What spiritual significance does washing with water hold in Exodus 30:20? Context of the command Exodus 30:20: “Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; likewise, when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering to the LORD.” • Spoken to Moses for Aaron and his sons—God-appointed priests. • Located at the bronze basin between the altar and the entrance (Exodus 30:18-19). • Immediate purpose: safeguard their lives in God’s holy presence. Literal function of the basin ritual • Actual water removed physical dirt from hands and feet after sacrifice and before entering the sanctuary. • Reinforced order: sacrifice (altar) first, cleansing (basin) next, then fellowship (Tent of Meeting). Water as a tangible reminder of holiness • God’s holiness demands purity: “Be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45). • Clean hands and feet symbolized an undivided, obedient heart (Psalm 24:3-4). • Visible washing kept priests mindful that sin cannot coexist with God’s glory. Life-and-death urgency of cleansing • Phrase “so that they will not die” underscores sin’s deadly seriousness (Romans 6:23). • No shortcuts—neglect of washing meant immediate judgment (cf. Leviticus 10:1-2). • The basin broadcast the gospel truth that atonement and cleansing are nonnegotiable for access to God. Foreshadowing the ultimate cleansing in Christ • Priestly washings anticipated Jesus, the final High Priest, who “loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26). • Hebrews 10:22 parallels basin imagery: “let us draw near…having our bodies washed with pure water.” • John 13:10 shows Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, applying basin logic to New-Covenant fellowship. • Titus 3:5 identifies new-birth washing with the Holy Spirit as the true, inner purification the basin pictured. Application for believers today • Approach God mindful of His holiness and our continual need of Christ’s cleansing. • Confess sin regularly, trusting the “washing of water through the word” to renew minds and hearts. • Serve confidently: washed priests became effective ministers; washed believers become “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). • Live set apart in everyday conduct—hands and feet symbolize work and walk—so that worship and service flow from a pure life. |
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