The Entered Apprentice Degree

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Psalm 133
v1. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
v2. "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."
v3. "As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."

History of the book of Psalms:
While some ascribe all of the Psalms to King David, the heavier weight of authority is that the greater part of them were written by David. The most widely accepted breakdown is 73 are attributed to King David; twelve to Asaph; eleven to the sons of Korah; two to King Solomon (72nd and 12th); one to Etna and one to Moses (90th). There is no widespread agreement on the authorship of the remaining Psalms: a few attribute some of them to the aforementioned men, while some are designated as "Anonymous".

Many of the Psalms were composed over the course of many years and were begun to be collected into a body of literature in the time of King David. As the book contains 150 independent compositions, it is not susceptible of any logical analysis. Psalms 120 to 143 are sometimes referred to as Pilgrim psalms or Songs of Degrees which may have been sung by the Jews as they ascended the heights of Jerusalem for annual feasts.

The Psalms present a wide range of human experiences: men burdened with affliction; struggling with temptation; or triumphing in the hope or enjoyment of deliverance. Admiring perfection of the Divinity, thanking God for his mercies, meditating on His truths, or delighting in His service; all of these and more are exhibited in the Book of Psalms.

Since King David is considered by most authorities to have written the 133rd Psalm, a brief biographical sketch of him is in order.

David, the second king of Israel, was the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth, iv, 18). He was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse of the tribe of Judah, dwelling in Bethlehem, where David was born. According to the usually accepted Biblical chronology, David was born in 1085 B.C.and reigned as King from 1055 to 1015 B.C. Some recent writers now date his reign from 30 to 50years later.

David first appears in Scripture as a shepherd lad, tending his father's flocks in the fields near Bethlehem. While his three elder brothers were in King Saul's army, fighting against the Philistines, David was sent to the army camp with some provisions: there he heard that the giant, Goliath, had challenged all Israel to single combat. David volunteered to accept the challenge.

David's victory over Goliath won for him the friendship of Jonathan, the son of King Saul, and a permanent position at the King’s court. However, David's popularity aroused the jealousy of Saul. David, being made captain of a thousand men, encountered many dangers in order to win the hand of Merob, Saul's eldest daughter, but in spite of the King's promise she was given to another man. Michol, Saul's other daughter loved David: King Saul, hoping that David would be killed by the Philistines, promised to give her in marriage, provided David could slay on hundred Philistines in battle. David succeeded and married Michol. This success, however, made Saul even more paranoid about David, so he ordered David be killed. Through the intervention of Jonathan, David was spared but Saul's hatred obliged David to flee.

A meeting with Jonathan convinced David that reconciliation with Saul was impossible, so for the rest of Saul's reign, David was an exile. Samuel, the Prophet and last of the Judges had been sent to anoint David as King in place of Saul, whom God had rejected for disobedience. Seven years after David was anointed, King Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle.

By God's command, David went to Hebron to claim the throne. The men of Judah accepted him as king, and he was again anointed. Civil was lasted for some time, but David's power continued to increase. After many military victories, David was anointed King of all Israel.

To be continued...