21 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. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
THE IMPORTANCE OF FELLOWSHIP AND UNITY AMONG BRETHREN
Psalm 133 “How good and wonderful it is for brethren to dwell in unity”—this passage compares the unity among people to the precious oil used to anoint priests and to the dew that brings life to the mountains.
When we walk and live according to this purpose, we enter into the significance and preciousness associated with the priestly anointing oil and the life-giving dew of the mountains.
Without unity, there is no oil; without oil, there is no anointing; without anointing, there is no revelation. Without revelation of the Word, unity and oneness stagnate, preventing both physical and—above all—spiritual growth. Unity is like the dew that brings life to the mountain. Just as dew brings life to the mountain, unity among brethren brings life to all involved, making us living examples to the great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. For creation itself eagerly awaits the manifestation of the children of God.
John 17:21
In this High Priestly Prayer,
Jesus asks the Father that His disciples—and indeed all believers—experience a profound unity.
This unity must reflect the harmony between the Father and the Son; it serves to demonstrate the truth of the Gospel and God’s great love for His children. (The relationship between the Father and the Son is the foundation of our doctrine; without obedience and faithfulness to this doctrine, we can never claim to have true unity with one another.)
Verse 21 places a great responsibility upon us.
Jesus speaks to the Father: “That they all may be one, Father, as You are in Me and I am in You; that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” We bear a great responsibility; for how can we be examples to the world if there is no unity among the children, or between the children and the Father?
Acts 2
- They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
- All the believers were united and had everything in common.
- Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and shared their meals together (in unity) with glad and sincere hearts,
- praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
He added to—He sent to—the community.
P.S. How will the Lord send people to a place where there is no fellowship and unity?
While studying the handout on Wisdom, I would like to add this side note regarding Bezalel and Oholiab.
The relationship between Bezalel and Oholiab is described in the Bible as a perfect leadership partnership, in which God united two people of different backgrounds and talents to accomplish a common purpose.
The central points of this cooperation rest on four pillars:
- Unity of the Tribes
God chose men from contrasting social and geographical backgrounds to work side by side:
Bezalel was from the tribe of Judah, the most prestigious tribe, which marched at the head of the people.
Oholiab was from the tribe of Dan, a smaller tribe that marched at the rear of the camp.
The significance: This union demonstrated to the people that the sacred work unified the entire nation—from beginning to end—without distinction of status. 2. Complementary Talents
Although both were filled with divine wisdom, their artistic specialties complemented each other perfectly at the construction site (Exodus 38:23):
(Bezalel) focused on structures and metals: casting gold, silver, and bronze, as well as stone carving and carpentry.
(Oholiab) focused on textile arts and design: he was a master weaver. - A Partnership Without Competition. Bezalel served as the project’s chief engineer, while Oholiab was appointed as his right-hand man (Exodus 31:6). There was no rivalry between them. They shared the immense responsibility of turning the detailed instructions Moses received on Mount Sinai into physical reality.
- A Legacy as Educators
They did not hoard technical and artistic knowledge. The Bible highlights in Exodus 35:34 that God placed the gift of teaching in the hearts of both men. (Together and United). They led and trained a large team of volunteer men and women who also desired to work on the construction of the Tabernacle.
If we want a strong, well-structured family, Bezalel and Oholiab serve as excellent examples of ordinary men who allowed themselves to be used by the Lord.
Grace and Peace.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FELLOWSHIP AND UNITY AMONG BRETHREN
Psalms 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 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. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing Life forevermore.
People are able to unite over common core values, preferences and fundamental guiding principles. This explains the numerous political factions and the thousands of church denominations and networks; the various tribes of Israel
During the Feast of Tabernacles, all the tribes would gather together, living in temporary booths, under an open heaven remembering the goodness and faithfulness of God during their forty years in the wilderness. David may have been inspired to write this Psalm when he “beheld” the gathering of the people of God.
Psalm 133 must be understood together with two other scriptures ……..
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: (KJV)
The “oneness” Jesus prayed to the Father for all believers was the same “oneness” that existed within the Triune God. Jesus declares in His prayer that His credibility as the “One sent by the Father” is dependent on the “oneness” of the believers that is witnessed by the world. A divided community of believers is not able to practically demonstrate the Biblical truth that “The Lord our God is One”
John 17:21 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. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 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.
The Hebrew word for “one” in Deuteronomy 6:4
eḥāḏ: A numerical adjective meaning one, first, once, the same. It may mean simply one of various things: e.g., place (Genesis 1:9); soul, or person (Leviticus 4:27); a person from among many (Genesis 3:22; 42:19; 1 Samuel 26:15). It has the idea of unity or integrity as when it designates one justice for all (Numbers 15:16) or actual physical unity (Exodus 36:12). The Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). It expresses agreement or unity among persons (Exodus 24:3) (Extracted from CWSB)
BELIEVERS ARE CALLED TO REPRESENT THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
AS CHRIST IS, SO ARE WE
1 John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We now understand that our “oneness” must transcend our personal, ethnic, cultural, national and tribal preferences. It must reveal the invisible God who is One.
Before the city experiences “oneness”, it must be first visible in the family
Before David brought the Ark of God into Jerusalem the Ark of God was in the house of Obededum.
Before Gideon could lead the 300 men against the consuming Medianites he had to obey the explicit instruction of the Lord to FIRST dismantle the idolatrous altar in his father’s household (Judges 6:25-26); secondly, “build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down”
Why was this so important to God? God will not compete for His worship, loyalty to covenant and undivided devotion to Him. God is a jealous God.
Gideon needed the entire support of heaven to engage the Medianite army of 135000 men with his 300 men. Gideon needed to be ONE with God; ONE with the plans and intentions of God that were clearly communicated to Gideon by the angel (messenger) of the Lord that was assigned to divulge classified information concerning the military operation that would succeed on condition that the 300 went into the battlefield as ONE MAN
Judges 6:16 And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as ONE man.”
Without Divine assurance and detailed communication from God through His messenger, it is naive to expect Gideon to engage the Medianites. Gideon asked God to perform certain supernatural feats to test the Promise of God concerning his victory.
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