The
Bronze Laver
Exodus 30: 17-21; Exodus 38:8; Exodus 40:7
The Laver is the reflective Word of God, you
can’t be with God and not know what manner of man you are. You can’t see anyone
but yourself when gazing into
the laver.
When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters
of Zion and purged the bloodshed
of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit
of judgment and the spirit of burning, then
the Lord will
create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her
assemblies a
cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for
over all the glory will be a canopy. There
will be a shelter to give shade
from the heat by day, and refuge and protection
from the storm and the rain. Is. 4:4-6
For
as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is
the Son of man.
Jn.
5:26
But because I have
said these things to you, sorrow
has filled your heart. But I
tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go
away, the Helper
will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to
you. And He, when He
comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do
not believe in Me; and
concerning righteousness,
because I go to the Father and you no longer
see Me; and concerning
judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. I have many more
things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. Jn. 16:6-12
But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But
when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned
along with the world.
1 Cor. 11:31-32
So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed
her by the washing of water with the
word, that He might present
to Himself the church in
all her glory, having no spot or
wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy
and blameless. Eph. 5:26-27
called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light;
1 Pet. 2:9
For it is time
for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the
outcome for those who do not obey the gospel
of God? And if it is
with difficulty that the righteous is
saved, what will become of the godless man
and the sinner? 1 Pet. 4:17-18
About the Laver
·
It was
located between in the outer court, between
the altar and the tabernacle.
·
The
water was to be changed every day.
·
The
priest had to wash. Even if he was clean, and
washed his hands and feet before leaving
home,
he must still wash before progressing on to
the holy place.
·
The
priests were to wash at it, not in it.
Materials
of the Laver
·
Made
from the bronze (judgment) mirrors of the
women of Israel- their freewill offering.
·
A laver
and its base.
·
May have
been a larger and smaller bowl-like a
tea cup and saucer.
·
It had
no measurements which represents the
limitless cleansing power of God.
Purpose
of the Laver
·
to
reveal all uncleanness by way of the mirrors, and to
cleanse the priest.
·
The
priest saw his reflection as he washed.
·
The
Brazen Laver is the way of separation and sanctification.
When you arrive at this station and wash, you
are now separated and set
apart for service. The laver also typifies
water baptism, holiness, and
sanctification.
·
Now that
we have presented ourselves a sacrifice to God,
we now need to wash ourselves from the filth
of the world,
and
serve the Lord.
·
The
laver is bronze mirror and the priest saw his reflection, and washed.
·
Typifies
the Word of God.
·
Hebrews 4: 12-14; For the word of God is living and active and sharper
than any two-edged sword,
and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both
joints and
marrow, and able to judge the
thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no
creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare
to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who
has
passed through the
heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
·
James
1: 23-25 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and
not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural
face in a mirror; for once he
has looked at himself and gone
away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But
one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of
liberty, and abides by it, not having become a
forgetful hearer but an
effectual doer, this man will be blessed
in what he does.
We need to look into the mirror of God’s word
and judge ourselves. Then we may be clean to be used for His service.
·
There
had to be blood which stood for the sacrifice and water for washing- the two
main components of the Tabernacle- this flowed out of Jesus on the cross when
He was pierced in the side. We see a common theme
here (As throughout all of
Scripture): First the
blood (Altar), and then the water (Laver). Water and blood are seen throughout
the Tabernacle, Just as Christ shed His blood, and blood and water ran from His
side.
·
Unlike
the altar which is accessible to all; only the priest
could access the laver.
·
The
altar dealt with sin; our justification. At the altar of
Calvary the sinner was bathed, for the blood
of Jesus
cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn. 1:7); the
laver with atonement:
our sanctification. At the laver the believer
is washed from
daily defilements-enabling him to live a
sanctified life.
We are being progressively sanctified, living
an obedient
life.
·
John
13:10: Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs
only to wash his feet, but
is completely clean; and you are
clean, but not all of you.”
·
Jesus
final Passover, He washed the disciples feet. (Peter)
The symbolism comes from people returning
from the
Bathhouse. They only needed to wash their
feet.
·
The life
of holiness is made possible by the Word of God.
·
Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is
truth. Jn. 17:17
·
How can a young man keep his
way pure? By keeping it
according to Your word. Ps. 119:9
·
You
are already clean because of the
word which
I have spoken to you. Jn.
15:3
·
A PRIEST MUST BE CLEAN
Who
may ascend into the hill
of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure
heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to
falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. Ps. 24:3-4
1 John 5:6: This is
the One who came by water and
blood, Jesus Christ; not with the
water only, but with the water
and with the blood. It is the
Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
Christ was the one and only sacrifice; fulfilling all the blood
sacrifice and all the ceremonial washings with water.
Water represents The Godhead’s dealing with man:
Water judgment- the earth covered with water in the
beginning;
its second baptism was with the flood with Noah.
Water cleansing- The water spoke to Christ the Word made
flesh- He washed His disciples feet.
Water drinking- The Water that Jesus gives is the Holy
Spirit.
The water represents our
regeneration: This means we
are
born from above or born again. This is our initial bath.
Titus 3:5 says,
Christ and in the Spirit of
our God. 1 Cor. 16:11
Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his
feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
John 13:10
Water
Baptism:
Baptism in the NT is not optional, it is a command. It is our
laver- we were initially washed or regenerated by the blood
sacrifice of Christ, now we wash.
Colossians 2:12
who
once were disobedient, when the patience
of God kept waiting
in the days of Noah, during the construction
of the ark, in which a
few,
that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
Corresponding
to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of
dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for
a good conscience—
through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3: 20-21
we are priests now, and we need to be
clean before we minister
before the Lord, and before we enter His
sanctuary.
For
this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number
sleep. But
if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
1 Cor. 11:30-31
·
Why are we in this condition? We are not washing in the water
of
the Word.
·
Moses cleansed the priest initially, then it was their
responsibility
to wash every day before ministering.
·
We must be holy and separate.
THE THREE WITNESSES IN HEAVEN:
The laver was sprinkled with blood, anointed with oil, and it
contained water for washing. The
Water of the Word for
cleansing comes to us through the Blood of Jesus and by the
Spirit (oil) of God.
I John 5: 7-8 there are three
that bare witness in heaven the
Father , the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And there are three that
bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, the Water and the Blood and
these three agree in one.
Chapter 3 The
Bronze Laver
Exodus 30: 17-21; Exodus 38:8; Exodus 40:7
When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain. Isaiah 4:4-6
When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain. Isaiah 4:4-6
For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; John 5:26
But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. John 16:6-12
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
1 Corinthians 11:31-32
so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:26-27
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 1 Peter 4:17-18
I Come to Wash
There was a day when I came to wash my hands and feet
There was a day when things were not hidden or discreet
Now it is so easy to hide things in my heart
But I still have to wash and set myself apart
I come to the Bronze Laver to look, to wash, and to see
What snare to lay down, what God wants to wash out of me
Now that the sacrifice has been made for my sin
I come to wash before my God in this mirrored, bronze bin
Christ completed the work for us our hands are now clean
But we must walk a walk for Him that is by all men seen
I come to wash that I may have my appointed part in Him
I do not want the light He gave to go out or to become dim
As I stand here and look ahead I see the veil to the Holy Place
I want to go in and fellowship to be equipped to run the race
There is so much waiting for me I must not hide my face
I come to wash that I may receive a filling of His grace
I come to wash that I can know that Christ has made me clean
To work out my salvation daily and not look back where I’ve been
Christ wants us all to come and wash and lay aside our sin
That is why His Word is foreshadowed in this bronze bin
So come and wash that we may go and fellowship with Him
We cannot pass the offer up it would be such a sin
For if we are not willing to come and wash in this laver
We cannot expect to receive from the Lord His unmerited favor
There is a table prepared for us and it just lies ahead
If we will wash that burden is no longer on our head
I came to wash I feel so free I’m so glad I came
Now that I am washed I feel so clean I’ll never be the same
There was a day when I came to wash my hands and feet
