How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

It 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.

It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.

For there the Lord bestows his blessing,

even life forevermore.

Psalm 133 (NIV)

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” declares the psalmist. How often we talk about unity in the church world, but sadly enough it seems we seldom get past the talk.  Yet it is a concept that resounds throughout the scriptures and we would do well to figure out how to achieve it.  In this teaching I would like to look at how this subject relates to prayer for Israel.   

Let us continue to look at Psalm 133.  Verse two speaks about unity with a simile or comparison:  “It 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”.  Unity is compared to the anointing oil which was to be poured upon the high priest in order to consecrate him to the service of God.  Consecration, according to the dictionary, is to be devoted solemnly to a purpose.  A consecrated item or person is set apart for holy service to God.  And anointing someone symbolized spiritual empowerment for the task of serving God.  Putting these together, we could say that a congregation that walks in unity becomes sanctified (set apart) and anointed (empowered) for service in the Kingdom of God.  Unity causes the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit to flow down over us so that we are empowered to do the things God commands us to do and extend the Kingdom of God in this world.   

If unity is that important and powerful, then we must ask, “how do we achieve that unity?”  First of all unity requires that we practice a love walk of forgiveness and acceptance of others, just as Jesus commanded.  However to be unified also requires that we have a common purpose around which to unify ourselves.  Something we desire to accomplish together.  Remember from the definition given above that consecration involves being solemnly devoted to a purpose.  In our case as believers we should be devoted to God’s purposes.  We look to him both for purpose and for the directives on how to carry out his purposes.  

To begin let us look at God’s purpose as it touches the relationship between Israel and the Gentile believers in Yeshua. I believe we will see this particular purpose to be of critical importance.  Most of us are familiar with the passage in Romans 11 where Paul likens Gentile believers to branches which have been engrafted into the root of the faith of Abraham and his descendants.  Paul shows us that it is God’s purpose for the root to nourish us, support us, and make us holy.  (Rom. 11: 12-18).  If we reflect for a moment, it is obvious that God had a purpose when he called Abraham, and from his descendants built a holy nation founded upon God’s laws.  He had a purpose when he brought Gentile believers in and engrafted them into this rich root of faith that he had taken centuries to nurture.  And he has a purpose for the coming together of Jewish and Gentile believers in Messiah Yeshua.  This purpose is stated in the “one new man” passage of Ephesians 2: 11-22.  Speaking of these two groups Paul states that God’s desire was that he “might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.”  Addressing the Gentile believers, Paul continues, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”  Think of this.  God’s spiritual dwelling place on this earth is a holy temple built of Jewish and Gentile believers together.  Now that is unity – and that is God’s purpose.  This is a purpose so foundational and vital to our mission here that we should make every effort to find out what we need to do to make it happen. 

For us as Gentile believers, we must examine carefully the ways God has commanded us to act toward the Jewish people to see how we can begin to bring about this unity.  Just a short list from the scriptures would include blessing the descendants of Abraham (Gen. 12: 3), prospering them (Rom. 15: 27), giving heartfelt thanks to God for what He has done for us through Israel (Psalm 117), and praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122: 6). I cannot help but feel that great unity would result in the Body of Messiah if we would take seriously these purposes and orders from the Lord.  

Let us look then at the last item on that list -- prayer for Israel – something that each of us could accomplish in only a few minutes a day.  It would seem that this would be one thing around which all believers should be able to unify. This command to bless Israel is stated very early in scripture, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen. 12:3)  Later in scripture we are given more specifics about blessing including the exhortation in  Psalm 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”  According to these scriptures, even self interest would dictate praying for Israel!  But how much better to pray out of a heart of love and gratitude for what we have received from God through this chosen people.  Being “chosen” has not been easy for them.  History is clear about that.  Yet through it all, God was able to shape a people who endeavored to live by his Torah – his teaching and instruction – and through whom he was able to bring both his written Word and his Living Word, Messiah, into the whole world.  I like to think of Israel as the “funnel” through which God was able to bring the blessing of himself into this aching, sinful world.  For that I am grateful and urge the rest of my Gentile brothers and sisters to join me in grateful, diligent, fervent prayer for Israel.  This daily prayer for Israel is a place of unity where the body of Messiah could begin to come together, laying aside doctrinal and denominational differences.  We could unselfishly enter into the heart of God in this matter.  Then we would begin to see consecration develop in our lives and anointing begin to flow.  In addition, the fruit of love would be nurtured as we disciplined ourselves to be diligent in caring about and interceding for this people whom God loves in such a unique way. 

In fact I believe we would see much fruit from this type of fervent unified prayer for Israel – both in our own lives and in the world around us.  This is born out by the second simile given in Psalm 133: “It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.”  Mount Hermon, in the north of Israel, receives plentiful dew.  This moisture is a wonderful mercy of God’s creation which enables the earth to bear fruit.  If this dew were to fall on Mount Zion, which is in the dryer southern region of Israel, it too would be fruitful.  Brotherly unity then is likened to the dew which brings fruitfulness to the earth.  Thus those who walk in brotherly unity will bring fruitfulness to their endeavors and to the people around them.  Spiritual fruit will begin to be seen in the ministry of those walking together in unity.  This can speak of spiritual harvest – of souls coming into the kingdom of God.  As we begin to walk together in the unity of prayer – Jew and Gentile believers together praying for all Israel to be saved – we will begin to see anointing flow and many souls brought into the Kingdom of Light – both Jew and Gentile.  We will begin experiencing, I believe, the unity of the one new man that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 2.   

The last verse of Psalm 133 sums this up.  Seeing a place of unity among his children, the Lord responds: “For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133:3b)  This refers back to the covenantal promise of the blessing of life given to the children of Israel:  “Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."  (Deut.30:19-20 ESV)   Choose life.  Choose obedience.  Choose unity.  Love the Lord your God and hold fast to the life of blessing he offers to those who walk in his ways. In particular – pray for the peace of Jerusalem – and may you prosper!

-Sarah McIlvaine (2006)