. But I wonder if Joseph and Nicodemus could hear the pilgrims singing--old, familiar songs they might have known since their youth. I wonder if they heard them say "How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" and looked at each other in wonder. This Man, whom they had both secretly followed, had made them unlikely allies. They are the first of many who would find common ground in the death and (spoiler alert) resurrection of Jesus. Just as Moses was commanded to extravagantly anoint Aaron, the first High Priest, with oil--these men risk everything to anoint the body of the true and better High Priest, Christ Jesus.
A--This chapter changes me by making me consider those I'm "traveling" with. Of course, we can get on each other's nerves (as we see daily on social media 🤦), even as believers. But that should not be the case. Look, it's good and pleasant to dwell in harmony. And it's also (not to put words in the psalmist's mouth but...) nearly impossible on our own strength. But we are united under the blessing of God and the overflowing power of the Holy Spirit! I wonder if we could imagine ourselves, locking arms with some unlikely allies, letting go of our preconceived notions about them, and bless the Body of Christ? These relationships can be a picture to the world of the power of God through unity in Jesus.
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