1 See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!
Free Grace note
Unity is admired, not commanded Notice that David does not order unity here; he stands back and marvels at it: see how good and how pleasant it is. Real unity among believers is rare enough that when it appears, it stops you in your tracks. Some worry that verses like this make Christian fellowship a condition for God's favor, as if He loves us more when we get along. That reads the psalm backward. The blessing in verse 3 flows down from God to the brothers, not up from the brothers to earn God's approval. Unity is the setting where God pours out life, not the price tag on it. Compare John 13:35, where love among believers is the fruit that shows we belong to Christ, never the root that makes us His.
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, that ran down on the beard, even Aaron’s beard; that came down on the edge of his robes;
3 like the dew of Hermon, that comes down on the hills of Zion: for there Yahweh gives the blessing, even life forever more.
Free Grace note
Life forever more is a gift that flows down The psalm ends on a striking phrase: there Yahweh commands the blessing, even life forever more. Watch the direction of every image. The oil starts on Aaron's head and runs down to his robes. The dew starts on Mount Hermon and comes down on Zion. The blessing starts with God and comes down to His people. This is the shape of grace itself. Eternal life is never something we climb up to reach or achieve by our own effort; it descends to us as a free gift, received by trusting God. Ephesians 2:8 says it plainly: by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. What flows down from the top covers everyone underneath.
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