Oil, Beards & Mountain Dew? Psalm 133 Finally Makes Sense
Study Guide: Psalm 133
There is a funny thing about people.
We tend to like them quite a bit from a reasonable distance.
Then we start spending time together.
Take a road trip with somebody. Share a campsite for a week. Work on a project together. Put six adults in one house with one bathroom. Better yet, put a group of Christians in a room and ask them to decide what temperature the thermostat should be.
Suddenly, community gets complicated.
The problem isn’t necessarily that we don’t like people. The problem is that people come equipped with opinions, habits, personalities, preferences and an astonishing ability to do things differently than we would have done them.
And, inconveniently, we are one of those people too.
That is what makes Psalm 133 so interesting.
David doesn't describe healthy community as a place where everybody finally agrees. He doesn't say unity happens when we locate twelve people with identical personalities, politics, preferences and opinions.
Instead, he gives us two rather strange pictures.
Oil running down a man's beard.
And dew coming off a mountain.
Not exactly the illustrations most of us would have chosen for a lesson about getting along.
But once we understand what those pictures meant to the people singing this Psalm, they become surprisingly powerful.
Because Psalm 133 isn't really about finding perfect people.
It's about what happens when God's grace starts spreading through imperfect ones.
SETTING THE SCENE:
Psalm 133 is one of the shortest Psalms of Ascent—just three verses—and its heading connects it with David.
We aren't told exactly when David wrote it or what particular event may have inspired it, so we shouldn't pretend we know. What matters for our journey through these Psalms is how these words would have sounded in the mouths of pilgrims traveling together toward Jerusalem.
And together is the important word.
Imagine families and groups arriving from different places and joining the roads leading toward Jerusalem. Different towns. Different backgrounds. Different personalities. Different stories. As the journey continued, smaller groups became part of a much larger crowd, all heading toward the same city to worship the same God.
Then they sang:
“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”— Psalm 133:1 NLT
The word “brothers” shouldn't make us picture only biological brothers. These pilgrims belonged to the larger family of Israel. They were God's covenant people.
They weren't united because they were identical.
They were united because they belonged to the same God and were headed toward the same place.
There is something beautifully appropriate about pilgrims singing Psalm 133 while walking together.
Because you can admire community from a distance.
You discover whether you can actually live it when you have to share the road.
NEW WORSHIP:
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Inspired by Psalm 131
“You Are Enough” is a modern worship song inspired by Psalm 131—a simple reminder that we don’t have to understand everything, control everything, or get everything we want. Like a child resting quietly with a parent, we can quiet our souls, let God be God, and simply trust Him.
You don’t have to have all the answers. God is enough.
YOU CAN FIND THE LYRICS TO THIS SONG AT THE END OF THIS STUDY GUIDE 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
1. COMMUNITY MEANS WALKING WITH PEOPLE WHO AREN'T YOU
David begins by celebrating how good it is when God's people live together in harmony.
Notice what he doesn't say.
He doesn't say how wonderful it is when everybody agrees.
Real community means following God alongside people who are different from us—people we love and people who occasionally drive us nuts. Jesus calls us to love both. Community is where we learn patience, forgiveness, humility and grace. It isn't merely where we practice our faith; it's one of the places God shapes it.
That's an important distinction because we sometimes approach community like we're shopping for a pair of boots.
We want the right fit.
We want people who think like us, enjoy what we enjoy, vote like us, worship like us and preferably never say anything that makes us uncomfortable.
But people aren't products.
And Christian community isn't built by finding people who require no grace from us.
In fact, some of the very things God wants to develop in us can only develop because other people are around.
You don't learn patience when nobody tests your patience.
You don't learn forgiveness when nobody hurts you.
You don't learn humility when everybody agrees that your idea is obviously the best one.
Sometimes the person making community difficult isn't standing in the way of your spiritual growth.
They may unknowingly be helping produce it.
2. HARMONY DOESN'T MEAN EVERYBODY SINGS THE SAME NOTE
Psalm 133 isn't pretending community is easy. Families fight, disciples argue, and Christians can still drive each other nuts. Biblical unity doesn't mean everybody agrees or becomes the same. It means real people, with real differences, choosing patience, forgiveness and grace as they keep walking toward the same God together.
Think about the word harmony.
Harmony isn't everyone singing exactly the same note.
Different notes can sound beautiful when they belong to the same song.
That gives us a helpful picture of Christian community.
Unity doesn't require us to erase our personalities, pretend disagreements don't exist or act as though every opinion is equally wise.
We can disagree.
We can challenge one another.
Sometimes we need to correct one another.
Sometimes we need to apologize to one another.
Sometimes we may need difficult conversations.
The goal isn't sameness.
The goal is learning how to remain faithful to Jesus while treating the people walking beside us as brothers and sisters rather than obstacles.
And when that actually happens, David says it is something worth celebrating.
3. WHO WAS AARON?
Then David reaches for his first unusual picture.
