THE LAVER

In the tabernacle’s courtyard, just beyond the bronze altar, and just before the tent, stood a bronze basin filled with water. As the priest walked across the sand from the altar, with hands stained with blood, and with feet soiled with manure, he stopped at the laver to wash his hands and feet. He needed to clean up before entering the holy tent.

There is something unique about God’s instructions for the building of the laver. When God gave instructions concerning the altar, they were complete with exact dimensions of height, width, and depth. It was the same with the table in the holy place. God had exact dimensions. Likewise with the lampstand, the golden altar, and the ark.

Not so with the laver. How tall was it? How many gallons of water did it hold? What was its diameter and its depth?

Here’s the complete instruction that God gave to Moses: “Make a bronze basin for washing and a bronze stand for it. Set it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet from the basin. Whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister by burning a food offering to the Lord, they must wash with water so that they will not die. They must wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this is to be a permanent statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations” (Exodus 30:18-21).

How big? How tall? How much water?

Big enough! Tall enough! Enough water to wash away all the filth, all the blood, all the manure. Big enough.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Jesus promised, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Jesus is enough!

“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).