Exodus 30:18 “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
The tabernacle of Moses is the shadow to the stages of prayer. The third stop at the tabernacle was the bronze basin. They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting (Exodus 38:8). Bronze mirrors were a precious possession during the 100 to 800 BC before the glass mirrors were invented. The laver was made with the bronze mirrors. Hence the laver served as a mirror and as well as a mug to clean and tidy themselves. The laver filled with clean water was between the altar and the tent for the priests to wash themselves.
Water represents the Word of God. Ephesians 5:26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word. At the altar our sins are washed by the blood and at the basin, our soul is washes by the Word. At this stage we are not still repenting but renewing our minds. We have already received the justification and the assurance of forgiveness at the altar. Bronze basin is a place of sanctification. Washing ourselves with the water is a posture of reading the Bible and allowing it to correct, change and cleanse our souls. It is where our mind is reframed, reformed and transformed by the Word of God.
The third stage of prayer is sanctification by the Word of God:
- Mirror: As the priest bent to wash themselves the laver reflected their faces, flaws and frowns. Similarly, when we read the Bible, our façade, fables and fallacy will be revealed to us. James 1:23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror. If the mirror shows an unkempt hair we would not leave without combing it. Similarly, as we read the truth from God’s Word, it would convict, correct and change us. Bible reflects us.
- Measure: The priest washed their hands and feet. Exodus 30:19 Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. The Word of God washes our ways. Our measure of goodness and godliness must be benchmarked against the standard specified in the Bible. Our measure is not against our sibling, silly neighbour or a slandering mate. I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). The Word becomes our measuring line, measuring scale and standard of living. The Bible measures us.
- Mandate: The most important transformation that happens at this stage is the confidence and assurance of our sanctification. We stop looking at the stupor of the past and start looking at ourselves as a vessel of honour – justified, sanctified and cleansed. We stop reeling our regrets and start rejoicing the redemption. People live in bondage and slavery as they are ignorant of the mandate. The Bible is our mandate.
Prayer is walking into ‘The Gate’ of the tabernacle of our prayer closet, surrendering, forgiving and sacrificing at the altar of sacrifice and sanctifying our souls by reading the Living Word.
Revelation 7:17 He will guide them to springs of living water.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, Your Word is the mirror that reflects my true inner-self, the measuring scale of my standards and my mandate. Teach me your Living Word. Amen.
Leave a Reply