The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 4:17-20,
"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not destroyed from among the Levites. So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry. But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.'"
Three clans of the Levites were given work assignments for their responsibilities regarding the tabernacle. The Kohathites had care of the "most holy things", verse 4. The Gershonites had responsibility for the curtains of the tabernacle, it's coverings, the entrance, all the curtains of the courtyard and its entrance, together with all the ropes and equipment involved with these. The Merarites had responsibility for the frames, crossbars, posts and bases for the tabernacle and the courtyard and all that was related to their use.
The Kohathites had the most "dicey" of the responsibilities as they had care of the most holy things. When it was time to pack up and move the tabernacle, Aaron and his sons, the priests, were to cover the ark with its "shielding curtain". Likewise they were to cover the table of the bread of presence and its items, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the bronze altar and all the utensils involved. Only then could the Kohathites come to carry these things. They were not to touch these things directly- only priests could do that. "But they must not touch the holy things or they will die." Verse 15. In verse 20 we read that even if the Kohathites looked at these things for a moment they would die.
God was to be honored and feared by those who served him. Their work, their ministry, was to be performed in a reverence that acknowledged exactly who it was they were serving. Some have questioned whether God as revealed in the Old Testament is revealed the same way as in the New Testament.
The question betrays a fundamental flaw in understanding how God reveals himself throughout the pages of Scripture. In a great article on this, the New Bible Commentary points to the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5, as well as Hebrews 12:29, "... our 'God is a consuming fire.'" This should disabuse ourselves of such thoughts. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross expresses two chief characteristics of God: his love of man and his frightful judgment - he is to be feared.
Perhaps Psalm 2:11-12 captures this thought well, "Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not destroyed from among the Levites. So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry. But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.'"
Three clans of the Levites were given work assignments for their responsibilities regarding the tabernacle. The Kohathites had care of the "most holy things", verse 4. The Gershonites had responsibility for the curtains of the tabernacle, it's coverings, the entrance, all the curtains of the courtyard and its entrance, together with all the ropes and equipment involved with these. The Merarites had responsibility for the frames, crossbars, posts and bases for the tabernacle and the courtyard and all that was related to their use.
The Kohathites had the most "dicey" of the responsibilities as they had care of the most holy things. When it was time to pack up and move the tabernacle, Aaron and his sons, the priests, were to cover the ark with its "shielding curtain". Likewise they were to cover the table of the bread of presence and its items, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the bronze altar and all the utensils involved. Only then could the Kohathites come to carry these things. They were not to touch these things directly- only priests could do that. "But they must not touch the holy things or they will die." Verse 15. In verse 20 we read that even if the Kohathites looked at these things for a moment they would die.
God was to be honored and feared by those who served him. Their work, their ministry, was to be performed in a reverence that acknowledged exactly who it was they were serving. Some have questioned whether God as revealed in the Old Testament is revealed the same way as in the New Testament.
The question betrays a fundamental flaw in understanding how God reveals himself throughout the pages of Scripture. In a great article on this, the New Bible Commentary points to the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5, as well as Hebrews 12:29, "... our 'God is a consuming fire.'" This should disabuse ourselves of such thoughts. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross expresses two chief characteristics of God: his love of man and his frightful judgment - he is to be feared.
Perhaps Psalm 2:11-12 captures this thought well, "Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment