A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore. – Psalm 131:1-3 ESV
1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore. – Psalm 133:1-3 ESV
These two Psalms are also songs of ascent, a collection of Psalms that were sung as pilgrims made their annual journey to Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover. In Psalm 131, David places the emphasis on the individual by expressing his personal humility toward God. Though he was the king of Israel, he didn't think too highly of himself or allow his high office and royal authority to go to his head. His robes and riches gave him an air of superiority, but he knew he was no better than any of his subjects.
But as one of his subjects, it might have sounded strange to hear your king say, “I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp” (Psalm 131:1 NLT). Wasn’t that part of his job? As the holder of the highest office in the land, wasn’t the king expected to surround himself with wise counselors and competent advisors who could help him deal with all the pressing matters that came with running a country?
But David isn’t declaring himself incompetent to carry out his role or disinterested in dealing with complex issues; he is trying to convey his dependence upon the LORD. It was Yahweh who said, “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word” (Isaiah 66:2 NLT). And David reflected his understanding of that truth when he wrote, “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (Psalm 51:17 NLT).
From his own experience, David learned that God rescues the proud and humiliates the proud (Psalm 18:27). There was no place for arrogance in the life of a godly person. In another of his psalms, David professed his disgust with and refusal to tolerate anyone who displayed prideful characteristics.
Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
I will not endure. – Psalm 101:5 ESV
In this psalm, David describes himself as “a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk” (Psalm 131:2 NLT). This imagery is meant to convey his satisfaction with Yahweh. In English, the word “weaned” means “to detach from a source of dependence” (“Wean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wean. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025). A weaned child is one who no longer needs his mother's milk to satisfy his physical cravings; he has found another source of nourishment. For David, the LORD had become his sole source of comfort, provision, protection, and strength. He needed nothing and no one else to satisfy him.
That is what led him to write, “And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7 NLT). It was Jeremiah the prophet who wrote, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him” (Jeremiah 17:7 BSB). In the Book of Lamentations, Jeremiah repeats his unwavering confidence in the LORD.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” – Lamentations 3:24 BSB
The Hebrew word translated as “portion” is ḥēleq, and it conveys the idea of receiving a share of something significant, as in an inheritance. Jeremiah is saying that the LORD is all he needs. There is nothing else this life can offer that compares with having Yahweh as your portion. David used the very same word when he wrote about the wicked who seek their “portion” in this life.
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O LORD,
from men of the world whose portion [ḥēleq] is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants. – Psalm 17:13-14 ESV
David had been weaned from that way of life. He had discovered something better and encouraged his fellow Israelites to follow his lead and put their hope and trust in Yahweh.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD —
now and always. – Psalm 131:3 NLT
In Psalm 133, he turns his attention to the communal aspect of his faith. He recognizes that he is part of a collection of individuals who, together, make up the family of God. But it is about more than community, it is about harmony and unity.
How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony! – Psalm 133:1 NLT
It’s impossible to have Yahweh as your portion and to live at odds with His people. David could boast of having a right relationship with the LORD, but it would mean nothing if he couldn’t get along with others. The apostle John expressed the non-negotiable nature of brotherly love among God's people.
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. – 1 John 4:20-21 NLT
In an earlier chapter, John expressed the same idea in slightly different terms.
If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness. – 1 John 2:9-11 NLT
David understood that his “portion” was not his own. He was destined to share that inheritance with the rest of God’s family. And that still holds true today. Unity and harmony are two of the highest priorities for the church. In fact, in His high priestly prayer, Jesus asked His Heavenly Father to bring about the unity of the body after His death, resurrection, and ascension.
“Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.” – John 17:11 NLT
“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” – John 17:21 NLT
Jesus prayed for our unity, harmony, and oneness. He longed to see His body, the church, united in their love for the Father and for one another. Long before Jesus prayed that prayer in the garden, He had told His disciples, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35 NLT). And that message made it to the ears of the apostle Paul, who shared it with the church in Philippi.
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. – Philippians 2:1-5 NLT
He then goes on to describe the attitude that Christ had: One of humility, service, sacrifice, love, and obedience. Paul says that we are to have this same mindset. We are to pursue unity through humility.
In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul stressed the same idea:
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. – Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT
There it is again: Humility, unity, and oneness. Paul understood the wisdom in what David had written hundreds of years earlier. It truly is wonderful and pleasant when brothers live together in harmony. And because of what Christ accomplished on the cross and due to the influence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can love as no one has ever loved before. We have the mind of Christ and can love as He loved, sacrifice, and humble ourselves in the same way He did, and give our lives away in selfless service to others, especially within the context of the body of Christ.
Before He went to His death on the cross, Jesus spoke these words to His disciples: "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:34-35 NLT).
Jesus commanded His followers to love one another. That would be the distinctive characteristic that they belonged to Him. It would prove their relationship with Him. Yet, it is amazing how much emphasis we put on the Great Commission, because it conveys our mission to go out into the world and make disciples. But we rarely, if ever, talk about Jesus’ command to love one another. This is no less an expectation of Christ for His church than the Great Commission. He is commanding us to love as He loved – to the point of death. But are we fulfilling that command? Does the world know we are His disciples because of our selfless love for one another, or is it because of our acts of charity, generosity, evangelistic zeal, or organizational effectiveness? All those things are good and necessary, but they can be done without love. Is it our love for one another that acts as honey to the bee or light to the moth? Are the lost attracted to our love for one another? Do they see in us something that is missing from the world?
Christ has given us the capacity to love and be loved. He has created a new thing called the church, the family of God. In it, we are to live out the character of Christ in the context of community. What good is it to express our love for the lost when we struggle to love one another? How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in harmony!
Father, as the church, we have failed to obey the command of Your own Son. We do not love one another as He has called us to love. We can be petty, selfish, divisive, competitive, and mean. We can attempt to do great things for Your kingdom while we refuse to love one another as we have been loved by You. Open our eyes and help us to understand that the church is a noun, not a verb. We are Your people. We are to live as such. We are Your children. We are to get along. We present You in the world. But if we can't love one another, the Good News loses some of its power. Amen
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
