No Longer From a Distance

When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. 2 Samuel 6:6-7

In the Old Testament, followers of Yahweh could not enter into the presence of God; they had to worship the Lord from a distance. When David was bringing the ark to Jerusalem, the priests placed it on a cart. The ark was the physical house of the Lord's presence, and the priests were instructed by the Lord to hold the ark of God with special poles. When the ark slipped, Uzzah lunged forward to catch it. The Lord then struck Uzzah down: he died instantly.

Christ's sacrifice on the cross forever changed the landscape of faith. When Jesus hung against the darkened sky and breathed his last, the veil of the temple tore in half. The temple veil provided a barrier between the worshipers and the holy of holies, where the ark was kept. No one was allowed to enter into the holy of holies except the the high priest, and he was only allowed to enter into this sacred place once a year. The priests even tied a rope to the high priest's ankle. If the high priest tried to approach the room where the ark lay without properly following the Old Testament laws pertaining to this annual encounter, he too would be killed in the presence of the Lord. But when the veil split in two, a new way was opened for those who put there faith in Christ.

Now we, who have been born again, can enter freely into God's presence by the blood of Christ. The ark of God no longer holds the presence of God here on earth. Instead, those of us who have entered into a relationship with the Father through Jesus have the Holy Spirit living in us. We are temples of the Holy Ghost. Now we can come boldly into the throne of grace to obtain favor and God's blessing. We no longer need to worship from afar. We can draw near to God. We can worship the Lord with passion and true intimacy.

Let's approach the Lord with reverence, awe, and full surrender. He is holy, but He is also loving. He is just, but He is also merciful. Let's bow before the One who made a way for us to come to Him. Let's kneel before the Father who sent His one and only Son to die in our place so that we could know Him intimately.