There was a day when things were not hidden or discreet
Now it is so easy to hide things in my heart
But I still have to wash and set myself apart
I come to the Bronze Laver to look, to wash, and to see
What snare to lay down, what God wants to wash out of me
Now that the sacrifice has been made for my sin
I come to wash before my God in this mirrored, bronze bin
Christ completed the work for us our hands are now clean
But we must walk a walk for Him that is by all men seen
I come to wash that I may have my appointed part in Him
I do not want the light He gave to go out or to become dim
As I stand here and look ahead I see the veil to the Holy Place
I want to go in and fellowship to be equipped to run the race
There is so much waiting for me I must not hide my face
I come to wash that I may receive a filling of His grace
I come to wash that I can know that Christ has made me clean
To work out my salvation daily and not look back where I’ve been
Christ wants us all to come and wash and lay aside our sin
That is why His Word is foreshadowed in this bronze bin
So come and wash that we may go and fellowship with Him
We cannot pass the offer up it would be such a sin
For if we are not willing to come and wash in this laver
We cannot expect to receive from the Lord His unmerited favor
There is a table prepared for us and it just lies ahead
If we will wash that burden is no longer on our head
I came to wash I feel so free I’m so glad I came
Now that I am washed I feel so clean I’ll never be the same
By Piper Green © 2003-2015
The
scene from the Altar fades, though it is forever etched in her memory—and
heart. The Bronze Laver is just ahead, and it grows larger as they approach; the
joyful ones from the Altar have also approached. Each one washes in the basin;
except for a few who stand and watch the others wash. Sarah asks him; “Why are
the others not washing?” “At every point in the journey, some will choose not
to continue forward. They are deceived into believing that they don’t need to
go any farther, and that this is all they want of God. The ones not washing
have accepted the sacrifice for their sin, but they do not want to change the
way they live, believing they are missing out on life—leaving them bound. A
great feast awaits them if they would take the journey, but they have chosen to
stay behind and to not fellowship with God.”
She listens intently to his words, and realizes the same choice lays before her; she is unaware that he is quietly awaiting her decision. As the last one washes she cannot help but to draw close. She has come this far and can’t turn back. She has wanted this too long to quit. She wants to know God more; deeper.
She listens intently to his words, and realizes the same choice lays before her; she is unaware that he is quietly awaiting her decision. As the last one washes she cannot help but to draw close. She has come this far and can’t turn back. She has wanted this too long to quit. She wants to know God more; deeper.
Sarah
approached the Laver and stood for a moment gazing into the water. A soft
breeze brushes over her face, and gently rippling the water in the basin. As
the water settled she recognizes the reflection staring back at her from within
the mirrored bin. Scenes from her life flash before her, reflecting the hurts
and wounds in her heart. She remembers the times she became angry with her
mother; the hate she carries for a friend’s betrayal; each glared at her from
within the bowl. “Please forgive me Lord!” She cries. The words pour from her
mouth like water as she weeps and immerses her hands into the bowl; the water
is refreshing to her weariness; she slips off her sandals dips her feet into
the lower basin—the water is invigorating. As she washes the desert from her hands,
she feels clean; the stains in her heart scrubbed away like an oyster gritting sand;
a beautiful pearl for a reward.
His voice startles her, “I am glad you washed. It reveals your heart; you want to see God.” She sighs and answers, “Oh, I do! I feel so clean…and different; the weight I was carrying is gone! Basking in her new found freedom, she observes the ones who have chosen to remain; her heart breaks. “What about the others?” She asks as her eyes become fixed on them. “The laver is for them if they decide to wash. I will welcome them with open arms.” He answers. “I hope they follow.” Sarah said. “I want them to more than you know.” He answered, with a glimmer of sadness in his voice. She cannot take her eyes of them as he leads her toward the holy place.
His voice startles her, “I am glad you washed. It reveals your heart; you want to see God.” She sighs and answers, “Oh, I do! I feel so clean…and different; the weight I was carrying is gone! Basking in her new found freedom, she observes the ones who have chosen to remain; her heart breaks. “What about the others?” She asks as her eyes become fixed on them. “The laver is for them if they decide to wash. I will welcome them with open arms.” He answers. “I hope they follow.” Sarah said. “I want them to more than you know.” He answered, with a glimmer of sadness in his voice. She cannot take her eyes of them as he leads her toward the holy place.
