Handling Holy Things Text: Numbers 4:1-20
Introduction: The Forgotten Fear of God
We live in an age of casual Christianity. We have domesticated the lion of Judah and turned him into a housecat. We approach the throne of the universe as though we were sliding into a booth at a diner, ready to give God our order. Our worship songs are filled with a cloying sentimentality, and our prayers are often little more than a list of demands presented to our cosmic butler. We have, in short, forgotten the fear of the Lord.
The book of Numbers is a bracing corrective to this modern malady. It is a book about order, holiness, and the staggering reality of God's presence with His people in the wilderness. And this chapter, with its meticulous, almost tedious, detail about packing up the tabernacle furniture, is a profound sermon on the terror and grace of drawing near to God. We read these lists of blue cloths and porpoise skins and our eyes glaze over, because we think it is just ancient logistical paperwork. But it is not. This is a matter of life and death. This is about how sinful men can handle holy things and live.
The instructions given here to the priests and the Kohathites are a direct assault on our modern sensibilities. They are hierarchical, they are exclusive, and they are lethally serious. They teach us that God is not safe, but He is good. He is a consuming fire, and we dare not approach Him on our own terms. We must come His way, through His appointed mediators, and according to His explicit instructions, or we will be consumed. This passage is a detailed photograph of the gospel, showing us our utter inability to approach God and His gracious provision of a covering that makes it possible.
The Text
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households, from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the duty of doing the work in the tent of meeting. This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things. And when the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it; and they shall put a covering of porpoise skin on it and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue and shall insert its poles. Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the offering bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread shall be on it. And they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet material and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles. Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps and its tongs, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they minister in connection to it; and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin and shall put it on the carrying bars. And over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin and shall insert its poles; and they shall take all the utensils of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin and put them on the carrying bars. Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they minister in connection with it: the firepans, the flesh hooks and shovels and the bowls, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles. 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. And the assignment of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil, the assignment of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.” Then Yahweh 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 set each of them to his service and to his load; but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.”
(Numbers 4:1-20 LSB)
Order, Office, and Holiness (vv. 1-4)
The chapter begins with a command from Yahweh to Moses and Aaron. Notice the chain of command. God speaks to His appointed leaders, who then administer His will to the people.
"Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi... from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old... This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things." (Numbers 4:2-4)
God is a God of order. He is not the author of confusion. He assigns specific tasks to specific people. The Levites were set apart for the service of the sanctuary, but even within the tribe of Levi, there were distinctions. The Gershonites carried the curtains, the Merarites carried the boards and pillars, but the Kohathites had the highest honor and the most dangerous task: they carried "the most holy things." This is hierarchy, divinely established. Our egalitarian age despises such distinctions, but they are woven into the fabric of God's world. Not everyone has the same role, and that is a good thing. It reflects the ordered diversity within the Godhead Himself.
The age requirement, from thirty to fifty, is also significant. This was the prime of a man's life, a period of full strength and maturity. Service to God is not a task for novices or a retirement hobby. It demands our best, our most vigorous years. This is the same age at which Jesus began His public ministry. The work of handling holy things requires maturity and strength.
The Priestly Covering (vv. 5-15)
Here we get to the heart of the matter. Before the Kohathites can even enter the tent, the priests, Aaron and his sons, must go in and perform a crucial, life-saving task.
"And when the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it..." (Numbers 4:5 LSB)
The priests act as mediators. They are the ones who can enter the holy place. Their first action is to cover the Ark, the very throne of God on earth. And what do they cover it with? The veil. The very thing that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place is now used to wrap the Ark. The symbol of separation becomes the means of protection. This is a picture of the gospel. The law, which separates us from God, is fulfilled in Christ, who then covers us, making it safe for us to be transported through this wilderness.
Each item is wrapped with meticulous care. There is an outer covering of "porpoise skin," likely a tough, durable leather from a sea creature, protecting the items from the elements. It represents a rugged, outward barrier. But underneath, we see layers of color, each with symbolic weight. Blue, the color of the heavens, is used for the Ark, the table of bread, the lampstand, and the golden altar. It marks these items as heavenly, belonging to God. Scarlet, the color of blood and sacrifice, is laid over the table of bread. Purple, the color of royalty, is used for the altar of burnt offering. This is not interior decorating. This is theology in fabric. God is teaching His people about the nature of His presence through this divine liturgy.
Only after the priests have finished this work of covering, only after the raw holiness of these objects has been veiled, can the Kohathites approach.
"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects... after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die." (Numbers 4:15 LSB)
Their job is to bear the load, but they are forbidden from touching the source of the load. They are strong enough to carry the furniture, but not holy enough to touch it. This is the condition of all men before God. We are called to bear His name in the world, but we cannot do so unless a priest has first mediated for us.
A Loving and Lethal Warning (vv. 17-20)
Lest we miss the gravity of the situation, God repeats the warning directly to Moses and Aaron. And notice who is held responsible.
"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..." (Numbers 4:18-19 LSB)
God tells the leaders that if the Kohathites die, it is their fault. This is the heavy burden of spiritual leadership. Pastors and elders are not just responsible for teaching and encouraging; they are responsible for protecting the flock from the consuming fire of God's holiness by teaching them the true way of approach. They are to set each man to his service and his load, defining their roles and responsibilities clearly. Ambiguity in the house of God is deadly.
The final prohibition is the most striking.
"...but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die." (Numbers 4:20 LSB)
It is not just touching that is forbidden, but seeing. The raw, unveiled glory of God's holy things is too much for a sinful man to behold. To see it is to die. This is not because God is a cosmic tyrant hiding His treasures. It is because His glory is like the sun. To gaze upon it without a filter is to be blinded, to be incinerated. Our fallen nature cannot withstand the full wattage of His holiness. We need a mediator not only to touch on our behalf, but to see on our behalf.
Christ, Our High Priest and Covering
This entire chapter, which seems so distant and strange, is a magnificent portrait of the person and work of Jesus Christ. We are the Kohathites. We are called to the high honor of serving God and carrying His testimony through the wilderness of this world. But we are utterly disqualified from this task. We are sinful. We are unclean. If we were to reach out and touch the things of God in our own strength, we would die. If we were to gaze upon His unveiled glory, we would be undone, just as Isaiah was when he said, "Woe is me! For I am lost... for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5).
But God, in His mercy, has not left us to ourselves. He has provided a High Priest, Jesus Christ. He is our Aaron. He has entered the true Holy of Holies. He has taken the veil of the law, which condemned us, and has fulfilled it in His own flesh. He has covered the searing holiness of God's throne with His own blood. He wraps the demands of the law in the blue of His heavenly authority, the scarlet of His atoning sacrifice, and the purple of His royal majesty.
He is the one who prepares the holy things for us. He makes them safe. And then He calls us to the task: "Come, take up your load. Carry My name to the nations." We can now handle the holy things, the Word and the Sacraments, not because we are worthy, but because He has made us worthy. We can approach the throne of grace with boldness, not because the throne has ceased to be holy, but because our Priest has made a way for us.
The warning of this passage, however, still stands. We must not presume upon this grace. We must not get the order wrong. We cannot barge into the presence of God on our own terms, demanding to see and touch. We must come through the Mediator. We must come covered by the blood of our High Priest. We must come with reverence and awe, for the God we serve is still a consuming fire. He has not changed. But praise be to His name, He has provided a covering, that we might live and not die.