From The Editor: An Unholy Separation
Since the very beginning of humanity’s existence, God has desired to have close relationship with us. He created man in His own image, breathing life into him and setting him up for a life of blessing and abundance (Genesis 1-2). He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden so often that the two recognized the sound of His footsteps on the day they yielded to temptation (Genesis 3:8). The price of their sin was banishment from God’s presence; they were no longer holy.
In Exodus, God guides the people of Israel during their escape from Egypt as a pillar of smoke or fire, hovering nearby, but not in their midst. When they arrive at Mount Sinai God tells Moses in Exodus 19:12, “Mark off a boundary all around the mountain. Warn the people, ‘Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death.’” He yearns to be among His people, but the people are not holy enough to be in His presence. Sin has severed the possibility of close relationship.
The books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers spend numerous chapters defining the processes for becoming holy through sacrifice. It can be a bit gory to read through, but it all comes down to this: God wants to be with His people, and that’s not possible without them being cleansed of their sin. God cannot be with someone who is unholy; He is too absolutely holy. They would have to die because their unholiness cannot coexist with His holiness.
God’s plan for the Tabernacle, its construction, its maintenance, and its transportation, is outlined throughout these three books as well. His instructions are specific, even down to assigning by name those in charge of everything from artistic design to packing up utensils. He assigns the Kohathite clans to transport the most holy things during travel, but Aaron and his sons must pack it all up. The Kohathites cannot touch or even look at the holy things or they will die. They may only touch the carrying poles as assigned by Aaron and his sons (Numbers 4).
And when the tribes of Israel set up camp in the wilderness, they each have an assigned area. “The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community,” God says in Numbers 1:53a. The Levites acted as a physical buffer between the rest of Israel and the presence of God. If anyone outside the tribe of Levi approached the tabernacle they had to be put to death (Numbers 1:51).
But all the sacrifices and physical barriers of protection were just a stopgap measure. With Jesus, God’s holy son, dying as the ultimate sacrifice for sin, humanity was offered the chance to finally be holy once again. We no longer have to keep our physical distance from our Maker, He can now take up residence in our hearts, allowing us to be together in holy communion—what He has desired from the beginning.