Unity is the theme of this psalm. Thinking about unity for us today, we should have an appreciation and desire for it as Christians! Background: Aaron's Beard is a name for the Hypericum calycinum plant known for its yellow flowers. I read this week that sometimes Jerusalem Mt. Verse 2. Then he is as the skirts of the garment, and my heart's love must fall even upon him. Aaron's | Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster Est. [2] What a picture of unity. He wears a tanish brown tunic like dress and he wear a hooded short cape with it. 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, that ran down on the beard, even Aarons 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. It signifies dedication and spirituality. To pull it is to inflict indignity. The precious ointment that ran down upon the beard that went down to the skirts of his garments. Only He is rare enough, good enough, holy enough, pleasant enough to bestow the life-giving blessing of unity. After the Temple was built in Jerusalem, worship of God was done at a specific location. Rather, I think of the joy that comes from being able to approach God and set apart as a member of His family. Aaron's beard, and then flows down his garments. Sadly, unity is sorely lacking in our world today. IPA: /.nz bd/ Noun Aaron 's beard ( pl. beard. What Happens If A Catholic Eats Meat On Friday? This lyric could also be referring to Aaron Rose, a filmmaker and artist from Oregon. It is good in every way when Gods people experience unity. The oil used to anoint Aaron was holy anointing oil. This week we are continuing our study of the shorter psalms, and considering number 133 this time. The reasons Kimchi and Ben Melech give, why the anointing of Aaron and other priests is mentioned, and not the anointing of a king, or of David himself, are, because the anointing of Aaron was first, and also more public and better known by the people; that went down to the skirts of his garments; or, "the mouth" or "opening of his garments" (a); not the extremity of them, as our version inclines to; for not so great a quantity of oil was poured upon him; nor would it have been decent to have his clothes thus greased from top to bottom: but the upper part of his garment, the top of the coat, on which the beard lay, as Jarchi; the neck or collar of it, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; the hole in which the head went through when it was put on, about which there was a band, that it might not be rent, Exodus 28:32; where the Septuagint use the same word as here. However, it isnt just plain olive oil. Cacti pads have bumps on the surface called areoles. A little bigger than Sandy Ridge or Bald Eagle! And so is Zion. 133:1-2. Where To Donate Catholic Religious Items. Now, apply that picture in your mind to unity because this song does. noun 1. (, ) (, ) (, ) (, Aaron's beard cactus). Be sure to listen to our podcast on the science of facial hair: The Israelites had travelled to Hazeroth and had made . In that part of the Tra which describes the robe of the high priest, is its hems, , or even absolutely , the opening for the head, or the collar, by means of which the sleeveless garment was put on, and the binding, the embroidery, the border of this collar (vid., Exodus 28:32; Exodus 39:23; cf. He says that because the Lord is sovereign, he will come to his aid and that he wont be disgraced. You have the nice bit in the Psalms 133 about `how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity like the precious oil upon the head that ran down upon the beard--Aaron's beard.' Eng.) Do remember how hot it was this summer, and it never rained? For quite some years now, shaving the beard has been the norm, and growing a beard is not even accepted in many workplaces. Literally, Like the oil, the good oil, on the head descending upon the beard, Aaron's beard, which ( was) descending to the mouth of his robes. God wanted his priests to be separate and distinct. We all know how unpleasant conflict is. It reads. A common name for several plants, which have tufts of stamens. I worship and serve as a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Ontario. Inasmuch as was beard was a sign of honor, priesthood, and anointing, it had to be taken care of by trimming. It is also brought closely into connection with love ( Song of Solomon 1:3 ). All rights reserved. Dont we all want to live in unity? Its actually a mountain. Job 30:18, , the collar of my shirt). My daily, curated collection of Kindle deals for Christians. Through the prophet, God had addressed the sin of Israel and how detestable it is to him. He also has a dagger tired around his neck . Unity is not something we can do on our own. The poet, however, when he calls the high priest as such Aaron, has the high-priesthood in all the fulness of its divine consecration (Leviticus 21:10) before his eyes. Back up to verse 1, How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!. We've found 8 phrases and idioms matching beard. Its not just pleasantit is completely refreshing. And Psalm 133 tells us that it was a total consecration. Unholy and wicked. There is something about unity among brothers that is . is not the collar above, which gives no advance, much less the antithesis of two extremes, but the hem at the bottom (cf. I wont try to do it for you today, but I imagine it was so beautiful to hear those Israelites singing it together as brothers as they went up, up, up to Zion. The holy anointing oil was a mixture of four spices in oil. This garden favorite is in leaf all year long, while the flowering period happens between June and September, followed by the ripening of the seeds in the early fall season. "Beard" here refers to female public hair. He had danced before the Lord, for example, when the ark was brought up from the house of Obededom to Jerusalem, forgetful of his dignity, exceeding the bounds of decorum, and, as it might seem, without excuse, as a much less hearty demonstration would have served the purpose of a religious solemnity. Aaron's beard noun another name for rose of Sharon (def. Babylonian kings also wore odd beards and headdresses, and were often portrayed with very large bulbous eyes. Like the oil, the good oil, on the head descending upon the beard, Aarons beard, which, which descendeth upon the collar of his garments, It is like the precious ointment upon the head, That ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard. View all posts by James Hutton. The idea is that the anointing oil was abundant enough to flow down so as to fall on his entire robe, diffusing a sweet fragrance all around. The plucking of the beard in this instanced is part of mistreatments and suffering that God obedient servants go through living amongst people who are full of sin and torturous in behavior. "The Blessing of Aaron's Oily Beard" - Psalm 133. Remarkably, this final verse also reminds us of Israels special place with God. We know, indeed, from our own experience how far off a cold air coming from the Alps is perceptible and produces its effects. The lesson of Aarons oily beard is a lesson of unity. Unity. So also De Sacy: sur le bord de son vtement, c'est--dire, sur le haut de ses habits pontificaux. (See Psalm 45:7, Note; Isaiah 61:3 .) They seemed to complain about his marriage to a Cushite woman, and they appeared to rebel against him being the only one to whom the LORD communicated. 2. Verse 2. How [tov] it is when brothers live together in unity.. We are family! Isa. Jeremiah 9:23-24. Arron's Beard, like many in this family, spreads by . It is not praising Lanse Free Church for being so unified. I actually wrote about it in, It [the goodness of unity] is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes.. A growth of hair on the chin, cheeks, and throat of a person, especially a man. The Bible has mentioned beards so many times and with every mention is a context and a command. It is the common anointing which flows down even to the skirts of the garment of our High Priest which marks our being brethren. And you remember what it was like to walk into air-conditioning? (a) , Sept. "super os", Montanus, Piscator; "super os, vel aperturam", Michaelis; "in capitium", Tigurine version; "upon the collar of his garments", Ainsworth. The Lord is not likely to use for his glory those who are devoid of love; they lack the anointing needful to make them priests unto the Lord. God poured out his Spirit on the great and final High Priest, Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church. He believes it is more important than ever before to help people find a genuine faith. I seriously doubt that the reference to oil is just to teach us about abundance! I would expect so! This is no small part of its excellence: oil would not anoint if it did not flow down, neither would brotherly love diffuse its blessing if it did not descend. 3. And yet our church has been amazingly unified all along so far. At first glance, it is possible to just think of this oil in relation to abundance. This was typical of the grace of the Spirit, the unction from the Holy One; which has been poured on Christ, the head of the church, without measure; and with which he has been anointed above his fellows; and from him it is communicated to all his members; to every one of which is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ; and who from his fulness receive, and grace for grace: and particularly brotherly love is compared to this ointment; because of the preciousness of it, which is true of every grace; and because of the extensiveness of it, reaching to head and members, to Christ and all his saints, the meanest and lowest of