AT THE
LAVER
W
What Was the Laver Used for? A Holy God requires a holy people so before entering God’s presence, one must be cleansed. The Laver was for washing, cleansing and preparing. It was a circular basin inlaid with highly polished brass that the Israelite women used for mirrors. It was used by the priests for ceremonial washing to sanctify and to purify themselves before entering the Holy Place to perform their next service to God. They cleansed their faces and hands (representing daily work) and their feet (representing a holy walk and set-apart life) after the bloody slaughter of the sacrificial animals. Mirrors are for self-examination of the outer person but believers can use it to examine the inner man, the hidden man, our hidden heart. The mirror reflects the defilements within us, which are washed away when we obey the commandments of the scriptures. As the priests washed in the laver, the mirrors reflected their images, reminding them of how God saw them. Herein lies the promise in Ephesians 5:26, “that He (Jesus) might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” The Greek word for washing is laver. So it would 18
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April - June 2020
