Preoccupied as we are these days with preventing the transmission of contagious disease, we might think that’s the reason that the priests washed their hands and feet every time they went to the bronze altar or into the Tabernacle. But remember: the priests were the only ones who went into these places, so there was no risk of them spreading sickness to others. And it’s not as if God was worried about catching a cold or the flu.

On the other hand, we might jump to the conclusion that the bronze laver points to the sacrament of baptism. And while it is true that the water of baptism is indeed a sign and seal of “the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5), no one needs to be baptized more than once. Moreover, we know that the Old Testament sign of inclusion in the covenant community was circumcision, not washing with water.

So, if washing with the water from the laver wasn’t about public health and isn’t a foreshadowing of baptism, why did the priests do it? David gives us a clue in Psalm 26:6: “I shall wash my hands in innocence, And I will go about Thine altar, O LORD.” And he makes the same point in Psalm 24:3-4: “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully.”

In other words, the ritual washing from the laver pointed to the continual need for all of God’s worshippers to purify our hearts, to separate ourselves from sin. Jesus made the same point when the Pharisees criticized His disciples for failing to wash their hands before eating: “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23).

So yes, we are washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb. Yes, our personal holiness is a gift of God’s free grace. But we are also called to participate in God’s sanctifying work, putting to death the remnants of sin within us every day, making every effort to bring our thoughts and feelings and actions into line with the regenerating, renewing work of the Holy Spirit.

So, just as the priests were called to cleanse themselves before approaching the Lord’s altar and bringing His blood into the Tabernacle, we must also engage in the daily work of confession and repentance, turning away from anything and everything that stands between us and our Savior and Lord, walking with integrity by living according to our profession of faith in Christ (Psalm 26:1). Then, as David says, we “shall receive a blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:5).

Exodus 30:17-21 (NASB)

17 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
19 “And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it;
20 when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD.
21 “So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they may not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”