The laver, or bronze basin, was required for ceremonial washing, symbolizing the need for purification before approaching God. It was placed in the courtyard between the altar of burnt offering and the entrance to the tabernacle, ensuring that priests washed before ministering in the Holy Place.
Exodus 30:18–20 gives the command:
“You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it, when they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister… lest they die.”
The requirement to wash emphasized that those who serve a holy God must be clean. This washing was not about physical dirt alone but symbolized moral and spiritual purity. Even though the priests were consecrated, they still needed continual cleansing to approach God.
The laver was made from the bronze mirrors of the women who served at the entrance of the tabernacle (Exodus 38:8), reminding Israel that God sees beyond outward appearance to the heart.
Spiritually, the laver points to the cleansing provided by Christ. Ephesians 5:26 speaks of Christ sanctifying the church:
“That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.”
It also reminds believers that ongoing confession and cleansing are necessary for fellowship with God (1 John 1:9). The laver teaches that holiness is essential for worship and that access to God requires purification through His appointed means, fulfilled completely in Jesus Christ.
