Numbers 4

“But they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die" (v20).  When the time came for the Israelite camp to move on, the priests covered the most holy objects like the ark of the covenant with several layers of cloth, and only then could the Kohathites (Levites) carry them (v15).  Those who served in the sacred places had to take God seriously, at risk of death, recognizing that sinful humans could not casually approach the holy Creator.  

Because Jesus gave himself to cleanse us from all sin, we can now “with confidence” approach the throne of grace, without fear, knowing our Father accepts us (Heb 4:16).