Let's turn back again tonight to Exodus, the book of Exodus. Last Wednesday night, we looked at the different titles that are given here in the book of Exodus for the tabernacle. I believe there were five different titles given to the tabernacle. And I also pointed out that the pattern given to Moses during the 40 days makes up seven chapters here in this book. And there's only one chapter given to creation, Genesis chapter one. And that in itself shows us the importance of the tabernacle. There's so much that may be learned from studying the tabernacle. As I was asked after that service, if I was planning to go through all the parts of the tabernacle, and I said no. But there's one piece of the seven which are called furniture. There's seven pieces and they're always referred to as the furniture in the tabernacle. The brazen altar, if you were to go into the court, if you were an Israelite and you were to go into the courtyard, the first thing that you would see would be the brazen altar. And then there would be the laver. between the altar and the tabernacle itself. And inside the holy place, of course, would be those three pieces of furniture, the candlestick, the showbread, and the golden altar of incense. And then, if you were the high priest once a year, you might go behind that veil and see the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. I would like for us tonight to think of one of these pieces though, and it's been on my heart at least, and that is the laver. The laver which was set between the altar and the tent. If you will, open your Bibles to Exodus chapter 30, and let's read about the laver. Exodus 30, and beginning with verse 17. Exodus 30 verse 17, And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal. And thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. For Aaron and his son shall wash their hands and their feet thereat. When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water that they die not. Or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord, so they shall wash their hands and their feet that they die not. and it shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout his generations. Now, I have three parts to the message tonight as we look at this labor and what is revealed in the scripture about it. First, its size, its size. And I mention this only because it seems so strange, as we've just read what God spoke to Moses about this labor, it seems so strange that there's no dimensions given. That the other pieces in the tabernacle with exactness, God told Moses how long they were to be, how wide they were to be, how deep they were to be, But he gives no dimension to Moses here concerning the laver. The first piece of furniture that is mentioned, as you began in chapter 25 of Exodus, is the Ark of the Covenant. And God is very precise about its dimensions. Its length was two and a half cubits. the width one and a half cubit, and the height a cubit and a half. And then, of course, the mercy seat that sat upon it was two cubits and a half the length, and a cubit and a half the width. So the ark, as it was made, and then the mercy seat fit down so that you could not see into the ark. The mercy seat covered it. The dimensions were so specific, so exact. And of course, the reason for that was inside the ark was the law of God. The law of God. And there has to be a mercy seat. There had to be the sprinkling of blood between a sinner and the law of God. Because we're all guilty of breaking God's law. God's law which commanded us to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, and our neighbor as ourself. And we've all broken that law. But when the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, we know that he mentions the fact that the law was in his heart. Just like the law was in that Ark of the Covenant, so the law of God was in the heart of the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, our substitute. Now, it's interesting to me at least why there were no dimensions given of the labor. Nothing said about its size. Now, we see that it is very closely associated with the brazen altar. You notice again in verse 20, when they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not, or when they come near to the altar, and that's the altar of the burnt offering, the bronze altar, not speaking about the altar of incense, the golden altar, which was inside the tabernacle. But they were always coming to this altar because if a man sinned, and we know we all do, and he was made aware of his sin, he would bring an animal. You read about this in Leviticus, of course, and he would bring that animal to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And it looks like the man himself would slay the animal. There may be some difference of opinion there. Maybe he just led it to the priest and the priest would slay the animal. But it seems like the man who was guilty himself, he had to slay the animal, but then the priest, his responsibility was to to prepare that animal so that it might be offered as a sacrifice unto God. So this labor is very much associated with a brazen altar. They had to wash their hands and their feet before they approached the altar. They had to wash their hands and feet before they went into the tabernacle to minister. Now, another difference between this piece of furniture and the other six pieces