Beyond the Veil

In the Book of Leviticus, we read a lot about God’s instructions to the Israelites with regard to the Levitical priesthood and their service in the Tabernacle. The Jewish nation was freshly rescued from Egypt, having lived there as slaves. They had never been governed by God until now. God tells them He will dwell in their midst and goes to great lengths to convey to them that He is holy.

He will dwell in a special tent, which is to be set up according to very exact prescriptions. God’s Presence will rest on the ark’s mercy seat, beyond a veil, in the holy of holies. If anyone comes near, they will die. The only person who can approach His presence is the High Priest, and that only once a year, and after the right sacrifices have been made. Even then, they tied a rope around his ankles so he could be dragged out in case he had not observed these commands faithfully, and he died.

Aaron’s own sons were destroyed because they did not approach God in the prescribed way. It must have been abundantly clear to the Israelites: we serve a holy and awesome God who must be revered.

Matthew tells us that something amazing happened when Jesus died. The veil separating off the holy of holies (now in the Temple, no longer the Tabernacle) tore from top to bottom, indicating an unbelievable change in the access mankind has to God. Because of the blood of Jesus, we can now draw near with full confidence that God will receive, welcome, and accept us. How unbelievably amazing!

My question is this: Did God become less holy or less awesome after Jesus died? We all know that, of course, He didn’t! God is still the same, as He will always be. Yet I fear that sometimes we are in danger of treating God with a little too much familiarity. Is it possible that we have lost something of the true fear of God in our midst?

It is wonderful that the living God calls Himself our Father. It is incredible that we can even be God’s friend. But, even as we have a close, intimate, and trusting relationship with Him, He still remains Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth, judge of the living and the dead, and a consuming fire.

The more I appreciate God’s holiness, the more I value the salvation Jesus won for us. We can draw close to God, not because God is no longer holy, but because the blood of Jesus opened up the way for us to enter into His presence.

So, let’s do what the Bible says. Let’s draw near to God, with full confidence in Jesus’ sacrifice, and with hearts filled with reverence for a holy God.