Aaron's Beard

When this psalm wants a picture of brothers living together in peace, which man does it reach for? The psalm is only three verses long, and the middle verse is a face: "It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments."

That is the high priest's anointing being remembered. When Aaron was set apart as high priest, oil was poured on his head, so much of it that it ran off his chin and down onto his collar. And Aaron has a history. He is the man who took the people's gold and made a calf out of it, and then told his brother Moses, "I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf." He is the man who lost two sons in one day when they offered "strange fire," and of him it is written, "And Aaron held his peace." He is also the man who, with his sons, was given the great blessing to speak over Israel: "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee."

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" The first word of the psalm tells you to look, and looking is all the psalm does. There is oil on a head, oil in a beard, and oil running down to the collar of his garment. Then there is the dew of Hermon coming down on the mountains of Zion. It leaves the picture unexplained, and simply ends by telling you what God does in that place: "for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." The oil ran down on a man with Aaron's past, and God still pours out His blessing where His people live together in peace.

Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year one reading for day 328 is Following to Know (Hosea 6:3).

All 365 readings in Daily Manna, Year Two