We humans are social creatures. We live in different cultures and our rules or concepts of various things may differ a little. However, we all recognize that there are occasions on which we need to be on our best behaviour and also dressed as well as we can be. One of the requests of several presidents of the United States was that when people come into the Government building to do some business, they be dressed appropriately, and their behaviour be exemplary. The reason was to uphold the dignity and honor of the place into which they have come. In the photos we may see of the conduct of various government meetings where the business of governing is conducted, each person has the responsibility to uphold the dignity of the occasion and the work being done. For that reason, in all the western nations and many eastern nations as well, men will wear a business suit and tie. This holds true in China, Russia and many other nations. In those nations where a suit and tie are not known or a custom, all those entering wear some form of dress that is considered elegant, dignified and classy. Our dress speaks to the regard we have for where we are and who we are. For women too, it is understood that their clothing is to reflect dignity and honor. We all know that if we were to meet an important person, we need to consider our dress. Attending a function in the office of the Queen, President, Mayor or some other leader clearly calls for thought given to our appearance and conduct.
There are times when we suddenly come into a place of great honor that we may not recognize. The account of Moses who was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro when he spied a burning bush that looked odd was such a moment. Moses was dressed in unwashed shepherd's clothing and no doubt would not be acceptable in places of nobility or honor. He was told that he was standing on holy ground and ordered to remove his shoes (Exod. 3:3-6). Moses grew greatly concerned and was afraid to look upon the face of God and rightly so. We all realize that the physical is not as important as the spiritual in matters concerning God, but the physical does reflect our spiritual attitude. Moses had never seen anything like this and had not experienced anything like this. It was clear that Moses had a great deal to learn about the God of this universe Who he was meeting and Who was going to commission him to rescue the nation of Israel from Egypt. Moses gets into a conversation with God once he is more relaxed and still does not comprehend all of the majesty before him. Although God is patient and kind, the words and arguments of Moses finally angered God (Exod. 4:14). Moses still had a lot to learn about this great Being who he knew of as the Lord or God.
Another example in the Bible of a man who was not fully aware of where he was and who he was dealing with is in the account of Joshua's life. Joshua had been busy working hard as God commanded and one day when he was by Jericho, he saw what seemed to be a man holding a sword (Josh. 5:13-15). When the Man said He was the Commander of the army of the Lord, Joshua fell on his face and worshipped. The first words were: "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." Here again it was simply ground, but what made the location holy was the presence of the Lord. That would make any place holy.
In the tabernacle and later in the temple there was a small enclosed room called the "holy of holies" or "holy place". It was a smaller room, but vitally important because inside was the ark of the covenant with the two cherubim on it and the mercy seat (Lev. 16:1-24). God gave elaborate instructions about what the priest was to wear, that only the one high priest could enter and exactly how God wanted the priest to conduct himself. Any failing could result in death. Since the coming of Jesus Christ and His fulfillment of the commission His Father gave Him, there was no more temple or holy place in the physical sense. It has been replaced with the greater and more important, more perfect tabernacle (Heb. 9:1-11). Christ came as High Priest of good things and has entered the holy place not made by hands. That was only a shadow of the true holy place which brings one into the presence of God (Heb. 9:24). The tabernacle and the holy place that was built there was merely a shadow of the true holy place where God abides.
Some years ago, I was able to visit Israel. At that time tourists were allowed to visit the Dome of the Rock which is a mosque on the temple mount. To the Islamic people, this is holy ground. Nobody was allowed to enter unless they first took off their shoes. There was an area set aside where a person could leave their shoes. That was the manner in which glory and honor was shown to the ground they consider holy. In a spiritual sense, we all "take off our shoes" when we come into the presence of God. Sometimes we are not aware that we ought to conduct ourselves in a certain way. And as in the case of Moses and probably Joshua too, they were not wearing a suit and tie. They probably had no chance to bathe, so the best that could be done is to take off their shoes. There is absolutely no question that God does understand our circumstances. Jesus spoke directly to His Father while hanging on the cross. At any time and in any circumstance, God understands and we can talk with Him. But when we have the ability and time, we need to present ourselves well. After King David recognized his sin and was in deep remorse and repentance, he rose from the ground where he was praying and fasting, washed and anointed himself, changed clothes and went into the house of the Lord and worshipped (2 Sam. 12:20). David knew he was in God's presence during his fervent prayers for the baby, but officially coming into the presence of God at the temple or house of God was different.
Today, there is no temple as there was in David's day, but Paul wrote that the church is the temple of God (I Cor. 3:9-17). Paul stated that God walks among His people (2 Cor. 6:16). In God's church today, the followers and believers of Jesus Christ have been cleansed by His sacrifice and that make us spiritually clean before God. But people are aware that physical appearance and decorum still counts when we come before His throne. We must not come carelessly before Him. The Father is still on His throne in heaven and Jesus Christ His firstborn Son is at His side. In such matters as prayer, we would not consider praying in just any manner. When we are able, we must know that coming into God's presence in prayer is special and needs to be treated as special in our formal prayers. There is to be reverence and dignity when we come into His presence. How we conduct ourselves shows how we think about God. We may need time as Moses did to begin to really grasp His magnificence. There is a tendency in our society to become more casual at almost every occasion. However, when we think of a wedding, a baptism, a special occasion like the Passover and our Sabbath meetings, we need to put more thought into the fact that our actions, words and dress reflect the respect and awe we have for the Father and Son. We are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, Jesus said (Matt. 22:37). That should mean that when we come in a formal prayer kneeling before our bed or whenever, or when we come into His presence and ask the Father and Son to bless our church service and inspire the speaking and hearing, those occasions demand a little more attention to our behaviour. We are to "take off our shoes" in a sense, because we are on holy ground. Not that the buildings we occupy are holy, it is the presence of God that makes a place holy.
When we meet and a person is asked for an opening or closing prayer, we ought to bow our heads and listen so we can say "Amen" with meaning. It is not the time to be zipping cases, picking up papers, fiddling with something and not paying attention. There may be something like a small child that has an immediate need, but even our children need to learn to be quiet and respectful when another person is talking with God on our behalf. When we find a quiet place to talk with our Creator, let us remember His majesty and glory and act accordingly to glorify Him.