Scripture: The LORD said to Moses, “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, with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 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.”
Exodus 30:17-21 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Yahweh directs Moses to take a census of Israel, with each counted person twenty and older giving a life ransom to make atonement to the Lord, thereby averting plagues. Pragmatically, the ransom will fund the Levites’ tabernacle operations. The offering’s fixed amount (half a shekel) applies to all, regardless of one’s extent of wealth. Lastly, this census and offering will remind Israel of the God they serve.
Today’s reading returns to the list of tabernacle accoutrements with the Lord directing Moses to supervise the construction of a bronze wash basin and stand and then place the unit before the entrance to the tent of meeting. Aaron, his sons, and their successors must wash their hands and feet from it before entering the tent of meeting to approach the altar. Ignoring this regulation will result in death.
Takeaway: The later parallel description of this wash basin (38:8) reveals that the metalsmiths obtained the bronze for this wash basin from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tabernacle (collected during the freewill offering (35:29). In the ancient Near East, artisans made mirrors of polished bronze, for glass mirrors would evolve much later. The polished bronze would have come from the loot taken at the Exodus. Also worthy of note is that we see a progression of metals from common (the courtyard) to precious (Holy and Most Holy Places), both here and in prior descriptions.
As for the function of the basin, it served practical and ceremonial purposes. Regarding the practical aspect, Aaron and his sons would have bloodied themselves from slaughtering the sacrifices in the courtyard. They would need to make themselves more presentable before entering the holy spaces. The ceremonial aspect pertains to symbolically cleansing from sins (see 29:4). This latter point explains this seemingly excessive consequence (the death sentence) for ignoring God’s command. Similar to the death sentence meted out for offering “unauthorized fire,” here, such disregard for Yahweh’s holiness is evidence of disbelief tantamount to spiritual death. The severe outcome would also serve as a stern warning to any Israelite who would dare act brazenly toward Yahweh.
Our takeaway? Thankfully, we have a Savior who did what we could never accomplish: washing the world’s sins away through his death—a sacrament we continue to observe through baptizing converts. However, the wash basin foreshadows another crucial historical event: Jesus removed his outer garment, picked up a basin and towel, and washed his disciples’ feet. After overcoming Peter’s misguided refusal based on the low standing of one who washed guests’ feet (John 13:5-10), Jesus explained that his disciples must be servants to all as he has served them (John 13:14-15), and they must love one another as he has loved them. Thus, the world will know the eleven are his disciples (John 13:34-35).
Our part? This same mandate applies to us and all of Jesus’ disciples throughout the generations. And like the tabernacle priests, our metaphorical foot-washing services prove practical and ceremonial. We practically feed and dress the poor and care for the weary, lonely, and brokenhearted. When we do, we sacramentally care for our Lord and Savior (Matthew 25:40). So let’s not forget the unfathomable, loving cost of our cleansing from sin and the pick up our basins and towels and serve the least, the last, and the lost, for we are on holy ground.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who washed away our sins by shedding his blood. And we thank you that he set aside his divine prerogative to come and humbly serve us—symbolized in his sacred foot-washing of dirty feet with clean water. Still, we sometimes struggle to follow his mandate to do likewise and love one another. So, please help us to keep at the fore of our minds you and your Son’s extraordinary and costly love for us and then follow the lead of the Holy Spirit to do as Christ has done for us and lovingly serve others and your Son on holy ground. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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