Harmony

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (Psalms 133:1 NLT)

I enjoy singing.  Many people have caught me over the years (especially my younger years) singing just because I could.  Growing up, my dad would sing in a barbershop quartet and in a chorus as well.  At the ripe old age of 13, the chorus let me join and I began learning to sing four part harmony with no instruments other than our voices.  It was pretty cool.

Each of the four singers had their own part to play in the chord when we sang.  The Lead typically carried the melody line that you would hum later when remembering the song.  The Tenor usually sang 1/3 higher than the lead, floating the note up high to give the light feeling to the music.  The Bass would give the rock-solid low note to the chord, often filling the room with sound.  That left the final of the four parts in the chord: The Baritone.

The Baritone would get whatever note was left over to fill in the chord.  Sometimes the Baritone would have a note lower than the lead.  Sometimes it was higher.  Sometimes it was even higher than the Tenor.  The Baritone was expected to maneuver his voice to jump all over the place with his non-melodic part and "fill in" the chord without anyone really knowing he was there.  The Baritone needed to be a technician.  As you might be able to guess, Baritone was my favorite part.

For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. (Psalms 133:2 NLT)

Your job as a Baritone was to make the chord ring.  Hitting the note wasn't enough.  You needed to sing on the "right side" of the note depending on it's placement in the chord.  You needed to match the tone of the Lead and other two singers.  If you did your job well, your unique part seemed to disappear but the overall chord and song just exploded with sound.  A quartet singing well together will stop being four different individuals.  Their individual parts become one chord, one song, and one amazing experience.

Walking together with God functions much like a quartet.  God designed us to be separate and distinct - singing our own parts.  The parts we are given by Him, though, are in harmony with all the other parts.  A husband compliments his wife and vice-verse.  Parents are given the exact children they need to build the "perfect family" He had in mind.  The church is described as His "Body" with separate parts all working together perfectly so that life is possible.  It's no wonder that most translations don't refer to this as "harmony" but as "unity."  The parts work together so well that it's really hard to discern where one part ends and the other part picks up.  The parts work together to create an amazing experience - the life God has always wanted for us from the beginning.

Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced His blessing, even life everlasting. (Psalms 133:3 NLT)