Behold how good and how pleasant it is

In Deuteronomy 12, 14, 15, and 16, God repeatedly charged the children of Israel to go to the place of His choosing so that they could keep the oneness of God's children. Without this restricting command from God, the children of Israel would have become divided shortly after entering into Canaan. For example, the Israelites in the tribe of Dan, who lived in the northernmost part of the land, could have said, "Since a worship place has been set up in the south, we can set up a place in the north. Why do we have to go so far to worship God?" This would have established another center for worship. Once there were two worship centers, the children of Israel would become even more divided. Those in the tribe of Naphtali would say something similar about wanting their own worship center apart from the one in the north and the one in the south. Eventually, every tribe would establish their own worship center, and the children of Israel would be divided into many parts.

Our God is truly wise. He guarded against this by repeatedly charging the children of Israel through Moses to go to the place of His choosing, Jerusalem. This situation is described in Psalm 133, which is one of the Songs of Ascents. The Songs of Ascents were sung as the children of Israel began to ascend the hill upon which Jerusalem was situated. Three times a year, from every village and town, the children of Israel gathered at Jerusalem, and as they ascended the hill to Jerusalem, they would sing a hymn about brothers dwelling together in harmony. At this time, people from all directions — east, west, south, and north—and from all the tribes came together. There was no division among them. Hence, although the unique ground was a great restriction, it also was a great protection.