The last piece of furniture mentioned is the laver. It was made of brass obtained from the mirrors (a sheet of metal in those days) of the women in the assembly. Yes, they parted with their mirrors to make this important piece of furniture! We shall see the reason for this soon, but we must learn first what the laver was to be used for. The first thing a person entering came to was the brazen altar. The altar teaches us in figure that the Lord Jesus has fully glorified God about the question of sin. He has fully met the sinner’s need, too, for the fire of God’s judgment fell upon Him, just as the sacrifice was burned upon the brazen altar. Passing on a little way we come to the laver, where the priests washed their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle. It is like applying the Word of God to each defilement of the way and judging ourselves for it.
God’s “Beauty Shop”
Now we can see the reason the looking glasses were used. The vanity of all that we are by nature and all our boasting must be judged and come to an end. These mirrors could never be used again to satisfy the vanity of the women who once possessed them. They had given them to the Lord and were now more concerned with how they appeared in His eyes. Oh, that more Christian women would visit God’s “beauty shop” and adorn themselves for His eyes instead of for their own vanity! Sisters in the Lord, have you taken your looking glasses to the Lord and allowed the “water” of His Word, like the water in the laver, to be applied to all you use your mirror for? It is a privilege to please the Lord even in the little things. God did not tell Moses that the laver must be made from these looking glasses, but the women gave them willingly, and God has been pleased to record this in His Word.
Continual Washing
The priests were only washed all over once, and that was at their consecration, but they needed to be continually washing their hands and feet at the laver. The reason their hands had to be washed was because of the bloody sacrifices they were continually offering, but now since the one perfect sacrifice of Christ, our “hands” need not be washed to approach before God. We can always present Christ, and this is sure to be acceptable to Him. However, although the Lord would not wash Peter’s hands and head, because he was “clean every whit,” (John 13:10) He did wash Peter’s feet, as well as the feet of the other disciples (John 13:1-10). In the same way we need to apply the Word of God to our walk, allowing it to produce self-judgment for everything that is contrary to it. And so we read, “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (1 Cor. 11:28). Let us not forget this, for if we do not judge ourselves the Lord will have to chasten us as His children (Hebrews 12:7).
After this comes the holy anointing oil, which typifies Christ as the one whose life was always by the power of the Spirit of God and was always fragrant to God His Father. The Spirit of God could come down upon Him like a dove and there rest, while the Father’s voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). God said about the anointing oil, “Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured,” (ch. 30:32) for there is nothing of the natural man that is acceptable to God. Only what is of Christ in the power of the Spirit is pleasing to Him.
Further Meditation
1. What does water often represent in the Bible?
2. Absalom would have greatly benefited from the lessons of this chapter. Why?
3. Self-Judgment by H. E. Hayhoe gives a simple and helpful addition to the brief words on the subject in this chapter.