them; and because of its fragrancy and sweet odour to all that are sensible of it; and because of its delightful, cheering, and refreshing nature; like ointment and perfume it rejoices the heart; yea, the worst things said, or reproofs given, in brotherly love, are like oil, pleasant and useful, Proverbs 27:9; and is as necessary for the saints, who are all priests unto God, to offer up their spiritual sacrifices; particularly that of prayer, which should be "without wrath", as well as without doubting; and to do all other duties of religion, which should spring from charity or love; as the anointing oil was to Aaron and his sons, in order to their officiating in the priest's office. Is he one of the poorest, one of the least spiritual, one of the least lovable? The beginning of this text probably makes sense to many of us. What a sacred thing must brotherly love be when it can be likened to an oil which must never be poured on any man but on the Lord's high priest alone! That is, its the way things ought to be. . Trusting God with Creation But Not Providence, 8 Sins You Commit Whenever You Look at Porn. I know that I dont. Psalms 133:2 Context. The answer is found in Exodus 30:22-33. It involves patience and forgiveness and respect and humility and kindness and forbearance and consideration of others. This is explicitly stated as such. Do I have to prove that to you? For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even . It is attributed to King David, and he speaks of how good and pleasant it is to live in unity. and down upon the collar of his robes. make (one's) beard. This is recognizable by references to Aaron's beard and the hills of Zion. Please click here to learn more. Here at Lanse Free Church, weve tried hard to listen to everybody and to find creative ways of ministering to everybody the last 6 months, but I know its been frustrating at times for all of us. 1 How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! Consecration. 3. (Back when there was no such thing as social distancing! Here, as I sat at the foot of Hermon, I understood how the water-drops which rose from its forest-mantled heights, and out of the highest ravines, which are filled the whole year round with snow, after the sun's rays have attenuated them and moistened the atmosphere with them, descend at evening-time as a heavy dew upon the lower mountains which lie round about as its spurs. To have the beard forcibly cut off or mutilated is a symbol of disgrace. Yes, weve had to be physically apart, but we have been spiritually together. Because of this critical role, God had specific requirements for the priests who in the Old Testament came from the tribe of Levi. All content Tim Challies, 2002-2023. What Do We Learn from Reading Jesus Genealogy? All Rights Reserved. Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. God has put murderers with those who hate, thieves with those who lie, homosexuals with those who lust, one race with another race, parents with children, wealthy with the poor, and the lazy with the diligent. Unity must be remarked upon. Unity is pictured as coming from Gods presence mediated at Jerusalem, specifically at the temple in the Old Testament, and coming out to us as a part of the blessing of life forevermore.. Well, David uses weather like that to explain just how pleasant unity is in verse 3. Church unity is of the Holy Spirit (. With the assertion passes on from the community of nature and sentiment which the word "brethren" expresses to the outward active manifestation and realization that correspond to it: good and delightful (Psalm 135:3) it is when brethren united by blood and heart also (corresponding to this their brotherly nature) dwell together - a blessed joy which Israel has enjoyed during the three great Feasts, although only for a brief period (vid., Psalm 122:1-9). David is saying, imagine how green and fertile and rich and refreshed Mount Zion would be if Hermons dew covered it! Site by Mere. Even Aaron's beard - The word "even" here, introduced by our translators, weakens the force and beauty of the comparison. Or today when we are together even if yet apart, there is something holy going on. The blood was collected. It was not merely the head, but the beard, the raiment, the entire person, that partook of the fragrance of the anointing oil. He calls us to live in harmony and unity. It might seem as if it were better not to smear his garments with oil, but the sacred unguent could not be restrained, it flowed over his holy robes; even thus does brotherly love not only flow over the hearts upon which it was first poured out, and descend to those who are an inferior part of the mystical body of Christ, but it runs where it is not sought for, asking neither leave nor license to make its way. 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