“Thus shalt … thou 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 sons 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 the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: so shall they 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 their generations.” (Exod. 30:18-21)

“And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the looking glasses [mirrors] of the women assembling at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” (Exod. 38:8)

“And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar and shalt put water therein.” (Exod. 40:7; see also Exod. 40:30)

“Next, between the ‘Brazen Altar’ and the door of the Tabernacle, was the ‘Laver.’ It was made of polished copper and was a receptacle for water; at it the priests washed before entering the Tabernacle.” (T15)

The Laver well represented the Word of God, for it contained that which symbolized the “waters of divine truth” made available for the cleansing of God’s antitypical priesthood.

“As a means of attaining the glorious end of their calling they are to cleanse themselves from defilement, and for their use in this respect the Word of God has been provided: it is at once a mirror to show them their blemishes, and water wherewith to cleanse themselves— the stimulus for the correction of life being the exceeding great and precious promises set before them in the Scriptures.” (R2671:5)

The KJV tells us that the Laver was made of the “looking-glasses” (mirrors) of the women assembling at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. Incidentally, the words “the women” have been supplied by the translators. Reference is here to the first Tabernacle—probably Moses’ tent— which, after the episode of the golden calf, he moved, “pitched … without the Camp, afar off from the Camp,” and which Tabernacle he called, “the Tabernacle of the Congregation.” (Exod. 33:7) This Tabernacle had no court so it is not strange that women could be assembling at its door. However, when the second Tabernacle was erected—the one which Moses built “according to … the pattern” shown him in the mount (Exod. 25:9,40)— there was not only a duly anointed priesthood to serve therein, but there was also a very restricted area—the Court—not open to the assembling of any women.

At a later date, when both the priesthood and its tabernacle service had deteriorated in the days of Eli, women of questionable character were found assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and Jehovah God was much displeased.

“Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.” (1 Sam. 2:22,23)¹

The laver was made of copper—the symbol of human perfection and we suggest that of the man Christ Jesus: for even as one looked into the laver and through the clear, clean waters which it contained, he could see its copper surface; and so, by looking into and through the “waters of divine truth” one can see therein portrayed the one perfect man who was born “holy harmless undefiled and separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26)—the man Christ Jesus.

In the type, the laver and its waters were ever and always identified with each other: the mere mention of the one, of necessity implied the other. The priest who would be cleansed had therefore to recognize the laver which made the waters available. Nor is it very different today! And, so close is the identity between Christ Jesus and the truth, that he could honestly declare, “I am the truth” (John 14:6), and he who would know the cleansing power of the divine truth is called upon to recognize him whose ransom sacrifice has made the application of its waters possible.

The account specifically tells us that the laver was made of looking glasses [mirrors], that is, the copper was highly polished. It served therefore to reflect the image of anyone who looked into it. What a picture this was! Who, of the antitypical priesthood has not upon looking into the Word of God, not merely seen therein set forth the standards of absolute human perfection which so beautifully marked the man Christ Jesus, but also by the same token, a reflection of his own image with its shortcomings and imperfections. Such an one, surely, has been called upon to lift up his voice in praise to God for all the provisions he has made whereby he not only is permitted to see his own need of cleansing; but has also been provided with the means whereby this cleansing can be accomplished.

Before those called to be priests could be acceptable and serve as such, and thus be privileged to enter the Holy and the Most Holy of the Tabernacle, they had first to be washed with the waters supplied by the laver. And so too, is it with those called to be God’s antitypical priests. Their cleansing (represented by the Laver) of necessity must precede their entry into the spirit-begotten and the spirit-born conditions (represented by the Holy and Most Holy, respectively).

¹ See 1 Sam. 3:11-14; 4:11; 1 Kings 2:27.

