Respect for the Holy

"'When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.'...Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 'Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.'" -Numbers 4.15, 17-20

God instructs the Levites how they are to disassemble and transport the tabernacle. Before anything else happens, Aaron and his sons are to go in and cover the sacred items inside and prepare them to be moved. The priests are to cover them and insert the carrying poles so that the Levites can move them without touching them. Even though they have been entrusted with the task of moving the tabernacle, they cannot do it with a complacent or casual attitude. They must respect the holy.

Men, is this something that can be said of you? Do you respect the holy? The Bible is the number one best seller of all time. You find them in hotel rooms, and probably every one who goes to church has at least three. Right now I see mine and my wife's, and I'm thinking of at least a half dozen other ones we have. It's a common item, but it's sacred. It is the written words of God. Do I treat it as such?

Prayer is a conversation with God. It is the ability to converse with the creator of the universe, do we approach it as such? Or is it something we do casually without thinking? I haven't been to a family reunion in at least two years, but the last time I was there they had some twelve year old girl I'm some how related to say the prayer before the meal. She recited some "God is great let us thank Him for our food" thing. I was slightly offended. Prayer is a holy thing, not a casual recitation that is said without thinking.

Church is a sacred thing. It is God's creation for His people to do life together, and yet we treat it so casually. We go if we feel like it. We show up late, talk during the music, and sip coffee. How much actual worship takes place? How many people intentionally go to learn, be discipled, grow in Christ, and seek to serve? How many have it simply as a Sunday routine?

Let us approach the holy with reverent respect. May we never have a casual attitude about the things of God, but always come humbly and with the utmost respect.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor