Dad, Easy and the Blessing of Zion
During the last decade of my father’s life, his most favorite thing in the world was when all of our family was under one roof. There was a particular joy he experienced hearing the laughter, recounting stories and sharing meals together. We all experienced it. When brothers and sisters dwell in unity, the Bible says in Psalm 133 that it is “pleasant” and “good” (which is the same word describing God’s creation in Genesis 1).
The family is “society in miniature” and as one author states, is the place where “we first and most deeply learn how to love and be loved, hate and be hated, help and be helped, abuse and be abused.” In a world fraught with sin and its effects, experiencing unity in the family is not a given. And as critical as the family is to the strength of communities, it is not the most important institution of society. The blessing of familial unity bleeds into a greater blessing, one that transcends flesh and blood, time and space, earth and Heaven.
Psalm 133 is the next to last Psalm in the 15 Psalm collection dubbed “The Psalms of Ascent.” These Psalms more than likely were compiled and used by pilgrims who would journey to Jerusalem. After the split of the Davidic Kingdom (930 BC, a result of family disunity) and the subsequent, respective falls (the Northern Kingdom to Assyria in 722 BC, the Southern Kingdom to Babylon in 586 BC), exiles would journey to Jerusalem in hopes that the LORD would fulfill all the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David. Mainly, that Israel would be the Lord’s nation and that through them, “all the families of the earth would be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
The Psalmist leverages two seemingly unrelated metaphors to communicate this move: oil on Aaron’s beard and dew from Mt. Hermon. Pouring oil on one’s head was both an act of hospitality in ancient Israel, as well as a ceremonial act of consecrating kings and priests (hence, the reference to Aaron). Mt. Hermon was known for its abundant dew, making fertile the lands all around it. Interestingly enough, Mt. Hermon was located in the Northern Kingdom, while Zion (where the Psalm culminates) was located in the Southern Kingdom. It’s here we get a sense of what this prayer/song is doing.
By the end of the Psalm, scholar Clinton McCann says that it is clear “the ultimate goodness God intends is the gathering of [His] larger family, the whole people of God. When God’s people gather in [Zion], God’s place, they experience their true family and home, for they are in touch with the true source of their life — God’s presence.” All of this imagery rushes forth in the story of Jesus. The Apostle Paul says that in His body, Jesus “killed the hostility” that divides humans on the cross (Ephesians 2:16), so that the dwelling place of God then becomes His true people: those who turn from sin and trust Jesus for life and salvation.
What this means is that all of the micro-expressions of family unity and joy experienced in this life, are simply arrows pointing to this great, glorious reality that the LORD is going to do. Simultaneously, all of the familial expressions of disunity and trauma and grief and the longing for something more, will be swallowed up and redeemed into this greater blessing. Which reminds me of a man I once knew, named Easy.
Rickey grew up without a father, in a volatile home where his first three jobs were drug dealer, hitman and running a chop shop. Rickey got the nickname “Easy” though because of his chill demeanor. Which was so true: He really was easy to get along with. As I got to know him more, I found out that Easy had 6 kids with 4 different women. One day, I was giving Easy a ride to his mama’s house and I asked him what his dream was. What, if money and time were no issue, would he want to do most? He looked out the window for a minute, and with a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes said, “I’d want all my kids to be under one roof with me.” I took a minute to take that in. I told him that was a good dream and I prayed that it would become a reality for him. Somehow, someway. But that longing, that desire deep inside him has roots. That’s the image of God in him longing for the good and pleasant unity we were made for. The same sense of joy my Dad grew to love and appreciate, and the same blessing God intends to give all who trust him.