“For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head...”— Psalm 133:2 NLT
Aaron was Moses' brother and Israel's first high priest. God gave him the job of leading Israel in worship and representing the people before God. So when these pilgrims heard Aaron's name, they thought of worship, God's presence, and a man specifically chosen and set apart to serve God.
That background matters because David isn't describing somebody who spilled olive oil on himself while making lunch.
This was sacred anointing oil connected with Aaron being set apart for God's service.
And that brings us to the oil itself.
4. WHY OIL?
Oil was valuable in ancient Israel, associated with abundance, celebration and well-being. It provided food and light and was used in worship. Unlike water, oil clings, spreads, carries fragrance and leaves evidence behind. God even prescribed a special fragrant mixture specifically for sacred anointing.
That's easy for us to miss.
We hear “oil” and probably think about changing it every 5,000 miles.
They heard something entirely different.
This was precious.
It was useful.
It carried fragrance.
And when you poured it onto something, it didn't simply disappear.
It spread.
That's exactly the picture David is about to use.
5. THIS WAS A LOT OF OIL
David doesn't picture somebody dipping a finger into oil and making a tiny mark on Aaron's forehead.
The oil is poured over his head, runs through his beard and continues down onto his clothes.
This is not subtle.
It's abundant.
Extravagant.
Overflowing.
And David says harmony among God's people is like that.
There's something beautiful here.
God's grace isn't supposed to reach us and stop.
Someone encourages you, and eventually you learn to encourage someone else.
Somebody forgives you, and you become a little quicker to forgive.
Someone patiently walks beside you through a difficult season, and someday you find yourself walking beside somebody else.
Grace spreads.
Faith spreads.
Generosity spreads.
Encouragement spreads.
One person's story gives another person courage.
One person's kindness changes somebody else's day.
And like fragrant oil, what gets poured out can leave something behind.
Healthy Christian community isn't simply a collection of people receiving God's blessing.
It's a place where God's blessing keeps getting passed around.
6. THEN DAVID GIVES US MOUNTAIN DEW
Just when you think we've used enough strange imagery for three verses, David gives us another one.
“Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion.”— Psalm 133:3 NLT
Yes.
There is Mountain Dew in the Bible.
This particular version comes without caffeine, high-fructose corn syrup or a convenience-store fountain machine, but the name still works.
Mount Hermon sits far north of Jerusalem and is considerably higher and wetter than the country around Zion. Its heavy dew would have been associated with moisture and fertility.
David poetically imagines that refreshing moisture reaching all the way down to Zion.
The geography isn't the point.
The refreshment is.
7. DEW BRINGS LIFE TO DRY PLACES
In Israel's dry summers, dew brought needed moisture and new life to thirsty ground. David says healthy community can do the same for us. Someone listens, prays, encourages or simply walks beside us. The problem may still be there, but we leave refreshed, strengthened and no longer carrying it alone.
That's a beautiful picture of what God's people can be for one another.
Sometimes you don't need somebody to solve your problem.
You don't need a three-point explanation for why it happened.
You don't need somebody to tell you that everything will magically be fine by Tuesday.
Sometimes you simply need somebody to sit beside you.
Someone who listens.
Someone who reminds you of what's true when you've temporarily forgotten it.
Someone who prays when you're too tired to find the words yourself.
Someone who makes you laugh when life has become far too serious.
Nothing about your circumstances necessarily changes.
But somehow you breathe a little easier.
That's dew on dry ground.
8. YOU CAN'T DO “ONE ANOTHER” ALONE
Our culture emphasizes my goals, my happiness, my life, even my relationship with God. But biblical Christianity is never a solo journey. Jesus gathered disciples, and the New Testament repeatedly says to love, encourage, forgive, serve and support one another. You simply can't do “one another” alone.
That fits beautifully with where Psalm 133 appears in the Songs of Ascents.
These people have been walking toward Jerusalem.
But nobody arrives alone.
The pilgrimage has brought them together.
And that's something Eugene Peterson emphasizes when reflecting on this Psalm in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. Community isn't an optional extra added to our relationship with God once everything else is sorted out. Other people are part of the environment in which God teaches us how to actually live what we say we believe.
That's considerably messier than practicing Christianity by ourselves.
It's also considerably more biblical.
The people around us aren't interruptions to discipleship.
They're part of it.
Learn more about our exciting out-of-the-box ministry here
Before you go through the study guide, read the whole Psalm.
I would suggest reading or listening to it in two different bible translations:
First read it in NASB or NKJV, then read it again from a NLT, NIV or ESV Bible.
THE BIGGER LESSON — GOD'S GRACE SHOULD KEEP MOVING
Both of David's strange pictures finally come together.
Oil spreads.
Dew refreshes.
And that's a pretty good picture of what healthy Christian community should become.
Christian community is good when God's grace spreads through us to others.
Oil pours out, spreads, sticks and leaves something behind—like faith, generosity and encouragement.
