January 28, 2024

Numbers 4.15 (NIV)
“They must not touch the holy things or they will die.”

If he had not come to earth as a man, he would have remained completely inaccessible.*

There are strict guidelines for handling radioactive material. Failure to follow proper procedure is a death sentence. So was the mishandling of the sacred items in the tabernacle. God made and enforced the “do not touch” rule regarding the Ark of the Covenant, not just to protect the “symbol of His throne”* from contamination, but because the power and holiness of God, compacted and contained within, was “hotter” than nuclear waste. It was not to be treated with less than the utmost reverence for its sacredness, and respect for its potency.

Because God allowed himself to be contained within a vessel that we could touch, perhaps we under-estimate our need to be properly prepared to encounter him. While a purification “ritual” is necessary after exposure to radiation, cleansing is required before one may come into contact with the presence of God. “As the Ark was the only place Old Testament believers could go (through the high priest) to have their sins forgiven, so Christ is now the only way to salvation and the kingdom of heaven.”* Our purification ritual requires us to be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ through baptism into his death and resurrection.

God still may not be approached carelessly. Each person must examine his or her life, to be certain that God’s purity is not violated.*

*Quote sources available upon request.