Exodus 30:17-21 - We need to be sanctified

In verses 17-21, God gave instruction to Moses to make the laver, the final piece of furniture to be placed at the courtyard between the Brazen Altar of Sacrifice and the doorway of the Tent of meeting. This laver would be made of bronze since it was a piece of furniture outside the Tent of meeting. It would be made of two parts: a basin for water and a pedestal to hold the basin. It was for the priest to wash their hands and feet after performing the sacrifice before he enters the Tent of meeting. In fact, the priest would also wash himself before he performed the sacrifice. Hence, whether before or after he had to stop by the laver for cleansing.  That’s the implication of David’s Psalm 24:3 when he said those who can ascend the holy hill of God and stand in His holy place are to those who have “clean hands and pure heart.”

A priest must prepare himself before he went into the Tabernacle to worship. After the sacrifice. His hand would be bloodied and had to be washed. The physical cleansing is a symbol of spiritual cleansing. A Priest’s sin would have been dealt with at his ordination where seven bulls were sacrificed to atone for his sin. Though cleansed yet each time when he was scheduled to serve God, he still had to purify himself again. He still needed to be cleansed of his sin and this was seen by the washing with the water in the laver before he went into the Tabernacle to serve God. The Brazen Altar of Sacrifice is a symbol of justification and the washing done at the Laver is a symbol of sanctification. As Christians, we also need both justification and sanctification. 

The layout of the Altar of Sacrifice and the laver gives us a picture of these two processes in our Christian walk and experience. We have been justified by the death of Christ at the cross and we still need to be sanctified and cleansed in our daily walk. The process of sanctification tells us that in our Christian journey, we need to be continually cleansed in our walk.  This is what Paul also called us to do in 2 Corinthian 7:1. He said, “Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God”   

How are we cleansed in our daily walk? Without a doubt, it’s the work of the Holy Spirit. So In Ephesians 5:26, Paul implied that we are washed with water through the Word. Water is an emblem of the Holy Spirit. And He uses the Word of God to transform us and change us from one degree of glory to another progressively. To make roads in our journey towards wholeness and holiness, we must study, contemplate, memorize, assimilate the word of God and seek the sanctification that only the Holy Spirit can bring about.