Dew settles on dry ground, bringing refreshment and life—like someone who strengthens the tired, encourages the discouraged and helps others keep going.
So perhaps the question isn't simply whether we're part of a Christian community.
The better question is:
What happens to people because we're part of it?
Do we spread grace?
Do we bring encouragement?
Do weary people leave our presence a little stronger?
Do discouraged people feel seen?
Does somebody else's faith grow because ours rubbed off on them?
That's when community becomes more than people gathering in the same room.
It becomes God's grace moving through His people.
Learn more about supporting this ministry here.
Why Context Changes Everything
Without context, Psalm 133’s oil and dew can sound like two strange comparisons.
But to the pilgrims singing these words together on the road to Jerusalem, both were powerful pictures of blessing that spreads and brings life. Understanding their world helps us hear the Psalm the way they did.
FOUR WAYS TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED
LOOK BACK — What does the passage actually say?
What does David say is “wonderful and pleasant” in verse 1, and what does he compare it to?
What details does David give about the oil, and why do you think he emphasizes how far it spreads?
What does the picture of dew add to the picture of oil? What does each one communicate differently?
LOOK IN — What is happening inside me?
When people spend time with you, what tends to spread from your life into theirs?
Who has left a lasting mark on your faith because their encouragement, generosity or grace “rubbed off” on you?
Are there people you've pulled away from simply because they're difficult or different from you?
When you're struggling, is it natural for you to reach toward community or pull away and try to handle everything yourself?
LOOK UP — What does this teach me about God?
What do these pictures tell us about the kind of blessing God wants to produce among His people?
Why do you think God places such importance on how His people treat one another?
What might it tell us about God's grace that David pictures blessing as something abundant enough to overflow and spread?
LOOK AHEAD — What will I do with this?
Who could use some “dew” from you this week—a phone call, prayer, encouragement, meal, visit or simply someone willing to listen?
What has God poured into your life that you could intentionally begin passing along to somebody else?
Is there a relationship where God may be asking you to choose patience, forgiveness or reconciliation instead of simply walking away?
Which do you want to be this week—oil or dew—and why?
Journey Group OR ME & 3 Small Group Discussion Starters:
If you're using this guide with your Journey Group, Me & 3 group, or a few friends, don't feel like you need to work through every question. Start with something that gets people talking and then let the conversation go deeper.
Think about someone who has been oil or dew in your life.
Maybe their faith rubbed off on you and left something behind. Maybe they entered a dry season of your life and brought encouragement, laughter, prayer, wisdom or simply their presence.
Who was that person, what did they do, and how did God use them in your life?
Then take it one step further:
Who might need you to become that person for them?
Remember This:
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IS GOOD WHEN GOD'S GRACE DOESN'T STOP WITH US—IT SPREADS THROUGH US.
Be like oil. Spread what God has poured into you.
Be like dew. Bring refreshment to somebody's dry ground.
FINAL THOUGHT
Three verses. One oily beard. Some Mountain Dew. And somehow David makes it work.
Psalm 133 reminds us that good community isn’t about finding people who never annoy us. It’s about God’s grace spreading through ordinary, imperfect people.
Like oil, grace spreads.
Like dew, it refreshes.
God pours into us so His goodness can spill over onto somebody else.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SONG
YOU ARE ENOUGH
Inspired by Psalm 131
Verse 1
I don’t need to have the answers
I don’t need to understand
I don’t have to hold tomorrow
I can leave it in Your hands
I don’t need to prove I matter
I don’t need the world to see
I can lay my pride before You
And let You be God to me
Pre-Chorus
So I quiet my heart
I quiet my soul
I’m letting go
Of what I can’t control
Chorus
You are enough
You are enough
When I don’t understand
I know that I can trust
You are enough
You are enough
I’ll quiet my soul
And rest in Your love
Verse 2
I don’t need to keep on striving
For everything I think I need
Like a child beside a parent
I can rest here at Your feet
You don’t owe me explanations
You don’t have to prove Your love
I can trust You in the waiting
I can know that You’re enough
Pre-Chorus
So I quiet my heart
I quiet my soul
I’m letting go
Of what I can’t control
Chorus
You are enough
You are enough
When I don’t understand
I know that I can trust
You are enough
You are enough
I’ll quiet my soul
And rest in Your love
Bridge
I don’t have to know
I don’t have to see
I don’t have to hold
What belongs to You
I don’t have to know
I don’t have to see
I can let You be God
And You can carry me
Bridge — Build
Let God be God
Let my heart be still
Let God be God
I will trust You still
Let God be God
Let my heart be still
You have always been enough
And You always will
Final Chorus — From “I” to “We”
You are enough
You are enough
When we don’t understand
We know that we can trust
You are enough
You are enough
We’ll quiet our souls
And rest in Your love
Outro
We’ll put our hope in You
We’ll put our hope in You
Today and tomorrow
We’ll put our hope in You
Together we will walk
Together we will trust
You have always been enough
And You always will be enough.
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I love the humor.