NOT WELCOME HERE!

Visitors are very welcome in almost all Christian churches these days. In fact, we typically expend a lot of thought and energy in making our services attractive for potential new members.

In light of this, and the modern desire to always be in-clusive, Numbers 3:10 seems impossibly outdated.

“Appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the sanctuary must be put to death (New Living Translation).”
Do you get this? If you were an ancient Israelite out for a morning stroll and you got a bit too close to the building where your God is worshipped, you would have to die for your crime.

Other Bible versions see the crime in a different light. The Good News Bible says: “You shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; anyone else who tries to do so shall be put to death." In this case, the crime is not physically approaching the sanctuary, but falsely presuming to the role of priest.

The Amplified Bible spells this out even more clearly. “And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall observe and attend to their priest's office; but the excluded [anyone daring to assume priestly duties or privileges who is not of the house of Aaron and called of God] who comes near [the holy things] shall be put to death.”

In recent posts, I’ve tried to show that, while the Law of Moses can seem embarrassing to modern Christian sensibilities, it actually sets up a deliberate contrast for what was to come in Christ. This is another striking example. It was death to even approach the holy things of God if you were not an ordained priest or Levite. But now: “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16 – NLT).”

Why this dramatic difference? Simple! Jesus was the perfect sacrifice who opened up the way for us. Now we have “…boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19).”

The Believers Bible Commentary says it this way.

“The mediation of the OT priests could not bring the individual sinner into close communion with God. He had to stay away from the holy things under pain of death (v. 10b). But now the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, gives us not only access to God but also boldness to enter into His very presence (Heb_4:16). This drastic change stems from that great event which lies between Numbers and Hebrews—the miracle of Calvary.”

So two quick conclusions. Firstly, churches who have an attitude of “Sinners not Welcome Here” are living under a superceded exclusion mentality. They are way out of line. But secondly, those of us who understand what Christ has achieved on our behalf can appreciate the amazing privilege that we have. Not only are we invited to approach, even right into the Holiest place of our Father God, we are elevated to the role of priests before Him. This means that we approach God, not on the basis of good works but on the basis that Jesus’ one Good Work has made us qualified.

Hallelujah! How can we not praise Him?