THE SACRED DISTANCE FROM SIN

KEY TEXT: Joshua 3:3–4 (AMP) – “³ And they commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from where you are and follow it. ⁴ However, there shall be a distance between you and it of about 2,000 cubits (3,000 ft.) by measurement. Do not come near it, so that you may [be able to see the ark and] know the way you are to go, for you have not passed this way before.””

God commanded the people through the officers to follow the Ark of the Covenant that the Levitical priests were carrying. They were not to walk ahead of the Ark; they were to walk behind the Ark. In other words, the Ark was not supposed to follow them; they were to follow the Ark. If they did not see the Ark being carried, they were not supposed to move. Their movement was to be dictated by the presence of the Ark.

What was inside the Ark of the Covenant? The Ten Commandments.

What else? Nothing else.

The Ten Commandments, which came directly from God’s mouth, were to dictate their movement. The Ten Commandments were to lead them to victory.

They were to follow the Ark but not get near it because it is holy. We do not understand how holy the Word of God is when we step on His commandments.

Isaiah 58:13 starts by saying, “If thou turn thy foot from the Sabbath.”

Turn your foot from the Sabbath. Turn away completely from breaking God’s law. That is the only way to live a blessed life. The Israelites were commanded to stay 3,000 feet away from the Ark of the Covenant. For Uzzah to try to save the Ark from falling, he had really gotten close to it. He had gotten close to it beyond the proximity that God had allowed.

Three thousand feet is about one kilometer. Uzzah did not heed this. For one to move one kilometer toward something takes some effort. If God had told them to stay one meter from touching the Ark, we could easily charge Him with being unfair to Uzzah by killing him, because in the procession of walking, it is easy to find yourself falling within the one-meter boundary. You can easily make a mistake and fall within that boundary. But for God to tell you to keep one kilometer from the ark, it would take conscious, deliberate effort to get close to it.

“Upon Uzzah rested the greater guilt of presumption. Transgression of God’s law had lessened his sense of its sacredness, and with unconfessed sins upon him he had, in face of the divine prohibition, presumed to touch the symbol of God’s presence. God can accept no partial obedience, no lax way of treating His commandments. By the judgment upon Uzzah He designed to impress upon all Israel the importance of giving strict heed to His requirements. Thus the death of that one man, by leading the people to repentance, might prevent the necessity of inflicting judgments upon thousands.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 705.3, Ellen G. White.

Keeping a great distance from the Ark is keeping a great distance from tampering with God’s commandments. It is symbolic of keeping a great distance from sin. The closer you are to evil, the more likely you are to sin. Be careful of the things you watch and the things you listen to, because these things pull you closer to sin.

“We are not out of danger even now. Every soul who engages to give to the world the message of warning will be sorely tempted to pursue such a course in life as will deny his faith. It is Satan’s studied plan to make the workers weak in prayer, weak in power, and weak in influence, because of their defects of character. We, as workers, must be united in frowning down and condemning everything that bears the least approach to evil in our associations with one another. Our faith is holy; our work is to vindicate the honor of God’s law, and is not of a character to bring anyone down to a low level in thought or in deportment.” – Testimonies for the Church, Page 592.2, Ellen G. White.

“There is an exalted platform for us to stand upon. We must believe and teach the truth as it is in Jesus. Holiness of heart will never lead to impure actions. When one who claims to be teaching the truth is inclined to be much in the company of young or even married women, when he familiarly lays his hand upon them, or is often conversing with them in a familiar manner, be afraid of him; the pure principles of truth are not inwrought in his soul. Such are not in Christ, and Christ is not abiding in them. They need a thorough conversion before God can accept their labors. The truth of heavenly origin never degrades the receiver, never leads him to the least approach to undue familiarity; on the contrary, it sanctifies the believer, refines his taste, elevates and ennobles him, and brings him into a close connection with Jesus. It leads him to regard the apostle Paul’s injunction to abstain from even the appearance of evil, lest his “good be evil spoken of.” – Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, Page 59.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 (AMP) – “Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it].”

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, teach us to follow You just as Israel followed the Ark of the Covenant. Help us to respect the holiness of Your commandments and never treat Your Word carelessly. Give us the wisdom to keep a distance from sin and from everything that would weaken our walk with You. Guide our steps in paths we have never walked before, and let Your law be the light that leads us to victory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activity

1. On a piece of paper, draw a circle and write “Ark – God’s Commandments” in the center.
2. Outside the circle, list habits or influences that tend to pull you closer to disobedience.
3. Next to each one, write one practical action you will take this week to create distance from it.
4. End by reading 1 Thessalonians 5:22 aloud and asking God for strength to live it.

Author: Mark Alex   

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