The laver, a significant element in the tabernacle and later the temple, served as a basin for ceremonial washing, symbolizing purification and sanctification. Its primary function was to provide a means for the priests to cleanse themselves before performing their sacred duties, emphasizing the necessity of holiness in approaching God.

Biblical Description and Construction

The laver is first mentioned in the book of Exodus, where God provides Moses with detailed instructions for its construction. In Exodus 30:18-21 , the Lord commands, "You are to make a bronze basin for washing, with a bronze stand. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by burning an offering made by fire to the LORD, they must wash with water, so that they will not die."

The laver was made of bronze, a metal often associated with judgment and purification in the Scriptures. According to Exodus 38:8 , it was crafted from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, symbolizing the reflective nature of self-examination and the need for purity.

Symbolism and Spiritual Significance

The laver's placement between the altar of burnt offering and the Tent of Meeting underscores its role in the process of sanctification. After the sacrifice at the altar, the priests were required to wash at the laver before entering the holy place, illustrating the transition from atonement to sanctification. This act of washing signified the cleansing from sin and impurity, preparing the priests to serve in the presence of a holy God.

In the broader biblical narrative, the laver foreshadows the cleansing work of Jesus Christ. Just as the priests needed to be physically clean to serve, believers are called to spiritual purity. Ephesians 5:26 speaks of Christ's sanctifying work, "to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word." This verse highlights the ongoing process of sanctification through the Word of God, akin to the priests' continual washing.

Theological Implications

The laver's role in the tabernacle worship system reflects the biblical principle that holiness is essential for communion with God. The repeated emphasis on washing before entering the holy place serves as a reminder of the need for continual purification and the transformative power of God's sanctifying grace.

In the New Testament, the concept of washing is expanded to include the baptism of believers, symbolizing the washing away of sin and the believer's identification with Christ's death and resurrection. Titus 3:5 states, "He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit."

Practical Application

For contemporary believers, the laver serves as a powerful reminder of the call to holiness and the necessity of spiritual cleansing. It encourages self-examination and reliance on the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. As the priests washed before serving, Christians are urged to seek purity and righteousness, allowing God's Word to cleanse and renew their hearts and minds.

In summary, the laver stands as a testament to the importance of sanctification in the life of faith, pointing to the ultimate cleansing found in Christ and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life.Exodus 30:28
And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.
Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 40:11
And you shall anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.
Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 8:11
And he sprinkled thereof on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.
Nave's Topical Index

What is Sanctification?
... love of God; also, the state of being thus purified or sanctified.2. The ... the
sanctification of the tabernacle and its contents"the altar and laver, and all ...
/.../byers/sanctification/chapter i what is sanctification.htm

1 Cor. I. 3-Jan
... "To the sanctified in Christ Jesus." Again the name of Jesus; the names of men he
findeth no place for. But what is Sanctification? The Laver, the Purification ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily i 1 cor i.htm

Introduction
... and to be baptized; that the cancer which they had, and the anger of damnation,
and the witchery of error, may be sanctified by the holy and heavenly laver. ...
/.../cyprian/the seventh council of carthage under cyprian/introduction.htm

Postscript. Meaning Op the Word Regeneration.
... sense, to appropriate the title of regenerate persons to those sanctified by Divine ...
some earnestly contend it should be rendered, by the laver of regeneration ...
/.../practical discourses on regeneration/postscript meaning op the word.htm

Sanctification
... nature.' 2 Peter 1:1. The priests in the law were not only washed in the great laver,
but adorned ... A sanctified person bears not only God's name, but his image. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/5 sanctification.htm

On Baptism.
... Also as a symbol of Baptism there was a laver set apart within the Tabernacle ... shewing
in himself the pattern of the ascetic life; who also was sanctified by the ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture iii on baptism.htm

Why Children of Wrath are Born of Holy Matrimony.
... [2134] And yet even our outer man has been sanctified through the laver of regeneration,
and has received the hope of future incorruption, on which account it ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 20 xviiiwhy children of.htm

Epistle Lxxiii. To Pompey, against the Epistle of Stephen About ...
... For he who has been sanctified, his sins being put away in baptism, and has ... birth
is spiritual, by which we are born in Christ through the laver of regeneration ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle lxxiii to pompey against.htm

Whether it was Fitting for Christ to be Baptized with John's ...
... xxxix), "by going to John to be baptized by him, He sanctified baptism ... Wherefore
Ambrose says on Lk.3:21: "Let none decline the laver of grace, since Christ did ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether it was fitting for 3.htm

Instructions to Catechumens.
... of the laver thoroughly cleanses all these things." Hear therefore what follows:
"And such were some of you, but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/instructions to catechumens.htm

What is the meaning of bitter water in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the new anointing? | GotQuestions.org

What is the Valley of Succoth in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Laver: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus