Verse of the day: Exodus 30:17-19 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it.”
The bronze laver for the Tabernacle was located between the altar and the tent. Before the priest could enter into God’s presence, a burnt offering was sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin, then, they washed their hands and feet, representing the purity and cleansing that needed to take place before they could present themselves. The washing of their hands and feet was significant in that it pictured the necessity of being clean for work and service, as well as the holiness of their walk with God. Psalm 1:1 reminds us, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful”. The material used to construct the laver was provided by the ministering women who served at the entrance of the tent (Exodus 38:8). The bronze supplied by them was used for mirrors. Unlike today’s glass mirrors, in those days, polished brass, or bronze, was used for mirrors (Job 37:18). What a wonderful picture for them, and us, of the Word of God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Word (John 1:1). The Apostle Paul, in describing how a husband should love his own wife, described how Jesus loved His church, in Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” We know from 1 John 1:9 that Jesus is the One who cleanses us from sin and all unrighteousness. As the priests approached the laver and saw their own reflection, it was a reflection of their own sinfulness and unworthiness to come before God, and a reminder that they needed cleansing. The Word of God serves the same purpose today. We know from 2 Timothy 3:16-17, that the Word of God, in its entirety, is profitable for conviction, correction, and direction. James 1 tells us that God’s Word is our mirror; it clearly shows us who we really are, in light of God’s righteousness. James 1:22-25 tells us, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” Jesus, being the Word, is also our Mirror. The Word of God tells us that we fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the Glory of God. Therefore, we fall short of Jesus; for this reason we must be careful not to measure how well we are doing in our walk with God by how someone else is doing in their walk. Although we are called to be examples for others, the true measure of our walk is to be compared to the perfect Son of God, the Word Himself, our Mirror. It is in Jesus that we have forgiveness of sin. It is in Jesus that are righteous before the Father, and it is Jesus who cleanses us, so that we are presentable before God. Just as the priests were to cleanse their hands and feet, we too, as God’s holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), must be pure in our doings and our walk. This means that it is needful that we read, study, and apply, God’s Word every day, so that our thoughts, words, actions, deeds, and walk is in line with what God commands of us as His children, and Jesus’ ambassadors; not for our glory, but all for His glory.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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