of furniture is this. God gave instructions as to how they were to be transported. Remember, they were in the wilderness when the tabernacle was set up, and they moved from place to place over those 40 years. And every time the tabernacle was disassembled, God was very specific as to how every piece was to be carried. And all of these seven pieces, except the laver, was to be wrapped up. I believe in a cover of blue. I may be mistaken about that. But God gave instructions as to how these pieces were to be transported, but not the laver. The other pieces, many of them were built with rings also. And there were stays that were put through the rings and they would be carried on the priest's shoulder. Remember when David Tried to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, and he thought he could improve on God's way. Built a new cart, put that Ark on it. When he came to a certain place, the oxen stumbled. The Ark was moved, and that man put forth his hand to steady the Ark, and God killed him. No, God had specific ways about this tabernacle, so many different things. Now, in a few minutes, at the end of the message, I'm going to give what I believe could be the reasons for those two things, the fact that the dimensions were not given, and the fact that it was not covered when it was transported. Now, the second part of my message is composition. its composition. You notice in verse 18, thou shalt also make a laver of brass. Now, the Bible translators use this word brass, but it wasn't brass, it was copper. Brass had not been, I guess you'd say, invented at this time. It was copper, not brass. But here's the question. Where did this brass, I'm gonna use the word brass because the translators used it, but where did this brass come from? They make the labor of brass, God said, but where does the brass come from? Well, look back into chapter 25 with me just a moment. Beginning with verse two, Exodus chapter 25, and beginning with verse two, God tells Moses, speak unto the children of Israel that they bring me an offering. Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart, you shall take my offering. And this is the offering which you shall take of them, gold and silver and brass and blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen, and goat's hair, and ram skins dyed red, and badger skins, and chenum wood, oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, onyx stones and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate, and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. Every time I read that list, there's one item that gets my attention. I'm sure it gets your attention, too. You say, what is it? Goat's hair. Goat's hair. Goat's hair is named right along with gold and silver and purple and blue material. Goat's hair. Goat's hair. Doesn't that remind us, it does, me at least, of what the Apostle Paul wrote about giving in the New Testament. And I happen to notice here as I was just reading that, that God said, speak unto the children of Israel that they bring me an offering of every man that giveth it willingly. We're not talking about a tax. That's what tithing really is, it was a tax. Why is it that we do not teach tithing? Because tithing was something obligatory upon the people. In the New Testament, in the epistle of Corinthians, we're taught to give. And to think of this, a man, here's a man, he has a bar of gold or a bar of silver, and he gives that willingly unto the Lord. Yes, it had to be willing to be accepted, And here's another man, he's not nearly as wealthy, and all he's got is some goat's hair. Some goat's hair. Doesn't that remind us of what Paul wrote in the New Testament when he said, for if there first be a willing mind, here's the thing about giving. Not an obligation, not in the sense that you're bound to pay the preacher, as they used to say. No. Or you've got to give your 10%, you know, if you make $100, $10 is God's, and if you don't give it, pay it really, God's gonna take it anyway. God's gonna get it. God doesn't need your money. Doesn't need my money. No. Paul said, if there first be a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath. One man has some gold to give. Another man has some goats there to give. But God accepts both because they give from a willing mind and a willing heart out of love and appreciation. That's the reason we are to give, isn't it? Because of what he has done for us. Because he gave his all for us, his life. and shed His blood to redeem us from our sin. Giving is a wonderful. privilege for the people of God. And I think sometimes maybe we don't realize what a blessing it would be for a family. Teach your children to give, to give liberally, to give. That's not the end of that verse. Let me finish that. For if there first be a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. You didn't bring me any gold. I don't have any gold. What I have, goat's hair. But I give it willingly. And it's accepted. Why? Because it's given out of a willing heart. God looks at the heart. That's one of the hardest lessons, I guess, that men, you and I and everyone else included, need to learn. God looks at the heart. That was the thing about the religious leaders when the Lord Jesus Christ was here. They were precise. He mentions the fact that they tithed of their little plants they used for, I guess, seasoning food and