The Fragrance of Unity

Psalm 133

Every now and then, the Lord highlights a passage of Scripture and won’t let me move on. That happened recently with Psalm 133. I’ve read it many times over the years. I know it’s a psalm about unity, yet this time I couldn’t seem to get past the picture David uses to describe it.

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity. It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard…” (Psalm 133:1–2)

The invitation to ask a question came quickly and so I asked: Lord, why oil? What are You inviting me to see?

Almost before the words were outside of my mouth, I felt the Lord leading me to explore the anointing oil itself. It wasn’t made from one ingredient but from a carefully measured blend of costly spices mixed with olive oil. Every ingredient contributed its own fragrance, yet none of them represented the finished oil on their own. Only when they were brought together according to God’s design was the full fragrance released.

Then, almost immediately, I felt the Lord’s nudge to look a little further, and another layer came into view. In Aaron’s day, oil wasn’t simply associated with fragrance. Olive oil protected skin that had been exposed to the harsh Middle Eastern climate, and many of the aromatic spices God instructed Moses to use are now known to contain compounds with healing properties. The sacred anointing oil described in Exodus was reserved for consecration, but I couldn’t help noticing how beautifully those purposes intertwined in the psalm. Fragrance. Consecration. Healing. The thoughts seemed to come one after another, revealing something of God’s own heart.

That imagery began to feel less distant and much more personal. I had been asking the Lord for word of encouragement I needed for a group of volunteers I serve with for the online community of a large church. I couldn’t help but think about the way we work as a team. One person keeps an eye out for newcomers. Another prays. Someone else brings encouragement. Others gather testimonies, share resources, protect the online space, and some serve behind the scenes.

As I looked at that list of names that were on roster to serve the coming Sunday, Psalm 133 came flooding back into my mind, and I sensed the Lord asking, What if each of them carries one of the fragrances that make a fragrant offering to the Lord and are poured out as a collective healing oil?

That thought stopped me.

Every person carried something different. Different personalities. Different gifts. Different experiences. Different ways of reflecting Christ. None of them were meant to carry the whole fragrance. Each simply brought the part the Lord Himself had entrusted to them.

As I continued dialoguing with the Lord, another connection came almost unexpectedly. Aaron, Israel’s high priest, points us toward Jesus, our great High Priest. Almost immediately my thoughts went to Mary breaking open her alabaster jar and pouring its costly perfume over Jesus. The fragrance filled the whole house.

I don’t want to force connections that Scripture itself doesn’t make, but I found myself wondering if the Lord was inviting me to notice a thread that runs through these passages. Aaron was anointed with precious oil. Jesus was honoured with precious perfume. Now, as the Body of Christ serves Him together, we each bring something precious - not spices or perfume, but our worship, our obedience, our prayers, our encouragement, our hospitality, our generosity, our faithfulness. Individually they may seem ordinary. Together they become an offering that points people to Christ.

By this point, I realized the Lord wasn’t simply drawing my attention to unity. He was revealing something of the Father’s delight.

How often do we compare ourselves with someone else and conclude that our contribution doesn’t matter because it isn’t as visible as theirs? Yet the Master who designed the blend has never asked us to carry someone else’s fragrance. He delights in the one He entrusted to us.

I wondered if that’s why David described unity as both good and pleasant. Certainly it is good and pleasant for us, but perhaps it is also a delight to the Father. As I sat with Him, one scene after another came to mind. An encourager speaking hope into someone who was ready to give up. An intercessor quietly praying when no one else knew the need. A host noticing the person standing alone and making sure they felt seen. A servant setting out chairs before anyone arrived. A teacher faithfully opening God’s Word. Then my attention settled on those who are rarely noticed at all—the ones working behind the scenes so everything else can happen. I couldn’t escape the impression that the Father’s delight rested on every one of them. Each brought their own unique fragrance to the blend. That thought has stayed with me.

Perhaps one of the sweetest fragrances rising before our great High Priest today isn’t the brilliance of one extraordinary believer, but the beautiful aroma released when ordinary believers faithfully bring what God has placed within them and serve together in unity.

That, I think, is both good… and very pleasant indeed.

©2026 Kath Walden

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