The Danger of Presumption

By Mike Osunkwo

While we are invited into deep intimacy with God, the "bad" kind of familiarity isn't about closeness at all; it is about casualness. It occurs when we forget who we are actually close to. It is an attitude that treats the majestic, holy God of the universe as a common, ordinary being. This mindset leads to a loss of reverence and, ultimately, to disobedience and judgment. The Bible warns us that this casualness fosters what Scripture calls a loss of the "fear of the Lord." This fear is not about being scared of God but about maintaining profound awe, reverence, and respect for His power and holiness. The psalmist in Psalm 89 asks, "Who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?" God Himself declares in Isaiah, "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom, implying that losing it marks the start of foolishness and the path to destruction.

The Old Testament offers stark, sobering examples of this danger. In Leviticus, we learn about Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron the high priest. They were familiar with the tabernacle and its rituals, yet they offered unauthorised fire before the Lord, acting on their own presumption rather than God's command. Fire came out from the Lord's presence and consumed them. They were priests, comfortable in their duties, but their familiarity led them to treat God's specific instructions with contempt.

Similarly, in Second Samuel, we see Uzzah. As the Ark of the Covenant—which represented the very presence of God—was being transported, the oxen stumbled. Uzzah reached out and grasped the Ark to steady it. On the surface, his intent might have seemed respectful, even protective. But his action showed a disregard for God's explicit command, given through Moses in Numbers, that God's holy things should not be touched carelessly. God's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down. David was afraid and asked, "How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?" These stories are not meant to make us fear God, but to remind us, as the writer of Hebrews states, that our God is a consuming fire. His holiness is not something to be taken lightly, even by those who serve Him most closely.

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When Jesus taught in His hometown of Nazareth, the people were initially amazed at His wisdom. But almost immediately, their amazement turned to skepticism. They asked, "Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" They saw Him as just the local kid they had watched grow up. Mark's gospel records that they took offence at Him. Their familiarity with His earthly identity blinded them to His divine identity, and Matthew adds that because of their lack of faith, He did not do many miracles there. So how do we live in this tension? How can we be friends of God without becoming casual with the King of Kings? The prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse when he saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, with the seraphim calling out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." Yet Isaiah still responded to God's call, saying, "Here am I. Send me!"

We also find the perfect model in Jesus's own teaching on prayer. He gives us the words that hold both intimacy and awe together in perfect balance: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." In one breath, Jesus calls God "Father"—the intimate, relational term. And in the very same breath, he declares God's name to be "hallowed"—holy, set apart, and utterly unique. The goal of the Christian life is not to choose between these two, but to hold them together. Draw near to God as your Abba Father. Run to His throne of grace with confidence. But never, ever forget, as the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 96, that splendour and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in His sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness.