FOR THE HEAD WITH THE BODY
The ointment is not for individuals; it is for the Body. It cannot be experienced by those who are separate and detached from the Body. According to the picture in Psalm 133, the ointment is upon the head. Then it spreads to the beard and goes down to the skirts of the garment. This indicates that if we are individualistic, we cannot experience the ointment. Some may argue that they can contact the Lord alone at home. No doubt they can. The crucial matter, however, is whether or not we are one with the church. If we are one with the church, then we can properly contact the Lord alone at home. But if we separate ourselves from the church, our contact with the Lord will be altogether different. The reason is that the anointing oil is not for individualistic members; it is for the Head and the Body, even for the Head with the Body. Hence, to be "painted" by the ointment, we must be in the church. Then we spontaneously enjoy the application of the anointing oil with all its elements. How marvelous is the oneness produced by the application of this ointment!
GRACE—THE TRIUNE GOD AS OUR LIFE SUPPLY
FOR OUR ENJOYMENT
According to Psalm 133:3, the oneness is also like the dew that descends upon the mountains of Zion. The anointing oil is upon the person, Aaron, but the dew is upon the place, Zion. The dew signifies the grace of life (1 Pet. 3:7). The grace of life is the supply of life. In the church life we are not only under the anointing; we also receive the supply, the grace, of life. As we are anointed, we are also graced.
Suppose two brothers who live together in a brothers’ house are having difficulty getting along. However, through their participation in the church life, they are graced and receive the supply of life. Spontaneously they will not only bear one another, but truly love one another. This is the experience of the dew, the grace.
The Apostle Paul abundantly experienced the Lord’s grace. Three times he prayed that the "thorn" which was afflicting him would be removed. The Lord replied that His grace was sufficient for Paul. By this word the Lord indicated that He would not take away the thorn, but He would supply Paul with His sufficient grace.
In 2 Corinthians 13:14 Paul blesses the church with the words, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all" (Gk.). This verse indicates that grace is the Triune God processed to be our life supply. Whereas the ointment signifies the processed Triune God who is "painted" into our being, the dew signifies the Triune God who is our life supply for our enjoyment. Therefore, in the church life daily we are anointed and graced. We are "painted" with the processed God, and we are graced with the very same processed God as our life supply. This anointing and this supply make it possible for us to live in oneness. In the words of Psalm 133, this oneness is like the anointing oil and the watering dew. Under the anointing oil and the watering dew, we experience the blessing of life on the ground of oneness.
(The Genuine Ground of Oneness, Chapter 6, by Witness Lee)
