Exodus 30. The Golden Altar and the Laver.
WE have now reached the last section of this wonderful subject of the tabernacle. We had, first, the vessels of display, and God coming out to man (chapters 25-27). Second, we had the priesthood established, with their garments for glory and beauty, and their consecration, so that the people could be accepted in His presence (chapters 28 and 29). Third, we have in the chapter before us, the vessels to be used in approaching God.
The order, we shall remember, was from the inside out—from God to man; this is the order in this chapter also.
The golden altar (verses 1-10) therefore, must be the first vessel to be considered in this section. Its place was before the vail in the first room on entering.
There were no sacrifices to be offered on this altar, as we had on the brazen altar, which stood just inside the gate of the court. This one was to have swept incense burned upon it continually. This brings Christ before us as a sweet savor ascending up before God, and the cloud of it was to be seen by the light of the lamps, which we remember, was a type of the Spirit. The priest when dressing these lamps each morning, had that cloud of sweet incense ascending between himself and God, and God could see him through it.
Applying this to ourselves, who are saved; we can rejoice to think that it is our privilege to serve Him; and while we may be deeply conscious of our unworthiness to do so, yet we can take fresh courage when we remember that we are accepted in all the perfection of Christ, which always ascends before God. Then again, it would make us very careful what we do, seeing that God accepts us in all Christ’s perfection. All our ways should correspond with our acceptance.
One may think that there is a break in the subject by what is given in verses 11-16, but instead of that, they bring before us the fact that the service is to be the poor (ver. 15), so the redemption and that was the same for the rich, as for the poor (ver. 15), so the redemption which is through Christ Jesus, is for the greatest sinner, as well as for the respectable one.
Verses 17-21 give us on account of the laver which was placed in the court between the tabernacle and the brazen altar. There is no measure or shape given to us of this vessel, but the material is mentioned, and its object. Water was to be put in it for the priests to wash their hands and feet, before going on with their service in God’s presence. In chapter 38:8, we learn that it was made of the looking glasses of the women. They had no glass in those days, but they used polished copper, and that is what is mentioned in this verse as looking glasses.
This laver is a type of the Word of God which gives us a view of ourselves in our natural state as God sees us, and therefore He tells us,
“There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Read Rom. 3:10-1810As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17And the way of peace have they not known: 18There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:10‑18)). The Word of God is also that which can cleanse our ways, so the word is,
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.” Ps. 119:9.
We need therefore to be careful that we do not attempt to serve God apart from having all our ways searched by the Word of God, and everything set aside, or put away from us that that Word will not sanction.
The latter part of the chapter presents to us that which was for the priests only; but “man’s flesh” which was a picture of man in his natural state could have no part in this oil and sweet incense. They typified Christ in His divine graces manifested in Him as man in this world.
We, therefore, like the priests identified with Him, must seek to walk in these graces, and be like Christ in all our ways. He was the meek and lowly One.
ML 09/03/1922