Reverence for God and His House

After the priests gave their blessing over the people in Numbers 6, it was time to focus on God’s house.  Moses anoints it, consecrates it and dedicates its furnishings and the bronze altar.  This is the same anointing the priests receive.  The anointing oil is applied, symbolically making these furnishings and the place holy.  The presence of God Almighty is what really makes the tabernacle holy, but man must do what he can to show the proper reverence in God’s house. 

God gave them the formulas for the anointing oil and for the incense.  This same mixture was not to be made anywhere else.  The unique fragrance of God would be in the air of the Tabernacle.  When you think of smells, they can bring back memories.  God says that we believers are a sweet savor to those who are being drawn to Him.  However, we can also be an "aroma that brings death." (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

The steps that Moses and the priests took to prepare the Tabernacle and furnishings for service to the Lord were all directed by Him but also tell us that God wants us to treat our church buildings with reverence, approaching Him with awe and wonder at who He is and the fact that He takes time to meet with us.

How is your church building honored or treated holy? Is there something that works well for your congregation? Is there something that you see that needs to change?  These are questions every church should regularly ask themselves.

I was raised in a liturgical church.  There was much reverence and ceremony.  However, religion and tradition can sometimes be substituted for true relationship with the God of the Universe.  That was what Jesus called out in the Pharisees and other religious leaders of His time.  Those men held to the traditions and other rules that they had even added to God's word but neglected mercy and love. (Matthew 23:23) 

God called me to leave the liturgical church and attend a Protestant Bible Church.  The first time I attended a church that had an all-purpose room was a great shock to me.  Stacking chairs after the service so we could play games with the youth group there was very foreign to me.  I grew more comfortable with the concept and its practicality; however, at first it was really something I struggled with. 

Today in some churches, many people walk in and out during the service.  These and other actions reflect a lack of reverence and is distracting to others assembled to worship.  We need to regard the house of God as holy, especially during a worship service! 

The most important consideration, however, is the holiness of our own tabernacle; our bodies.  1 Corinthians chapter 6 tells us: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." (verses 19-20) The perspective of belonging to God because of Jesus' sacrifice for us is life-changing. The context of these verses has to do with sexual purity, but we should evaluate all we do in light of the Spirit within us and what would honor God.
  

Portable Church 

Now that the tabernacle was set up, provision needed to be made to move the tabernacle and articles as God so indicated.  Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tabernacle, Israel was to prepare to set out.  The priests would begin covering the Ark and all of the other furnishings, then the articles.  After wrapping them in their outer protection, the Kohathites would come in and carry the articles.  Once they were removed, the Gershonites could properly remove all of the layers of curtains and fold them up neatly and load them on to wagons.  Finally, the Merarites would collect and load all the frames of wood, ropes and pegs on to wagons.  In any large job, if tasks are divided and have a proper order, they can go very smoothly and much faster.  God is a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33).  God assigned the different clans of the Levite tribes to their areas to specialize the work and do it well.

The leaders came forth with gifts of carts and oxen, doing as leaders should by setting an example of sacrifice for their fellow Hebrews.  Where did the Israelites get these animals and carts?  Didn’t they leave Egypt as slaves?  Perhaps they had animals of their own, but these carts are thought to have been befitting royalty; they were used to serve God in His Tabernacle.  God had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the Israelites so that they gave the Israelites anything they asked for on the night of the Passover.  They feared death and more killing.  They wanted the Israelites to go away.  They gave them whatever they needed or wanted. (Exodus 12) 

The Gershonites received two carts and four oxen and the Merarites four carts and eight oxen.  These were distributed to the Levites “as their work required.”  The Merarites had a lot more to carry and so needed more carts.  The Kohathites needed no wagons.  They carried the holy things on their shoulders via long poles.  Man must keep his distance from holy things. Remember earlier in our second teaching session, we looked at the story of King David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem on a cart.  His ignorance cost Uzza his life, because the oxen stumbled and Uzza touched the Ark to steady it. (2 Samuel 6)  David had ordered the ark moved but had neglected to arrange transportation according to God’s design.  Long before David’s time, the enemies of Israel had captured the ark of God.  Perhaps they had lost the gold carry handles at that time.  The Philistines had returned the ark on an unguided cart to prove that the curses they were experiencing while they had the ark were really from God. (Read this fascinating story in 1 Samuel 5 and 6.)