Editorial October 12, 1946 Issue

How Pleasant Is Unity!

John Randall Dunn

In the one hundred and thirty-third Psalm, in one brief sentence, David sets forth an ideal towards which yearning human thought has ever been directed. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is," he sings, "for brethren to dwell together in unity!" The Psalmist, the king of Israel, whose career had been a stormy one, and whose hands were stained with the blood of many conflicts, could speak feelingly on this subject. Without doubt, in his later years, the tragedy, the utter folly, of continual dissension was borne in upon him and caused him to utter these immortal words.

In this connection it is interesting to note that the words "unity." "unite," and "united" occur only three times in the Old Testament. Is it not possible that unified action was so rarely achieved with the warring tribes of Israel that any mention thereof would be an anachronism? However, prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah envisioned the coming of happier days, when God and true brotherhood would be understood, when swords would be beaten into plowshares and millennial harmony would begin to make its appearance among men.

Cannot the human family rejoice, therefore, in the signs of these times? While hate, distrust, and the confusion of minds many still are walking to and fro in the earth, sowing seeds of dissension and disunity, yet there are heartening indications that the dawn of a better day is not the idle dream of impractical philosophers. The night is not so black. There are tens of thousands of men and women working and praying for the unification of mankind. Now, after a cataclysmic war, man honest effort is being made by a mighty host of nations to band together all peoples to keep the peace of the world. These righteous efforts cannot, must not, fail.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Editorial
Rejecting Error
October 12, 1946
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit