Vaal, Part III

In the Star Trek episode about Vaal (see Vaal, Part I; Vaal, Part II), Akuta was the only person who received communication from the deity. In the Torah, there seems to be a tension between democracy and restricted access to God.

On the one hand, everyone could consult God, as we see in Exodus 33:7:

"Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp" (NRSV).

On the other hand, God set up a system in which only the high priest could enter into the most holy place, and that occurred only once a year (Leviticus 16). According to Exodus 28:35, he had to wear bells when he went into the sanctuary so that he might come out of it alive. He couldn't just stroll on in, for he had to alert God that he was coming. The message is that God is holy. As God was quoted as saying after the deaths of Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, "Through those who are near me I will show myself holy, and before all the people I will be glorified" (Leviticus 10:3).

How should we regard God? Should our relationship with him be casual, since Christians, after all, are children of God (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). Some have argued that "Abba" means "Daddy."

Or should we tread softly when we approach God, realizing that he is a king who holds our lives in his hands? As Ecclesiastes 5:2 says, "Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few." It's like if you were to meet with the President or corporate executive: say what you need to say, and leave. You don't want to waste this important person's time or say something stupid.

Any thoughts?