“To us who live since Pentecost—and who may, therefore, have a clear conception of the deep things of God under the guidance and instruction of the holy Spirit—our Lord’s mention of water (John 3:5) may have a still fuller significance. We see that symbolical water represents truth, and that our begetting of the holy Spirit is said by the Apostle to be also a begetting ‘through the Word of truth.’ (Jas. 1:18) We remember also that the same thought is expressed by the Apostle Paul, who declares (Titus 3:3-5), ‘his mercy saved us through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the holy Spirit.’ Putting these matters together we have the thought that our regeneration or begetting again by it come to us in connection with the washing or cleansing which is effected in us by the operation of the truth—the divine message. This is beautifully symbolized in Israel’s Tabernacle service, in which the priests, before entering the Holy and thus typically becoming new creatures, first washed at the laver which represented the Word of God, the truth, the water of regeneration, by which we come into that condition of consecration to the Lord in which he is pleased to accept us, to grant us the spirit of adoption into his heavenly or spiritual family.” (R4124:6)

Not only at the time of their inauguration into the priesthood, did the typical priests require to be washed with the waters from the Laver, but the Word of God tells us, that ever thereafter, having been accepted as priests, they needed still to wash their hands and their feet before serving the Tabernacle or its altar. (Exod. 30:20,21)

“The laver between the altar and the house … is not described in the specifications. It provided, however, for a very significant ceremony, since it contained a supply of water that the priests might wash their hands and their feet when they went into the habitation, or ministered at the altar. The entire function of the priesthood consisted in the two branches of service here indicated, since it was with the feet that they entered the sanctuary, and with the hands that they served the altar. Hence the requirement that the hands and the feet, rather than other parts of the body, should be washed. It denoted that, though consecrated to the sacred office, they nevertheless on account of their uncleanness by nature and by contact with the impurities of the people, needed a special purification before every official act. They might not touch the vessels of Jehovah with their hands, nor place their feet within his dwelling, without a reminder that he is holy, and has chosen his people that they also may become holy.” (Atwater, The Sacred Tabernacle of the Hebrews, p. 294)

“A cleansing … of all the filthiness of the flesh and spirit on the part of those in the justified condition as preparatory to their entering the Tabernacle itself.” (R3054:1)

“The fact that we see believers who are trying to put away their sins is not itself evidence of their being ‘priests’; for Levites as well as priests should practice ‘circumcision of the heart’—‘putting away the filth (sins) of the flesh.’ All this is symbolized in the Laver of water in the ‘Court,’ at which both priests and Levites washed. Nor is a spirit of meekness, gentleness, benevolence and morality always indicative of consecration to God. These qualities belong to a perfect natural man (the image of God), and occasion- ally they partially survive the wreck of the fall. But such evidences not infrequently pass as proofs of full consecration in the nominal Church.” (T119)

It is very evident that they who would bear the vessels of God, or minister in any way in his service, must be clean. (Isa. 52:11) This is true whether they who serve be either priests or merely Levites, for we are admonished to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1) This, indeed, is the washing to be accomplished daily at the laver.

“In our studies of the ‘Tabernacle Shadows of the Better Sacrifices,’ we saw that every one who took part in the priesthood was required to wash his hands and feet at the laver. We saw that the laver represented the Word, or message of God, and that the water, therefore, represented the truth; and thus it is the truth which is to cleanse the royal priesthood from the defilements of the flesh. As a whole we are clean, being covered with the robe of Christ’s righteousness; but in our contact with the world we are to seek to put away the defilements of earth which come to us in connection with our daily walk and service, represented by our feet and our hands.” (R3267:1)

“The more refined forms of evil which still infest the flesh, even of those who have the new mind, and which require to be mortified, rooted out, cleansed away. How ‘close girdling’ are these sins that are mentioned—how many of the prospective members of the royal priesthood find that they have defilements along this line, malice, guile, hypocrisy, evil speaking! It is safe to say that every one has some, if not all of these weaknesses in the flesh to con- tend with—especially at the beginning of his entrance upon the priestly vocation. How carefully all should seek to put all these away! how each should scrutinize, not only every act of life and every word and every thought, but additionally, every motive underlying his words, thoughts and actions, so that they may be more and more purified from the earth defilements and be more and more acceptable to the Lord.” (R3267:2)

“After washing at the Laver—putting away the filthiness of the flesh— the believer approaches close up to the door of the Tabernacle and ‘ties’ himself there—obligates himself by consecration vows, devoting himself fully to the Lord and his service, whatever that may be.” (R5959:3)

