The Dwelling Place of God with man: Laver of Brass

Text: Exodus 30:17-21

Intro: We understand from the Scriptures that the laver was for washing the feet and hands of the high priest before they went into to the holy place. The Scriptures also show us that at the bottom of the water was a looking glass or mirror, so as the priest washed themselves there was a reflection of themselves as they gazed into the water.

Exodus 38:8 KJV 1900

And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Of course all of this portrays a beautiful picture of the ____________________ word of God.

James 1:23–24 KJV 1900

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

The laver was filled with water and the priest were commanded to wash themselves in it. As the laver is a picture of God’s word, we understand that the process of standing at the laver, looking into the reflection and applying the water signifies the washing of God’s word.

Ephesians 5:25–26 KJV 1900

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Just as there is washing by water which cleanses and purifies the body, there is also a spiritual washing and purifying that takes place through the word of God!

John 15:3 KJV 1900

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Titus 3:5 KJV 1900

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

The laver at the door of the holy place, was a symbol of regeneration. It is the result of what takes place at the brazen alter, and is required for admittance into the holy place.

John 3:5 KJV 1900

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Naaman: 2 Kings 5

Leviticus 14:1–9 KJV 1900

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.

Exodus 30:21 KJV 1900

So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

With their hands they performed the services in the Tabernacle while their feet represented their walk with God before the people. This was to be done every day before doing any of their work… As believers we must see the necessity of washing in the word as part of our daily living. We must serve God according to the Scriptures and allow our walk to be lead by His word.

There is an old saying which states, “This book will either keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.”