Numbers 4

And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set forward, then after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it. But they shall not touch any holy thing lest they die. These are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
(Num 4:15)

Touch it and die. Sounds a little harsh doesn’t it? Kinda like something a bully of a big brother might say to a little brother. If we feel this way, we are misunderstanding the Lord. God is holy, but He is also loving. Not vengeful or mean, He is so in love with us that He only wants what is very best for us. This is not about a God who is overly protective of His stuff. This is about a God who is HOLY.

HOLY. It is a word we have talked about a lot in our studies of the law. These things, the things of the temple were HOLY unto to the Lord. Seperated unto Him, set apart for His use EXCLUSIVELY. They were not to be defiled by the things of this earth. As humans, we are defiled. Sin has left us dirty, and cut us off from a God that is HOLY.

For these Levites this was all about understanding just how Holy God is. The Lord wanted them to recognize Him, and to have a healthy fear of Him. No flippant service, no loose attitude toward the things of the Lord. These priests were to respect and reverence the Lord completely.

What about you? What is your attitude towards the Lord? As close as our relationship with Him is, we can never forget the fact that He is the Creator of the Universe, the Lord of Heaven and Earth. There is a song that expresses this thought wonderfully, the delicate balance between love and “fear”.

You are God in heaven

And here am I on earth

So I’ll let my words be few

Jesus I am so in love with You

I’ll stand in awe of You

I’ll stand in awe of You, Jesus

And I’ll let my words be few

Jesus I am so in love with You