The Lord said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering[d] to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin[e] of olive oil. 25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31 And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’” (Exodus 30:17-33)
Introduction
As we finish out chapter 30 today, we are coming to a close on this portion of Exodus where God gives the Tabernacle instructions to Moses. It has been a great encouragement to my faith to consider these different elements in light of the Lord Jesus, and has grown my love for the beauty and unity of the whole Bible, and pray that it has done the same for you, and that this time we have spent will serve to help you in your own reading of the Old Testament, that you might be better equipped to approach and understand the more difficult parts of the Old Covenant more readily. And may God bless the Word today, to that end as well.
V. 17-21
We have before us today the bronze basin for washing. This is made of bronze, not gold, because it was outside the holy place. It was placed between the altar of the courtyard and the tent of meeting, so that you would enter the court, make sacrifices at the altar, and then the priests would wash in this basin before entering the tent of meeting. The priests would wash their hands and feet when they went near to minister in the tabernacle, or to burn a food offering, and the reason is given: so that they may not die. It is reiterated a second time, that they were to wash their hands and feet so that they may not die. A statute forever to them throughout their generations.
Now, we might ask why this basin for washing is placed here in the text? Thematically we might think that it belongs next to the discussion of the priest’s ordination washing, which we saw a few weeks ago. I believe that one reason this is placed here is so that we would not confuse the two rituals. The daily washing of the hands and feet of the priests was a different ritual than the washing of the priests in their ordination. The washing of their ordination in chapter 29, was a one time event. It was a one time baptism, if you will. Just like baptism is. They are baptized once as they enter into the priesthood, just as we are baptized once upon entering into the church through profession of faith in Christ. This washing in chapter 30, is a different thing. It is the washing of hands and feet upon a daily basis, or as they came near to minister in the tent of meeting. It was not a baptism, or re-baptisms. It was daily washing, renewing, cleansing, and thus signifies something different than baptism. The ordination bath of the priest signified baptism. This daily washing of hands and feet signified something different, which we will look at today.
Before we get into that, consider the outward symbolism that is shown in this daily washing ritual. Not only did this serve to cleanse their hands from blood or other things from offering sacrifices that may have dirtied their hands, not only did it wash the dirt from their feet, so that they were outwardly, ceremonially, clean and holy as they entered the holy place. But this also was an outward sign that they who minister in the holy place are to have clean hands, hands that have not been lifted up to do evil or are covered with blood. They are to have feet that have walked in purity and in the paths of righteousness.
We see this theme in Psalm 26 where David says, “I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD, proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where you glory dwells. Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.” So we see that the washing of hands and feet shows the holiness the priests are to have in coming before the Lord.
Matthew Henry says that the daily washing showed “He only shall stand in God’s holy place that has clean hands and a pure heart, Ps. 24:3-4.” Psalm 24:3-4 says, “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.” So we have the idea of the necessity of drawing near to the Lord in sincerity and in righteousness. To come before Him, we need to be washed. We need daily repentance of sin. Repentance is not a one time act when you become a believer, but it is the daily duty of those who believe in Jesus Christ to live a life of repentance.
James 4:8-10 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
This coincides with how our Lord taught us to approach God when we come to Him in prayer, in the Lord’s Prayer, saying, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Consider how you come to the Lord in prayer, in your own private prayers. How do you lead your family in prayer? Do you go to the Lord confessing your sin, knowing that you need to be washed by Jesus, that your hands and feet need cleansing as it were?
And notice that the priests were to wash their hands and feet daily, but their whole body was washed once, in their ordination. There are some who may think that if you are a Christian and you go off and sin, and live even for a while in sin, that in order to be restored to God and church fellowship that you need to be re-baptized. But this is not so, that is not what baptism is. It is a one time ordinance when you enter the church, and what is needed is that daily washing of hands and feet when we sin – which is to say the way to restoration from sin is through repentance – turning away from that sin, and returning again to the Lord. And that is where restoration and fellowship with God is restored.
