Numbers 3:10 –
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.
This chapter goes into the Tabernacle and the tribe of Levi. In reading the numbers of people and their duties it amazes me how they could move anywhere at any speed. I wonder how long it took to breakdown and set up the Tabernacle.
Think about it there were thousands assigned to these duties. We talked about the number who were on this trip, and it amazes me they could move anywhere in a day. Just the logistics of getting a few million moving in the same direction is mind boggling.
As I read this verse I wonder how many died. Did they excuse the teens? Or did they just obey this rule without question? It wasn’t a secure structure, so people could easily have snuck in just to look around. With much of the regulation death is the penalty, how many executions were performed?
Now how would this work today? We have the death penalty here in Georgia and it doesn’t seem to change people’s willingness to commit crimes that are punishable by death. Since we tend to be careful not to execute the wrong person, the execution of the executions is slow and therefore may be the reason why it’s not a deterrent. They may have swift justice and therefore strict adherence to the Laws. Makes you wonder about the difference between the societies.