The Holiness of God

Numbers 3 details the instructions for dismantling and transportation of the tabernacle in the Israelite camp. God had instructed the Israelites that he would lead them through the desert to the promised land. Many times they would travel for days and weeks, and other times they would remain camped. The tabernacle being a central part of the Israelite cult thus had to be mobile. God arranged for a team comprised of the holy tribe of the Levites and the priests to oversee this process.

The dismantling of the tabernacle covered varied tasks that had to be completed in a certain order. The priests would carefully dismantle the framework, while bundling up sacred matter such as the altars, the curtains, the utensils etc in cloth. The Levites would not be involved in this process. Numbers 4:20 explicitly states that they must not look into the holy things even for a moment, else they will die. Years earlier, God had judged two of the priests, Nadab and Abihu. They had burnt fire in an authorized manner to God. The penalty of their carelessness and contempt was immediate and fatal, as fire from the Lord consumed them.

Thus the Levites were very wary of obeying God’s every instructions. Clearly only the priests were sanctioned as holy enough to intimately handle the tabernacle artefacts . While the Levites were also considered holy, they were could only experience a second-tier intimacy in comparison with the priests, in matters pertaining with the sacred things of God. Their role was thus limited to lifting and transporting the packaged holy items.

The New Testament also envisages God’s holiness as something to be revered. Annanias and Sapphira “burnt strange fire” unto God. By choosing to lie to the Holy Spirit, they were sticking their noses to God. We can do things our own way, your rules don’t apply, we could care less, were the words there actions echoed. Elswhere in the New Testament, Hebrews 12 indicates that God is a consuming fire. The author informs us that since New Testament covenant is more efficacious, than New Testament holiness should call for a much higher standard of living. We are enjoined to fear God even greater who now speaks not from an earthly mountain such as Sinai at the giving of the law, instead he speaks in New Testament tradition – from the heavens.

Why would a holy God kill his own people, especially in a moment of worship, contrived as it might be? The answer to that question may never belong to us. However, dare I ask, why does power when used wrongly harm? Electricity transmitted via your body is sure to hurt, if not kill. Monetary power used for self gain often taints and corrupts, causing one to indulge in self destructive materialism. Power hungry politicians find themselves trapped into making decisions that lead to the undoing of the people they once idealistically promised to protect. Pornography snuffs the spiritual life of every young man who is held in its iron clad grip. Was any of this power evil in its own self? No. Electricity aids life, money fosters development, government is needed and beauty properly contextualized is pure. Could it be God’s power could be seen as such? An impartial force that metes out judgement appropriately to its handlers. While we might not be able to predict the extent the damage of the aforementioned influences, we know there would be damaged when inappropriately used. The sovereignty of God reserves the right to be unpredictable in enforcing the judgement side of His power via the Holy Spirit. Some die, others are convicted in their consciences, while yet others may have doors closed to them.

Let’s learn from the Levitical protocol of approaching God. With meekness, humility, obedience and heartfelt sincerity, we should engage in our walk with God and his people. Sure we will miss it. But surely he looks on the heart, thus he can decipher between intentional short changes, or cover ups, as was the case in Acts 5.