Chapter 20
Exodus 30:17-3217And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 18Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. 19For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: 20When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord: 21So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations. 22Moreover the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, 24And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 25And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. 26And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. 30And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. 31And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. 32Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. (Exodus 30:17‑32)
“The next thing God told Moses to make was a laver of brass, a sort of large basin, which was to be placed in the court between the tabernacle and the altar. Here Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and their feet whenever they went into the tabernacle or near the altar to offer sacrifice to the Lord: for their service must be holy and their walk holy.
“They were to wash their hands and feet in order to come near to God. It was an act which showed that they could not come near to God as priests if their hands were not clean to do holy service and their feet to walk in holy ways. Sophy, did you ever hear of the Lord Jesus washing His disciples’ feet when He was going away from them?”
“Yes, Mother,” answered Sophy, “but what was that for?”
“Well, dear, it was because He knew what a wicked world it was where they were to walk. He told them they could not have any part with Him if He did not wash their feet.”
“And did He wash their hands, too, Mother?”
“No, He didn’t. The Lord Jesus meant to show them their walk would need daily cleansing: but that He Himself had finished the work He came to do by being the one great sacrifice for sin. No more would their hands need to offer the sacrifices of bulls and goats, which sacrifices were another type of the Lord Jesus in His death for us.
“It is His work, not ours; if we sin we may confess our sins to Him and that is like having our feet washed. We are not happy when we sin but when we confess our sins He makes us happy again.
“The Lord also gave Moses directions about making the holy anointing oil to anoint the tabernacle and everything belonging to it. The children of Israel were never to make any like it nor put it upon a stranger (Aaron and his sons were the only ones to be anointed), because it was intended to be a figure of God’s Holy Spirit. He told Moses that it should be made with incense of sweet spices some of which were to be beaten small and laid up before the Lord in the most holy place. It was to be holy to the Lord.
“Moses was not to make this himself. The Lord chose Bezaleel, of the tribe of Judah, whom He filled with the spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship to work with gold, silver, and brass. He taught him how to cut precious stones and to carve timber, too. God showed Moses how to make these figures of the true things which were in heaven. He chose other men to help Bezaleel, among whom was Aholiab of the tribe of Dan.
“These men loved God, and I think that is one of the reasons God chose them and gave them wisdom to serve Him. And now, you remember that God had spoken a great deal to Moses upon Mount Sinai.
“When He had finished speaking to Moses upon Mount Sinai, the Lord gave him the two tablets of stone on which was the law, written with the finger of God. You also remember that Aaron became impatient waiting for Moses and went down to the people.
“When Moses came down with the tablets of stone, he heard music and saw the people dancing in the camp. But it was not for God, but they were dancing around a golden calf.”
“A golden calf?” exclaimed Arthur. “Where did they get that, Mother?”
“Well, Arthur, you remember that the children of Israel were troubled because Moses was gone so long. They did not have faith for themselves and did not understand why Moses did not come back. The people came to Aaron and told him to make gods to go before them. Aaron was afraid of them so told them to break off their earrings and bring them to melt and make into a golden calf. He said, ‘These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’ The people offered sacrifices to it and sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
“This was very wicked and sad, for you remember that the first two commandments that God wrote on tablets of stone were that they should have no other god but the living God and that they should not make a graven image. Before they had even received it from Moses they had broken the first commandment.
“God knew what the people were thinking and doing for He knows everything. He knows all our ways, too, doesn’t He? We should be happy to have it so.
“He had said to Moses, ‘Go, get thee down: for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto.’
“God called the people, ‘Moses’ people’ instead of His own because they had forsaken Him. However, Moses would not let God give them up, so he still called them God’s people. Though they were very wicked, he loved them because of all God had done for them. He did not want to be made great himself. He thought of all he had learned in the mount about God’s thoughts and love for them and it made him feel that they were very dear to God in spite of all their wretchedness. So Moses prayed to the Lord, his God: ‘Lord, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people which Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, For mischief did He bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people.’ Moses reminded Him of all His promises to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Israel. The Lord did repent of the evil which He thought to do to His people.
“And God listened to his prayer, and blessed His servant who cared more for God’s glory than for his own. When he came down to the camp he thought of what was due to the holy God whose great name had been dishonored. When he had finished speaking to God, he turned and went down with the two tablets of stone in his hand. They were written on both sides. They were the work of God and the writing was of God.
“Moses was very angry with the people so he threw down the tablets of stone and broke them before the eyes of the people.”
“O dear,” interrupted Arthur. “What did Moses do that for?”
“I think Moses was right,” said Mother, “for it showed that he knew God’s mind about His law and about the people’s sin. He cared more for God’s honor and holiness.
“But I see you are both yawning; perhaps I shall try and explain that more to you tomorrow evening. You can think about it in the meantime. Now it is bedtime, and you must get your sleep.”