Moving on from the Philistines we can now consider the Israelites. What does God’s holiness mean for those who embrace his promises, for those who live in covenant with him?
When the ark eventually makes it back to Israel, there is great joy and celebration. Burnt offerings and sacrifices, the special presence of the Lord is back amongst his people. This is good news, the Lord has returned, the Lord is still with us.
But there is a casualness that spoils the occasion. To begin with, the cows are offered as a burnt offering to the Lord—cows instead of bulls. Female instead of male as the law required. Perhaps a small oversight to us and them, but an oversight nonetheless. The terms of the old covenant are not adhered to. Then there are the men from 1 Samuel 6:19 who look upon the ark. Numbers 4:1–49 tells us that outside of the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, when the ark was moved from one place to another, it was meant to be covered at all times—with goatskin and a cloth of blue. It was not an object for common display. It was symbolic of the Lord’s presence, the Lord who is holy. Isaiah tells us that the seraphim cover their eyes in the Lord’s presence, they cannot gaze upon the Lord in the glory of his splendour. Covering is also needed when it comes to God’s earthly footstool. Just like no one can look at the sun in its brightness, no one may casually gaze on the ark of the Lord.
It is unclear if the Levites failed to cover the ark as they were meant to, or if these men tried to look inside the ark itself. Most likely there was a covering and the men lifted it up to get a good look. They were curious to see the ark and this was a golden opportunity. Whatever the case may have been, there is a casualness about Israel’s approach to the Lord. A casualness that results in death. A casualness that fails to recognize the holiness of the Lord. A casualness that remains with us today.
There is a widespread belief amongst Christians that what matters most in worship is sincerity. It does not matter how we dress, what we sing, or how we structure the worship service, what is important is a desire to please God and help his people. As long as we generally desire to please him, then there is room for all kinds of innovations in worship. Drama, videos, dance, and glitter—entertainment very quickly becomes the focus. We also find ways of excusing disobedience; the ends will justify the means. If we want to help people worship the Lord, we must adjust our practices to what the people want even if it is not quite in line with what God has revealed.
If we truly recognize God’s holiness, however, if we truly seek to honour and please him, then our concern will be to worship according to what God has revealed—to worship in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Most certainly that begins by coming to the Father through the Son, without faith in Christ it is impossible to please God and draw near to him. But our unity with Christ does not give us free rein to worship in a manner of our own choosing. We are limited in our worship to what God has revealed in his Word. Everything we do when we meet with God must have positive biblical warrant. There is a joyful reverence that must not be lost.
During his time on earth, Jesus perfectly exemplified such a reverence. One example is when he came to the temple and found that it had been turned into a market place (John 2:13–22). The religious leaders had allowed all sorts of commerce in the outside courts. And they did so from a desire to help people connect with God. If you can buy your sacrificial animal right outside the temple, that saves you a lot of trouble, it will mean more people coming to worship. But when the Son of God comes to visit he takes up a whip and starts chasing people away. This is not gentle Jesus meek and mild, this is the obedient Son seeking to honour the Father. The Lord's temple has been cheapened by the presence of these business men and zeal for God’s house consumes him. He is concerned for proper worship. He is concerned for joyful reverence.
Practically for us today and from the example we are given in our passage, I think it is right for us to consider the manner in which we approach the Lord’s Day and our weekly meeting with God. Think about your habits and patterns over the past year, is this meeting an optional extra for your week? A meeting which you attend every now and again when it suits you, when you can find time in your busy schedule? And when you do come to worship, how do you prepare? Is there a joyful reverence and a godly fear?
There are many things which we can do to prepare ourselves for our regular weekly meeting with the Lord. A good night’s sleep will help us to be ready to concentrate on God’s Word. Reading the sermon text before the service, practising the psalms in our homes, praying for receptive hearts and open ears, even dressing appropriately. The clothes we wear convey a message. It conveys something about our attitude toward the Lord and our meeting with him.
Likewise if we have children, we need to plan ahead. Coming to meet with the Lord, we want to teach them what that means. Children belong in the worship service; they are part of God’s people and they are meant to be with us. As they grow older, it is our duty as parents to help them so that they can participate more and more. The most important way of doing so is in our own homes with family worship. That is where we practice sitting still. That is where we practice listening, praying, and singing. That is where we begin to model and convey a joyful reverence.
Finally when it comes to the worship service itself, we need to be careful of going through the motions. Sometimes, because there is repetition in our meeting with God it can result in us switching off,
going on autopilot,
and letting our minds wonder. It is hard work to be engaged week by week throughout the service. It requires effort and energy but that is what joyful reverence entails. By the power of the Spirit, we must fight against complacency and laziness in our worship.
It is a wonderful privilege to come and meet with God. To come into his presence, to be changed by him, to have his Spirit work in us for our good and his glory. This meeting is no less serious today than what it was in the past under the old covenant. Yes, we come to Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem, but our God remains a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:18–29). As 1 Corinthians 11:27–32 confirms, the Lord will discipline those who profane the body and blood of his Son. Worship is not a time to be thoughtless or casual. The Lord is holy and he must be treated as such. Joyful reverence is what he expects from his people.
13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it.