One of the greatest testimonies of the Christian church through the centuries has been its unity. Luke tells us in the book of events how the Christian community met every day to pray together and eat together. We are told how the wealthy of the church sold their properties and put the money at the apostles' feet and the money was distributed so that no one needed it. The message is clear and beautiful: God is pleased when there is harmony in his people.
The Hebrew word that translates as "brothers" is "ach". This appears about 740 times throughout the Old Testament and refers primarily to a close relative. In fact, the most accurate use refers to blood brothers. However, sometimes the term is not used only to denote brothers in the flesh, but also
used to denote great closeness or proximity. The first time this word is used with this meaning is in Genesis 13: 8, when Abraham says to his nephew Lot: "Let there be now no quarrel between the two of us, between my pastors and yours, because we are brothers".
In the passage we are studying, the word "brothers" does not necessarily refer to brothers of blood, although that relationship could be included; particularly refers to a group of people who, because they share the same belief, enjoy an amazing closeness. This word is so loaded with meaning, that Abraham made use of it as a mediator to keep the peace between him and his nephew Lot when he said: "we are brothers". It is as if Abraham said to Lot: "The brothers are going to fight for simple things, just as the infidels do." This argument was enough to appease Lot.
What are these brothers doing according to the passage? "They live together." The Hebrew word that translates as "to live" literally translates as "sit together". The NASB translates to expression as follows: "Let the brothers live together in harmony", that is, living together in company. The Scriptures teach that man has been created in the image and likeness of God. What does this mean? When we say that man is the image of God we are saying that in some aspects and to a certain extent, man is a visible replica of God.
"In harmony". The word "harmony" is a musical term and designates a set of different and simultaneous sounds that sound good. It means a convenient proportion and correspondence of some things with others. In practical terms, we are talking about "unity". In fact, several versions use the word "unit" instead of "harmony", since the Hebrew lexicon allows both translations.
In the New Testament, Paul describes this harmony or unity by speaking of the church of Christ as a body, where Christ is the head and the church is the body, made up of living stones.
