Mixing Oil and Water
They say you can’t mix oil and water but I thought I’d give it a shot, if only to confirm the claim. I got a glass container, poured in some canola oil, and added water. I noticed that one of the liquids seemed to settle on the bottom right away, but there were “discs” that were floating on the surface. I thought the bottom layer was oil, but that couldn’t be the case because water is supposed to be heavier than oil. Oh well, on to the next step!
I covered the container and shook it pretty hard. When I opened it, I saw the liquid had changed from almost clear to frothy white. It had that color I suppose because there were lots of tiny bubbles.
But almost immediately I could see the liquids separating again.
So my conclusion is they’re right; oil and water don’t mix.
While this is true in a physical sense, spiritual realities are different. To show you what I’m referring to, let’s look at one of the psalms.
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! 2It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. 3It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.” - Psalm 133
Verse 1 gives us the theme of this brief psalm of David–unity. God wants His people to live in harmony. It’s a good thing when togetherness characterizes the Lord’s community. When we walk in agreement with fellow believers, life is sweet. (That’s actually what the Hebrew word signifies. The adjective na`im means “pleasant, delightful, sweet, lovely, agreeable.” Sounds great!)
To reinforce his point, the psalmist compares unity to oil in verse 2 and dew or water in verse 3.
But remember, oil and water don’t mix!
Well, in David’s eyes, maybe they do!
What’s he trying to say?
In verse 2, David describes oil flowing down the head and beard of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel. (Leviticus 8 describes Moses dedicating Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. Verse 12 refers to Aaron being anointed.)
At the time David penned this psalm, service in the tabernacle (and later in the temple) was restricted to the tribe of Levi. And within that tribe, only Aaron and his descendants could offer sacrifices. In other words, priesthood was limited.
So the people played no role?
David is suggesting they do. When God’s people come together in faith and love, it’s as if they’re anointed to serve as priests. We can say that unity is comparable to a sacrifice itself or a qualification to offer a sacrifice. Either way, unity is a spiritual blessing!
Centuries later, the book of Hebrews will reinforce this point.
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess His name. 16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” - Hebrews 13:15-16
The Lord enjoys it when we worship Him together. And we bless His heart when we bless others. Singing and sharing are sacrificial; they’re priestly acts. Whether or not we’ve descended from Levi or Aaron no longer matters. Jesus authorizes us and the Spirit commissions us to serve God sacrificially.
Hallelujah!
The third verse of Psalm 133 mentions “the dew of Hermon.” Mount Hermon is part of a mountainous region north of the Sea of Galilee. It’s 9232 feet high, making it the tallest mountain in Israel. Mostly snow-covered, it provides much of the water for Israel, including the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. It’s more than 250 miles away from Jerusalem, so it’s pretty far removed from that city. As a result, Jerusalem doesn’t get a lot of rainfall from Mount Hermon’s evaporated snow, but David wishes it did!
I read a comment by a fellow named Richard T. Ritenbaugh which shed some light on this subject. While I don’t agree with all of his theology, he made a good point when he wrote the following: “As in verse 2, in which the oil runs from the top of Aaron’s head all the way down to the hem of his skirt, this is another ‘top to bottom’ image. If we imagine Palestine as a body, Hermon is at the ‘head,’ and the dew flows all the way down to Zion near the ‘feet,’ covering the whole land.”
That’s a neat picture! As the oil was comprehensive, covering Aaron from head to toe, so the moisture (clouds, rain, and snow) from Hermon can refresh the entire land, including faraway Mount Zion.
And that speaks to the issue of unity. As the anointing oil was all over Aaron, so life-giving water should be all over Israel. No part of Aaron was left out; no part of Israel should be left out. Serving the Lord and blessing His people; these are to be universal experiences. Any believer in Jesus may enjoy them; every Christian should pursue them.
To summarize Psalm 133, let me say that David was looking back to the anointing of Aaron and looking ahead to the possibility of water from a distant source. Both are expressions of the unity of God’s people.
What joins us together in Christ today is a shared past and a hopeful future. Through the work of Jesus, we Christians are now “a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6; see also 1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:6). And He’s filled us with the living water of the Spirit (John 4:10-14 and 7:37-39) to sustain us in a hot and dry world.
The similes of oil and dew point us to the Holy Spirit who is the Source and the Support of our unity in Christ. Science tells us that oil and water don’t mix, but Scripture tells us they do! In God’s Spirit, they’re one. And in Him, we’re one, too.
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” - Ephesians 4:3
(Bible verses are taken from the NIV.)
