Exodus 30:17 – 21 “Again, the LORD said to Moses, “You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water into it, with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made by fire to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die. Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”
With the recent COVID pandemic, people around the world have learned to do thorough hand washing. Even in market places in rural Ghana, there are hand washing stations and hand sanitizer has become a major sales item for roadside vendors. But why did God command ritual washing of hands and feet? What were the reasons for the placement of the basin between the altar of sacrifice and the entrance to the Tent of Meeting?
For the background information for today’s devotional, we turn to this website: https://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/tab4the_bronze_laver.htm The words in italics are taken from this teaching. Note that the term “laver” is used in place of “basin.”
Nobody is quite certain what this bronze basin looked like. Unlike many of the other pieces of equipment for the Tabernacle, the basin did not have anything connected directly with it for carrying it. Perhaps there was a large lip that allowed the basin to be carried. One artist has imagined the basin to be encased in a frame that would then be carried. This basin was made of the bronze mirrors contributed by the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. (Exodus 38:8) In those days, such mirrors would have been precious treasures for the women who owned them. The making of this bronze basin/laver began with these women giving up their most prized possessions, their mirrors.
What is important here is the use of the basin. The laver/basin served one great purpose, the washing and cleansing of the priest from all defilement. It was for priests only. No one in Israel or the rest of the world for that matter could wash from the laver. What a privilege for the tribe of Levi.
1. The basin was situated between the altar and the door of the Holy Place. It came after the altar, thus indicating that the first act of worship was SACRIFICE.
“The appointed priest, as he entered the gate of the outer court, faced the altar, where he made a sacrifice for himself like any other Israelite. Once beyond the altar he was ready to act as a serving priest and so at the laver he prepared himself for the further service of God. He could then minister at the altar or in the Holy Place because he washed at the laver. The altar always came first for the priest. Salvation and then service. God was approached by way of the blood and the water.”
2. It came before the door (wash before entering.) Within the door of the Holy Place were vessels that represented God Himself. No priest dare enter with any trace of uncleanness. “Be holy as I am holy” was commanded to the priests.
3. It came after leaving the Holy Place (wash before going out) In the outer court everything was bronze. Inside the Holy Place everything was gold . As the priest came out of Gods Presence and back into service he washed at the laver.
4. The priests were to wash their hands and their feet. The hands speak of what they did, their service, their work, everything they put their hands to was important and so their hands needed to be cleansed always, and daily. The initial cleansing was done only once, the daily cleansing was done continuously. The feet represented where they went, their lives and ways. Their walk had to be a holy walk, so their feet were washed always, everyday.
APPLICATION: For Christians, the water of baptism has replaced the water in the basin, just as the blood sacrifice made by Jesus Christ has replaced the blood sacrifices of bulls and lambs. But one fact remains constant: all of mankind suffers from a sin problem. Romans 3:22 -24 says, ”… There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
In my Facebook feed this morning I saw an article mentioning that some educated people are now turning to Satanism “because it makes sense” and because there is no demand for a commitment of one’s life. MAKE NO MISTAKE! EVERY TIME YOU CHOOSE SATAN AND REFUSE GOD, YOU ARE MAKING A COMMITMENT, AN ETERNAL ONE! A DAMNING ONE!
Each of us makes thousands of choices every day. There is no neutral demilitarized zone in the spirit world. You are either coming closer to God or closer to Satan. When the priests obediently washed their hands and their feet before and after worship in the Holy Place, they were choosing God and choosing life. Later on, we will see that some priests made wrong choices and paid for those choices with their lives. The question for each of us today is this: which direction are we heading? Choose wisely! You are choosing for eternity!
PRAYER: Father God, let everyone who reads this devotional search their hearts and come to You so that You can cleans them. Apart from You we have no hope and no salvation. Let these words reach those who need to hear them. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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