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Ancient olive oil didn't come in bottles
like I buy it, but had many uses in the
holy land, including perfumed anointing oil |
Part of a continuing series on selected psalms.
“Get
along!” How often had I uttered those
words in raising my children? More important, how many times had God challenged
me about being the peacemaker, not troublemaker, as I lived in a world of
imperfect people, myself included! “How good and pleasant it is when brothers
live together in unity,” Psalm 130 begins. But in reality, we don’t always
enjoy that unity.
GRACE FROM ABOVE
Biblical
harmony, Psalm 130 says, 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.” (v. 2)
To
appreciate this allusion, it’s helpful to review the ancient texts about the
early Hebrew worship system. When the
Exodus from Egypt occurred about 1440 B.C., the emancipated Jews had a sense of
the Great High God who brought about this miracle. But the former slaves needed
a unifying religious system, which God outlined in revelations to Moses. These
included extensive instructions about worship leaders, the worship center
(tabernacle) and rituals, detailed in various parts of the books of Exodus
through Deuteronomy. The worship system and its procedures helped teach the
Hebrews about God’s holiness and man’s sin. One tribe, the Levites, was charged
with spiritual care, with only one man and his descendants in the top
leadership role as priests.
Furnishings
(like altars) and people were commissioned for priestly service by anointing
with an olive oil perfumed with myrrh,
cinnamon, fragrant cane, and cassia (Exodus 30:23-33). Leviticus 8 tells how
Aaron and his sons prepared for commissioning by bathing and putting on clean,
simple tunics with sashes. Then Aaron, as high priest, received extra
ceremonial dressing: a robe, ephod (a
type of apron), breastplate with precious stones, and turban-like crown.
Finally, Moses anointed Aaron’s head with the special scented olive oil in
enough abundance that the oil dribbled from his forehead and on down his
clothes. The anointing represented favor from on High, coming down on God’s
appointed servants. As Aaron went about his tasks, the powerful fragrance
emanated wherever he passed.
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| This old house in my neighborhood was soon torn down. |
Reading
of this reminded me of how 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 spoke of a believer’s
spiritual “fragrance”: “Thanks be to God,
who…through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we
are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are
perishing.” But I’ve had my “skunk
cabbage” times, too. One happened in my
late twenties when a marginally employed single woman in my church found
herself on the verge of homelessness, and asked to move in with me. I lived in
a tiny one-bedroom apartment but agreed, giving her the bedroom (for privacy
with her medical and emotional needs) while I slept on the couch. When the “few
weeks” became months of free housing, I allowed resentment to grow. Then, to my
surprise, I came home from work one night to find she had moved out to another “free”
situation. In my hurt, I indulged in the sins of enmity and backbiting. I
became like a boarded-up house, almost cut off from the Holy Spirit’s
correcting voice. But my habit of scripture reading helped me from persisting
in this sin. When I read Matthew 5:23-24, about interrupting one’s worship
(leaving a gift at the altar) to be reconciled with someone you wronged, I was
stricken by my sin in this relationship.
By
now she had moved out of state, but I got her address from mutual friends. As I wrote a letter owning my part in our
rift, and asking her forgiveness, I broke down and cried. When I dropped that
letter in the mailbox, a burden slipped off my heart. I didn’t expect to hear
from her, but in a few weeks, she replied, forgiving me and asking forgiveness
for her wrongs. As I read her letter, I imagined—as never before—the humbling
effects that Aaron must have felt in his drenching with holy, aromatic oil. I
felt re-anointed, too, for a fresh consecration to God’s work. As God has
prompted me to review my past relationships, I’ve been led to write other
letters seeking forgiveness. Some were
gracious and dismissed the offense. One never replied, and while I wish there
had been closure with that person, God knows my heart.
FRUITFULNESS
FROM ABOVE
The
second simile in Psalm 130 also expresses God’s favor:
It is as the dew
of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore. (v. 3)
Mount
Hermon, northeast of the Sea of Galilee and about 130 miles from Jerusalem, at
9,101 feet is the highest mountain in Palestine. Famously heavy dews fall on
its slopes, sustaining plant life. In contrast, Mount Zion (Jerusalem) has
little rainfall except in September. The first image in the psalm spoke of
anointing oil descending over Aaron’s face and onto his vestments. This second
image speaks of moisture, so necessary for agricultural fruitfulness,
descending from on high. The dew and rains are the work of God. Likewise, the
healing that brings unity among God-followers is also a divine work.
It’s
worth noting that this poetic study of harmony came from the heart of King
David, who lived with more than his share of disharmony. After being anointed
king-to-be, he lived on the run from the wrath of King Saul. When he finally
came to the throne, he dealt with loyalists to the now-deceased Saul. Then there were all his wives. Even before
Israel had kings, God had declared, “He [a king] must not take many wives, or
his heart will be led astray” (Deuteronomy 17:17). Scholars find eight “named”
wives, believe there were more unnamed, plus his ten concubines. So many family relationships, and so little
time from a husband/dad, understandably led to much dysfunction.
Aside
from David’s woes, it’s important to remember that in Bible times, extended
families lived in proximity. Grandparents, aunts and uncles were a few tents or
partitions away, which allowed for little “personal space” if they didn’t get
along. The historical transition from family interdependence to independent family or single units has
brought with it a growing intolerance for one another.
Perhaps
that’s why New Testament teaching on getting along is so appropriate for us.
Besides urging the often-dissident Corinthians to be an aroma of Christ in
their circle of influence, Paul took great pains in Ephesians 4 to list the
negatives he saw in relationships, including “bitterness, rage and anger,
brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (4:31). He urged the
Colossian church to “Bear with each other and...forgive as the Lord forgave
you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in
perfect unity” (Colossians 3:13-14).
The
message of Psalm 133 also applies to “church wars,” which smolder over issues
varying from doctrine (both essential and non-essential) to culturally-affected
choices like dress and music. When I walk through the doors of my church, I
have my “druthers” about what I see, hear, or think should happen there. But
Christ is bigger that my cultural lens.
“In essentials, unity,” wrote the ancient church leader Augustine. “In
non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” Or, as I often told my
children, “Get along!”—sometimes easier said than done, except for the gracious
power of God’s Holy Spirit.
Next: Psalm 138.
