Brazen Laver
Laver
Consecration to God
Exodus 40:30-32 (NIV)
30 He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing,
31 and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet.
32 They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, as the LORD commanded Moses.
The laver contained water and was located between the brazen altar and the tent of meeting. This speaks of purification in preparation for meeting with God. This washing of sin in done by confession to the Lord. The laver speaks of daily sins that must be confessed and repented of.
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The believer is to confess his sins to the Lord daily as they are committed. This is represented by the washing of the hands and feet which are the parts of humans that get soiled after taking a bath.
Taking a bath can represent the overall atonement of Christ to wash away all sins in general but the washing of hands and feet speak of the daily cleansing of sins by confession to the Lord.
John 13:5-10 (NIV)
5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”
When Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, he told Peter that a person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet because his whole body is clean. Only his feet that touch the ground would be soiled after taking a bath as also with the hands which touch the things of the world while living.
Therefore, the washing of the feet (and hands) can be used as an illustration of the confession and cleansing of daily sins which are committed by the believer during the course of their daily living on earth.
After the believer leaves the brazen altar (representing salvation) then they proceed to the laver for the washing of their hands and feet. At this point the believer is to examine their hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to remind them of any sin that they need to confess and forsake. This is a process of self-examination and confession and repentance that is necessary for purification of the believer before the approach God.
Washing So They Will Not Die
Exodus 30:20-21 (NIV)
20 Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the LORD by fire,
21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”
Aaron and his sons were required to wash their hands and feet before they could proceed toward the tent of meeting. Sin cannot remain in the presence of God so anyone who is sinful would drop dead if they attempt to enter God’s presence. This speaks of the fact that the believer has to confess daily sins and repent of them before he can come into the presence of God in prayer.
Isaiah 59:1-2 (NIV)
1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Humans are separated from God by sin because sin cannot remain in the presence of God. But Jesus made redemption available for all humans (to whoever will call upon his Name by faith and receive the free gift of eternal life).
Nevertheless, the believer still must confess their daily sins to the Lord as represented by washing their hands and feet. This must be done before they can approach God in prayer because if they harbor unconfessed sin in their hearts then they will be cut off from God by sin and God will not hear their prayers.
The Laver and washing of hands and feet speaks of the confession of daily sins so that the believer may be pure and clean in God’s sight and free of unrepentant sin. This is a necessary step of consecration that is required before any believer is qualified to approach God in prayer.
1 Corinthians 11:27-28 (NLT2)
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.
The same type of consecration is also required when the believer partakes of communion because they are commanded to examine themselves for sin and confess and repent of any sin before they partake of communion.
1 Corinthians 11:29-31 (NLT2)
29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.
30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.
Some believers became weak and sickly and even died because they partook of communion in an unworthy manner (while harboring unconfessed sin in their hearts).
In the same way, the Laver represents the believer engaging in self-examination and prayer to the Holy Spirit to reveal any unconfessed sin in their hearts. This is a necessary step of consecration before the believer can approach God in prayer. Without this consecration their prayers will not be heard and in fact they could even endanger their own lives by opening themselves to the attack of the enemy Satan to afflict them with sickness due to harboring unconfessed sin in their hearts.