Exodus 30:17-21
“THOU shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet thereat.”
The last of the sacred vessels of the tabernacle to be described is the laver. It stood between the brazen altar and the holy place, and contained water for cleansing. There the priests would wash their hands and feet from defilement before going io the presence of God in the sanctuary.
When one entered the court of the tabernacle the first thing he met was the brazen altar, and this speaks to us of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. There it was He fully gloried God as to the question of sin. There too He met the sinner’s need, for the fire of God’s judgment fell on Him, so that the believing one, his sins forever put away by that precious blood, can now pass on his way in peace into the very presence of God.
But in this evil world we contract defilement and have need to have our feet washed daily “with the washing of water by the Word,” and this is what the laver speaks of. The believer is cleansed from his sins once and for all by the blood, and this never needs to be repeated. But we need that constant washing of water by the Word, that moral cleansing of our souls from the defilements the way. Perhaps, dear young Christian, we hear some unholy talk, or see a defiling picture, which things might remain in our memory; or we might entertain an unkind thought about someone; these things defile and interrupt our communion, but if we go to the Lord about them, and judge them, then occupation with Him has the effect of freeing our minds from these defiling things; we are set free in spirit to have our thoughts filled with Christ and His things. We need this constant self-judgment in order to go on and grow in our souls. This truth our blessed Lord brings before us so clearly in John 13:1-10.
It is interesting to note where the brass used in making the laver came from. We learn from Exodus 38:8 it was made out of the brazen mirrors, or looking glasses, used by the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle. When the metal was highly polished they could see themselves in it, but now, it seems, they had parted with their mirrors willingly. They would never be used again to satisfy the vanity of those who once possessed them. They had given them to the Lord for His service and from henceforth they were more concerned with how they appeared in His eyes. Surely this was most commendable and God has been pleased to record it in His Word, surely for our learning.
ML-12/06/1970