But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.
The command bars entry to gaze upon the holy furnishings while they are uncovered or in the act of being covered, and unauthorized seeing or approaching carries the penalty of death. It belongs to the assignment of tabernacle duties to appointed Levites, with the Kohathites in particular warned not to go in to watch the covering process. The handling and transport of the most holy things was thus entrusted only to those divinely appointed for it.
The ark, which represented Jehovah's presence among His people, was to be kept covered whenever it was removed, so that no curious eye could look upon it. Its cherubim were therefore never exposed to view. Even the Levites who carried it were forbidden to gaze upon it, and only the high priest was permitted to see it, once a year. The men of Beth-shemesh violated this boundary when curiosity led them to remove the coverings and open the ark, and many were struck dead for the presumption.
The restriction taught reverence for the sanctuary, for the ark, and for everything belonging to the most holy place. It taught obedience to God's precise arrangements and appointed order, requiring that sacred duties be performed exactly as assigned. The surrounding duties show that each worker must remain within the work appointed to him, doing his assigned task carefully without interfering with or taking over another's charge. Sacred things are not to be examined presumptuously, a warning that forbids speculative discussion of God's nature.
The command bars entry to gaze upon the holy furnishings while they are uncovered or in the act of being covered, and unauthorized seeing or approaching carries the penalty of death. It belongs to the assignment of tabernacle duties to appointed Levites, with the Kohathites in particular warned not to go in to watch the covering process. The handling and transport of the most holy things was thus entrusted only to those divinely appointed for it.
The ark, which represented Jehovah's presence among His people, was to be kept covered whenever it was removed, so that no curious eye could look upon it. Its cherubim were therefore never exposed to view. Even the Levites who carried it were forbidden to gaze upon it, and only the high priest was permitted to see it, once a year. The men of Beth-shemesh violated this boundary when curiosity led them to remove the coverings and open the ark, and many were struck dead for the presumption.
The restriction taught reverence for the sanctuary, for the ark, and for everything belonging to the most holy place. It taught obedience to God's precise arrangements and appointed order, requiring that sacred duties be performed exactly as assigned. The surrounding duties show that each worker must remain within the work appointed to him, doing his assigned task carefully without interfering with or taking over another's charge. Sacred things are not to be examined presumptuously, a warning that forbids speculative discussion of God's nature.