Rick continues his series of reflections from his recent trip to Moldova. You can read part one of the series here.

So how do you approach a “devouring fire” without getting devoured?  The Tabernacle made it possible for God to be with His people…and for them to be with Him.  Explicit instructions by God Himself were given in Exodus (He did not employ architects to compete for best design).  He then empowered and filled Bezalel and Oholiab (chapter 31) with the Holy Spirit to not only construct and fashion the tent of meeting, but to do it with the exact precision required.

Yet even with construction and adornments, it was not operational until the priests and everything in it was consecrated…by blood.  God can only be approached in the way determined by Him.

The invitation to His people to come boldly into His presence while avoiding disintegration on contact (the details of which are laid out in Leviticus) was actually a very loving thing to do.

I used a model (pictured below) as a way for my students to visualize the what, the why, and the how.  There was no end around with God…you couldn’t jump over the back fence and sneak in (Nadab and Abihu learned that lesson the hard way; Leviticus 10).

The holiness of God is difficult to grasp…but sin makes it a blinding reality. If seraphim (“burning ones”) continually declare, “holy, holy, holy” before Him, where does that leave us?

Written by Rick Pierson, Executive Director of CompassGlobal