It is about respect

NORSK
When I study holiness in the Old Testament, it is evident that the Israelites never doubted God’s holiness. They had the Torah with its clear regulations how they should deal with issues concerning their worship and practical life. 

They had seen what e.g. the holiness of the Ark of the Covenant could do the surroundings when it was taken out of its sacred purpose. The Philistines had captured the ark of God but came soon to this conclusion:

"Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people."
1 Sam 5:11 

They firmly believed what Moses learned from one of his encounters with God:

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
Ex 33:18-20

They took the consequences of this belief and tied a rope around the leg of the High Priest when he entered the Most Holy Place – in case God should reveal himself. Isaiah’s reaction to the vision in the Temple is another confirmation (1). 

This respect for the holy made them consecrate not only people, but all the items used in connection with the religious life.
A consecrated item was then perfect for its purpose in the ministry. It had the same shape and the same look as before it had become holy. The great difference was that the item had been the object of an act of obedience to God’s description of consecration. It was not its original talent that made it perfect, but the act of faith!

'Manna' for today:

Holiness is about awe and respect

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(1) Isa 6:5