Exodus 30:20
Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Exodus 30:17-21 and 1 John 1:5-10
God gives Moses the instructions for the bronze laver – the final object for the tabernacle. We don’t know anything about the size or shape of it. We know it is placed on a stand and it is situated between the bronze altar and the Tent of Meeting. We also know that it has no acacia wood. It is made completely of bronze. But it seems due to the lack of dimensions in the Scriptures, the location is more important than the design.
Aaron and the priests were to wash their hands and feet whenever they enter the tent and whenever they present the food offering at the altar. They would be washing their hands and feet quite a bit. Recall that the food offering was given twice per day and the incense was also burned twice per day. Inside the tent, the candlesticks had to be attended regularly and the showbread would be swapped out once per week. The priests would take many trips every day into the tent and do a lot of hand and feet washing.
The washing was meant to convey that God requires the sin of the world to be cleansed from the priests before they come before Him. Recall in our lesson from the burning bush that Moses was asked to remove his sandals when he approached God. Moses’ sandals represented the sin of the world because they were dirty from the dust of the earth. The same concept applies here with the bronze basin. The washing of hands and feet is symbolic of approaching God with a clean heart. Without doing so would bring death.
This concept is what the church world calls sanctification. Whereas the altar speaks of justification, the bronze laver speaks of sanctification. The moment we accept Christ’s work on the cross on our behalf, we are declared righteous by God (Romans 4:24-25). We are free of the punishment of sin. We are justified. However, sanctification means “set apart” to serve the Lord. But we must be clean to serve the Lord.
Jesus cleans us when we accept him as our Lord and Savior. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We are eternally sanctified by accepting the gift of God’s grace through Christ. But sanctification also occurs every day that we walk with the Lord. We still need to be washed of the sin that defiles us on a daily basis. As long as we are here on the earth, we are in the world and stand in constant need of cleansing. Every day we are to become a little more like Jesus.
The priest was given a complete bath upon his induction into the priesthood. This made him a priest and allowed him to enter the tabernacle. But every time he entered he needed to wash again. This is the same picture as it is for us in Christ. We are washed clean of sin the moment we accept Jesus death and resurrection. But we need to come clean every day we walk with him in order to become more like him.
How do we do this? The same way Aaron and the priests did it – by meeting with God. We are being sanctified when we apply the Word of God to our lives each day.
“How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9-11).
“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4).
Christ in the Old Testament 
Leave a comment