I think of Jesus in John 13. This is where Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. Remember Peter, our great source of comedic relief in the gospels, he says that Jesus will NEVER wash his feet. Then Jesus simply says, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Then Peter says, “Lord, then not only my feet but hands and my head also!” Then Jesus says, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet…” As New Covenant priests, we’ve been baptized into Christ, and it’s a done deal. But we need daily washing.
Now, we’ve mentioned repentance of sin, but there is a more specific answer as to what this daily washing of hands and feet signifies. So I’ll state it, and then I’ll show it to you. The daily washing of hands and feet in water signifies the Word, and how the Word washes and sanctifies us. The Word is the washing.
Washed by the Water with the Word
Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” Now this is just a start for us as there is no mention of washing or water, but we have the idea that it is the Word which makes and keeps one pure. This is what water does in washing, it cleanses and purifies. How can a young man be kept pure? That is, how can he continue to walk in righteousness, how can he live the Christian life before God on a daily basis? By guarding his way according to the WORD.
Proverbs 18:4 says, “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.” So we’re continuing to build a case here, as we see that words are like water, and the words of wisdom are like water, a bubbling brook.
Next, what does Jesus say in John 15:3? He says, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” So here Jesus says that the words that He has spoken to His disciples have made them clean. So His words washed and cleansed His disciples. It’s the WORD that washes.
Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” So here we see that the way that Christ cleanses His bride is by washing her in the water of the word. In this passage we see that this is the sanctifying work of Christ in His church, and it’s done by the washing of water with the word. So what is the water that is used to wash? He washes with the word.
We also see the word connected with water in 2 Peter 3:5 which refers back to creation saying, “For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God…” So the priest’s daily washing of hands and feet signifies Christ’s work of sanctification by the Spirit in His priests, as they are washed, cleaned, and formed by the water of the word. And it is through the word of God that we come before the Almighty and meet with Him, receiving His very words and commune with Him. We are formed and cleansed by this.
Have you ever experienced this sense of cleansing by the purity of the word? Maybe you spent a long and difficult day at work in the world, maybe around foul-mouthed co-workers or such, and you go home and read the word to your family and you feel cleansed by it. Or maybe you yourself have sinned and you come back to the Word of God, and you get a sense of renewal and washing. Or maybe it’s been a long week and you come to worship on the Lord’s Day and as you hear the Word of God read and preached it washes over you like water, renewing and cleansing your heart and mind. We are being formed and cleansed to draw near to God in His Word. So when we gather together as the assembled living tabernacle or temple of God, we do so through the washing of the Word as we meet with the Almighty. This is our washing of hands and feet so to speak. So put off your filth, put away your sin, and be cleansed as we meet with our Holy God.
V. 22-33
Finally in chapter 30 we have the anointing oil in verse 22-33. We saw earlier in the ordination of the priests that they were to be anointed with this oil, but this is not all that is to be anointed. Notice, just like the incense for the altar of incense, this anointing oil is to be holy and not to be poured upon the body of any ordinary person, and they were not to make this anointing oil for their homes or common uses, lest they be cut off from their people, verse 31-33.
Verse 30 tells us that this anointing oil was to be used to anoint Aaron and his sons, as they are consecrated to serve God as priests. We discussed a couple weeks ago how the oil signifies the anointing of the Holy Spirit. At Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit descended like a dove. As New Covenant priests, we are anointed and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
But here in verse 26-29 we see that they were also to use this oil to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand. It says, “You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.” So here we see a picture of the carnality of the Old Covenant – that it was outward and physical, with outward and physical signs of the greater reality. These physical objects were consecrated, that is, they were set apart by God to be used in His worship. It was not just any objects or furniture pieces, or utensils that they could use to worship God, but only that which God consecrated and set apart for them to use in approaching Him in worship. So to approach God rightly in worship, required that the person and the objects be ordained and consecrated by God, or authorized by God Himself. And as all of these things testify to the Lord Jesus, we see the anointing of God upon the totality of the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the tabernacle, the meeting place between God and man. He is the ark of the testimony. He is the bread of life upon the table. He is the light of the world, with flaming eyes of fire. He is the altar of incense who offers himself and His prayers as fragrant incense to God and sanctifies the prayers of His people. He is the burnt offering consumed by the wrath of God for the sins of His people. He Himself offers living waters of life, that we may not thirst again. He is our Great High Priest who ministers all these things for us before God.
