Bible Commentaries

The Blessing of Brotherly Unity.

A song of degrees of David, in which he sets forth the blessings of true unity as it should obtain between brothers, friends, and members of the same church or church-body. Cf Eph_4:3-6.

v. 1. Behold, the psalmist's purpose being to set before our eyes the picture which he has in mind by inspiration of the Lord, how good and how pleasant, a source of delight and bliss, it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, in full agreement with the brotherliness which their confession of the same doctrine demands. The suggestion for this thought was probably found in the spirit of unity which was expressed at the great festivals of the Jews, when the members of their Church assembled from even the remotest sections of Canaan, all united by the bonds of their common faith.

v. 2. It is like the precious ointment, the oil of anointing, Exo_30:25, upon the head, where it was poured in the act of consecration, Lev_8:12, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard; that went down to the skirts of his garments, the emphasis being upon the type of the high-priesthood in the fullness of its divine consecration as illustrating the possibility of even an external union by means of religious customs;

v. 3. as the dew of Hermon, whose snow-covered heights yielded a heavy precipitation of moisture throughout the surrounding country, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, both of them bringing refreshment and blessings, just as the manifestation of brotherly unity results in blessings for the Church and its members; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, fixing Jerusalem as the point from which His blessings went forth, even life forevermore, for it is eternal life which is brought to men by the labors of the spiritual Zion, by the Church's proclamation of the Gospel, for this is His divine order till the end of time.