things like that. They were precise in that, but they omitted the weightier matters of the law. mercy, judgment. And they they took advantage. It's an awful thing to think these men with their long cloaks and their their symbols around their their robes, showing just how religious they were. And they wanted to stop on the street corner and pray so everyone would see them. And yet they devoured widows houses. They took advantage of orphans. And God said, not gonna look over that. That was a very, very serious offense unto God to take advantage of those who are weaker in some way. No, God looks at the heart. You got some goats there? Bring it to the Lord. You got some gold? Bring it to the Lord. But this begs the question, where did this brass come from? We read through that list there, and there's no mention of brass. There's gold and silver and goat's hair, but there's no mention of brass. Well, we've got to look in Exodus chapter 30, 38, I'm sorry, Exodus chapter 38, and we see where the brass is going to come from. Exodus chapter 38 and verse 8. And he made the laver of brass and the foot of it of brass of the looking glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Where did the brass come from? Well, it came from the looking glasses of the women who worshiped the Lord. Now, looking glass, it was, we used mirrors. Glass and quicksilver, I believe, is the way mirrors are made. Some kind of backing on the glass. But at that time, all they had was this polished or copper or brass, and they gave it. They gave it willingly. And the thought is, as I looked at this, what do we find in the scripture, in the word of God that is compared to a mirror, to a looking glass? Go with me to James chapter 1 in the New Testament, James chapter 1. James chapter one and beginning with verse 23. Well, begin with verse 22, James one and verse 22. But be you doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, He is likened to a man beholding his natural face in a glass, in a mirror, in a looking glass. He sees his face in the glass, for he beholdeth himself and turns away, goeth his way, and straightway he forgetteth what manner of man he was. That's what the Lord compares to a person who is only a hearer of the word but not a doer. He's like a person who looks in the mirror and sees his self, turns and immediately forgets what he just saw. And we think of the word of God, I do at least, I think of the word of God as a mirror. And we look into it, we read the Word of God, and what do we see? We see our face and we see there's spots, there's munches, there's spots that need to be repented of and confessed and forgiven of. We continually look into the mirror into the looking glass, the Word of God. And that's surely, let me read verse 25, but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty. Now, what is that, the perfect law of liberty? Well, it has to be the gospel. It has to be the Word of God, the gospel. Because in the context here, that's what he's speaking of. If you look back in verse 18, of his own will begat he us with the word of truth. God uses the gospel, doesn't he? The truth and calling out his people, saving his people. That's one reason we believe in preaching and sending missionaries and trying to get the Word of God out. Why? Because we know that God is chosen by the foolishness of preaching to save His people. And preaching what? Not just foolish preaching, but preaching the Word of God, the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. And not only there in verse 18, but look in verse 21, wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word, the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. So when he writes, who looks into the perfect law of liberty, he's speaking about the gospel, the word of Christ, the message of Christ. And I believe because the laver was made of this that pictures the word of God, that we may learn the spiritual meaning for us. And that brings me to my third part, the typical meaning. What is the typical meaning for us from the laver? Well, first of all, we see that the laver was made for the priest. It wasn't made for the congregation of Israel. The laver was made for the priest. It was made for Aaron and his sons, verse 19, back in our text, chapter 30. Chapter 30 of Exodus, verse 19. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereof. The laver was made for the priest to wash their hands and their feet. Now, consider this. Turn back to chapter 29, one chapter back. And in this chapter, God gave the instructions to Moses about setting Aaron and his sons apart to the priesthood. Let me begin reading in verse one. And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office. Take one young bullock and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened, tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened, anointed with oil. Of wheat and flour shalt thou make them, and thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket with the bullock and the two rams. Now notice verse four. and Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and shalt wash them with water. When they're set apart to the priesthood, this was part of the ordinance, they were brought to the door of the tabernacle and they were washed with water. They did not here wash themselves. Not when they were set apart for the priesthood. They did not wash themselves. They were washed with water. Thou shalt wash them in water. But now, with the labor, they are to wash their hands and their feet. The first washing was done for them. and never repeated, never repeated. The ordinance of washing at the laver was done by them, and it was often repeated. After they were washed upon entering into the priesthood, that washing was never repeated. But as they ministered as priests, They were to wash their hands and feet when they went into the tabernacle and when they approached the altar for a burnt offering. And failure, you see it two times repeated, failure to obey was a capital offense. They would die, they would die. Now, should I remind us that every one of us tonight here who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, that we are priests, that we have been made priests unto God. The first washing of the priest pictures the new birth. It pictured being born of water, even of the spirit, as our Lord said in John chapter three and verse eight. That's never repeated. We're never unborn. When a person is born again, he has a new life and it's an everlasting life. And he'll never need to be born again. Why? Because he has a life that cannot die. His life is Christ. My life is Christ, your life is Christ. We've been made priests. We've had that first washing, but then these priests were to wash themselves as they ministered unto the Lord. And this speaks of our daily need of cleansing. And this is brought out, this is what John chapter 13 and the Lord washing the disciples' feet is all about. Turn with me to John chapter 13. So get that in your mind. The priests were washed, and that was never repeated. But then they washed their hands and their feet, and that was often repeated. In John chapter 13, you're familiar with our Lord washing the disciples' feet, but I want you to notice, especially verse 10, the Lord's words to Peter. Now Peter was a very vociferous type of guy, wasn't he? Many times he spoke without giving a whole lot of thought, maybe. And I can understand this. Of all of the times he put his foot in his mouth, I can understand this maybe more than any other. You're going to wash my feet? No. No, that's not going to happen. But notice what our Lord said, Jesus saith unto him, he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit, and you are clean, but not all. If you notice Peter's words in verse eight, thou shalt never wash my feet. Now look at Jesus' answer to that. If, now he's already, or in just a second, he will say they're all clean, but not all. Judas was there. He wasn't cleansed, but they'd all been washed in that fountain filled with blood. They were clean every whit, but their feet needed to be washed. And Peter saith unto him, thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered, if, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Now I didn't say thou hast no part in me. No. To be in Christ is to be saved, right? To be in Christ, accepted in the beloved, Yes, but to be with Christ has to do with our fellowship and our communion with the Lord. And that's the thing that we see here with these priests and this labor. Now, it was their hands and their feet that had to be washed before they entered into the tabernacle or approached the altar. And I'm indebted here to Arthur Pink as to how he brought this out so well. In preparing the sacrifices, their hands would contact blood. That's what they were doing. They're preparing the sacrifices and there would be blood on their hands. Now blood speaks of death. The life of the flesh is in the blood. Blood speaks of death. And their feet, when they left their tent and walked to the tabernacle in the priest's dress, there's no mention of shoes, their feet would be dusty from the way. And Arthur Pink said, we live in a world of lost sinners who are dead in trespasses and sins. And we cannot help but have contact. We're in the world, but not of the world. And so we have contact with death, that is, men and women who are dead in trespasses and sins. Plus, we walk in this world, a world that is a fallen world, a sinful world. And also we have that old man that remains in us. And James said, for in many things we offend all. Well, wherewithal, the psalmist said, wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. It is with the word of God we need daily reading the word of God, hearing the word of God preached and taught. And this shows us our needs, our need of cleansing, not being born again, we've experienced that if we're God's children, but our fellowship, our communion with the Lord is affected by our conduct and our walk in this world. Now let me close. I said it a few minutes ago, the possible significance of the fact that dimensions are not given. And the covering, it was not said to be covered when it was moved. For the dimensions, we may see that God has provided for us an unlimited provision for our cleansing. That is the word of God, an unlimited provision for our cleansing. And as to no covering, does that not tell us that God's purifying word is ever available, and we should use it daily as we journey through this world. So the spiritual lesson for us, we're priests. And to enjoy the fellowship and communion with the Lord, we must be constantly washing our hands and our feet with the word of God. May the Lord bless this message to us here tonight.