“Whoever Touches Them Shall Become Holy”
But notice again what it says there in verse 29, that everything that touches these anointed and consecrated objects becomes holy. This is a surprising twist in the story. Because in the Old Covenant, it was uncleanness that spread everywhere. Normal things in life would make someone unclean and thus need to go through proper cleansing rituals. Dirty feet, coming into contact with a dead animal or body, coming into contact with an issue of blood or other bodily fluids, the normal cycle for a woman, a number of different foods and animals, certain skin diseases, and other things all made one unclean when they came into contact with them. It spread like wildfire. But here, in the tabernacle, the anointed consecrated things, are said to have the opposite effect. Now we know that were someone who was not properly qualified and consecrated to enter the holy place, they would die in coming into contact with these things, because they were unclean sinners and could not live in the presence of such.
But this idea is a foreshadowing of the work of Jesus and the New Covenant. In the New Covenant, the categories of clean and unclean are not as they once were. They are no longer outward categories, but spiritual categories of morality. We are not unclean if we eat pork or have to move the body of a dead animal. We are not spiritually unclean if we have a disease, nor is a woman unclean during her time. And those who come into contact with the Lord Jesus, whom He puts His hand upon to save, are made holy. When we sinners draw near to God through the true tabernacle, the Lord Jesus, we are not put to death, but made alive, made holy and clean before God.
Think of the story of Jesus in the gospels with the woman who has the issue of blood, the disease that she had for years. In terms of the Old Covenant she was unclean. But in faith, she believed that if she could just touch the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed. And what does Jesus do? He knows she is there. He doesn’t jump back from her, repulsed by her uncleanness, no he heals her, she is made clean by coming into contact with Jesus, the Anointed One. Or think of Jesus and the lepers. Or think of all the diseased people Jesus healed with a touch or a word. Or think of the dead Jesus raised. Or the demons and unclean spirits Jesus cast out. Jesus made them clean.
Then what do we see later in the New Testament, in the Acts and epistles? The apostles, anointed by the Holy Spirit cast out demons and heal the sick. Elders in the church are called to go to the sick, anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over them that they might be healed. A man or woman whose spouse is an unbeliever, is not made unclean by the unbelieving spouse, nor are their children, but they are called “holy.”
Jesus is the Holy and Anointed One who makes clean, and in Him, we too, as God’s people, the living tabernacle, are anointed and made clean, just as the entire holy place and all its objects and utensils were made holy to the LORD. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
So we can go to the sick, the diseased, the poor, the needy, the dirty, sinners, and give them aid and give them most importantly the Word of God, Jesus Christ, that they too might be cleansed and made whole in Christ. In Christ, we can go freely and boldly near to God and offer true worship, praise, and thanksgiving, giving God our “amen” in Jesus Christ, for we have that divine authorization, anointing, and consecration, to come near to Him through Jesus, anointed and sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are the living tabernacle of God on earth. The tabernacle was anointed and so are we as the New Covenant tabernacle in Christ.
And this anointing of the Holy Spirit is a sign, a reminder, that we are loved by Christ. In the Song of Solomon the bride is adorned and anointed with all kinds of precious oils and so is loved by her love. So Jesus rejoices in the anointing of oil upon His bride. He rejoices in His Spirit upon us, which makes us a pleasing aroma. Song of Solomon 4:10, “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!”
So know that the Lord takes pleasure in you and loves you with a great love. When you sin, wash yourself, turn from it, put away the filth and be clean, for you are consecrated by His Spirit to be His. Be faithful to Christ your husband. Set not your eyes on wicked things, walk not in the way of sinners, lift not your hand to do evil, let not your mind dwell on impurity, but be washed, and draw near to God through Jesus Christ. Put off the filth of sin this week and everyday, and be clean, as you are.
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