The Testimony of the Church Life in Maturity (1)

Psalms 133:
The Testimony of the Church Life in Maturity (1)

Our Maturity Results in a Glorious Oneness

Psalm 133 is a psalm we all know very well because we often sing it as a hymn. However, we may not truly know this psalm as it was meant to be known. Psalm 133 was meant to be a display of maturity, not a display of emotion.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity!" (v. 1). How is it possible for us to experience the oneness described in this verse? We can only be one by exercising our maturity as portrayed in Psalm 132, in which Christ becomes everything and we disappear. In other words, we can only have the genuine oneness when we lose our individuality. This is to have the display of maturity.

Our Oneness Causes Us to Enjoy the Divine Anointing

Psalm 133 continues, "It is like the fine oil upon the head that ran down upon the beard, upon Aaron's beard, that ran down upon the hem of his garments" (v.2). This fine oil that was poured upon Aaron's head was the anointing oil, as described in Exodus 30:22-33. According to this psalm, what should characterize our unity? Our unity should be accompanied by the enjoyment of the divine anointing. For us to be under the divine anointing means that we are filled and saturated with the living presence of Christ.

"Our unity should be accompanied by the enjoyment of the divine anointing."

For This Oneness We Need the Headship and Person of Christ

The enjoyment and experience of the divine anointing comes from our oneness. According to this psalm, the anointing oil runs down upon the head. This means that we need the headship of Christ. The anointing oil comes down upon the head, and then runs down from the head to the body. In the Bible the head also refers to the person. When we have Christ's headship, we also have His person. The oneness described in this psalm can only be displayed in the church life if all of the saints are in submission to Christ's headship. Every saint must be under Christ's headship for true oneness to be realized. This oneness will cause us to enjoy the divine anointing.

For This Oneness We Need the Maturity of Christ with His Priestly Serving Life

The ointment that was poured upon Aaron's head ran down to his beard. In the Bible the beard signifies maturity, because a young man cannot grow a beard until he becomes mature. For the ointment to run down upon the beard signifies that we who are in oneness not only possess Christ's headship and person, but also His maturity. Furthermore, this is not just any beard, but "Aaron's beard." Aaron was the high priest. "Aaron's beard" represents the maturity of a priestly serving life. A mature priest is one who brings God to man and man to God. This should be our serving life. We must have the headship, the person, the maturity, and the serving life of Christ. Aaron's beard represents a mature exercise in the priestly serving life. When all of the saints are exercised in such a way the church life becomes a corporate serving life. In such a condition we have the oneness which brings in the divine anointing.

Our Oneness Produces a Marvelous Testimony of Christ

Eventually the anointing oil ran down from Aaron's beard to the "hem of his garments." A person's garments signifies his outward expression, his testimony. For the ointment to reach the "hem of his garments" means that eventually there is a wonderful testimony produced from our oneness in the church life. The divine anointing reaches the very hem of our garments. The church life becomes a glorious display. On one hand it is a display of our maturity, but it is Christ Himself who is expressed. When people look at our oneness they see the marvelous testimony of Christ.

"The dew of Hermon is the ascended Christ with the freshness and fragrance of His resurrection."

In this One Testimony We Experience the Freshness of Christ's Resurrection

Psalm 133 continues, "Like the dew of Hermon that came down upon the mountains of Zion" (v. 3a). Our oneness is like the "dew of Hermon." Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains, and Mount Hermon is the highest of them all. Mount Hermon in the Bible signifies the ascended Christ. We know that Christ went through death and resurrection, and now He is in ascension. In His ascension He is likened to "dew." Dew is produced after a cold, dark night. The Lord passed through the cold, dark night of death and entered into resurrection and ascension. In ascension the Lord now possesses the freshness of resurrection.

The dew of Hermon is the ascended Christ with the freshness and fragrance of His resurrection. The dew of Hermon descended upon the mountains of Zion. Saints who are in the stage of maturity are all like mountains. But although there are many mountains there is only one Zion, which means that there is only one testimony. In this testimony we experience the descending dew, which is the freshness of the resurrected Christ. In the stage of maturity we eventually see nothing but resurrection in the church life. Every dear saint becomes a testimony of resurrection. We no longer see the flesh, the self-life, or the natural things; instead we only see the resurrected Christ. Based upon our oneness in maturity, the ascended Christ renders us the freshness of His resurrection for us to enjoy and experience. Praise the Lord for such a church life!

The Lord Commands His Blessing upon the Church Life in Maturity

Psalm 133 concludes, "For there Jehovah commanded the blessing: Life forever" (v. 3b). This verse is so sweet and so precious. When the church life enters into maturity the Lord commands His blessing. In His testimony there is life forever more. Just a glimpse of this will make our heart leap for joy! After reading Psalm 133 we should all pray, "Oh Lord, we don't want to be emotional about Your testimony. Grant us the reality of oneness under Your divine anointing! We want to exercise with maturity until we have the display of such a marvelous church life!"

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To purchase the book Journey of Life; the Psalms of Ascent and Song of Songs

Other messages of the Psalms of Ascent

The Stage of Maturity - Psalms 132-134: The maturity that is described in the last stage of the Psalms of Ascent is different from the maturity we have seen in the previous stages. We will see that eventually our maturity is no longer an individual experience, but a corporate one.

The Exercise of Maturity - Psalm 132 shows us a mature saint who knows how to rest, how to be in submission, and how to wait on the Lord. Yet in this situation of restfulness the writer still has a desperation. What is it that we are desperate for? We are desperate for the substance of the Lord's testimony to be produced. The psalmist describes a matured person's consecration, my house is God's house.

The Testimony of the Church Life in Maturity (2) - Psalm 134 does not speak of the maturity of one individual but of the entire Body of Christ. When we enter into the experience of this psalm, it is not only we ourselves who are different, but all of the saints are different. Here at the end of the Psalms of Ascent, the church as the Bride has made herself ready and is awaiting the Lord's return.