“This washing of the feet is for the cleansing from defilements that may have gathered in our walk through this world. There may be no outward failure: it may be only inward, or even the lack of that spiritual vigor that would keep us in spirit unspotted from the world. The priest was not to have failed exactly when he washed his hands and feet before offering the sacrifices or before entering the Tabernacle. But it reminded him that he was in a scene where the dust and defilement gathered imperceptibly and so he had constantly to apply the water. Thus the scene of John 13 does not mean some glaring failure—mud, if I may use the expression—but that which comes in to hinder full communion with the Lord. Just as the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, or the lust of other things can choke the Word, so, in the believer, household cares, daily duties, business affairs, yea, even Christian service, may be allowed to practically mar communion with the Lord. Let any one beware how he takes for granted that communion goes on undisturbed without submission to this action of our Lord—washing the feet constantly! One may have been preaching the Gospel or ministering to his brethren, yet, if he has not gone to the Lord for the practical cleansing—as from pride, self-sufficiency, self-complacency, etc., he will find some iniquity connected with his holy things, that he gathered defilement even in Christian service.” (Ridout, Lectures on the Tabernacle, p. 463)

Since there are no measurements given for the Laver, may it not be intended to reflect the fact that God’s provision for the cleansing of his people by the Word (the WORD, and the Word of Truth) is so great that it may be said to be immeasurable!

“As it is necessary to a thorough cleansing of our natural bodies that we should wash with ‘pure water,’ so much the more is it necessary to this cleansing of which the Apostle speaks, the cleansing of our moral characters, that we should have the pure water of divine truth, and not the muddy and polluted teachings of the adversary. … How important, then, is the truth, and how much meaning we find in our dear Redeemer’s prayer to the Father on our behalf: ‘Sanctify them through thy truth; thy Word is truth.’ Let us not attempt to sanctify ourselves through any other washing than this; let us not be satisfied with anything short of the ‘pure water,’ the pure Word of God, the pure truth.” (R2671:4)

“As a means of attaining the glorious end of their calling they are to cleanse themselves from defilement, and for their use in this respect the Word of God has been provided; it is at once a mirror to show them their blemishes, and water wherewith to cleanse themselves—the stimulus for the correction of life being the exceeding great and precious promises set before them in the Scriptures.” (R2671:5)

“Nor will it answer to assume, as some do, that baptism belonged among the ceremonies of the Jewish Law, and that with all other features of the law it ended at the cross—where our Lord ‘made an end of the law nailing it to his cross’; for baptism was not a part of the Jewish law. The washings enjoined in the law, performed at the laver in the court of the tabernacle, were neither immersions, nor sprinklings, but simply cleansing, and were not practiced upon the people. The one tribe of Levi alone had access to that washing.” (R1539:6)

It is worthy of note that the Word of God, the Truth (the Bible), is represented in both the Laver in the Court (R3267:1; R2671:5) and in the Golden Candlestick in the Holy (T22). The difference? The Laver was made of polished copper (Exod. 30:18; 38:8) and contained water for the cleansing of the priesthood that served the Tabernacle (R2671:5), whereas the Candlestick was made of beaten gold (Exod. 25:31; 37:17) and its lamps contained oil for the enlightenment of those who served within the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

“The light of this lamp was from olive oil, ‘beaten’ or refined; and the lamps were kept always lighted. This oil was symbolic of the holy Spirit, and its light represented holy enlightenment—the spirit of the truth. Its light was for the benefit of the priests only, for none others were ever permitted to see it or to profit by its light. Thus was represented the spirit or mind of God given to enlighten the Church, in the deep things of God, which are entirely hidden from the natural man (1 Cor. 2:14) even though he be a believer—a justified man (a Levite). None but the truly consecrated, the ‘Royal Priesthood,’ are permitted to see into this deeper light, hidden in the `Holy.’ ” (T116)

As will be seen from the foregoing, there is a corresponding difference with regard to the particular aspects of the Truth, reflected in these two furnishments, respectively. The one in the Court—the Laver, made of copper—bespeaks the basic elements of the Truth, never hidden from those of humankind who would “see” the perfections of the man Christ Jesus; and their own need of cleansing, ere they would be able to follow in His footsteps into the Sanctuaries of God.

The elementary aspects of the Truth are such as the Apostle Paul desig- nated “first principles of the oracles of God”—the “milk” of the Word. (Heb. 5:12,13) These involve repentance from dead works, faith toward God, baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, eternal judgment (Heb. 6:1,2), all of which center in the ransom sacrifice of the man Christ Jesus; and where there is faith there is a consequent justifica- tion. The Laver stood in the Court.

“The Laver which stood in the Court full of water, at which the priests washed their hands and feet … is a symbol of the cleansing effect of the truth upon the outward conduct of believers in general. It symbolizes the putting aside of filthy practices—lying, stealing, etc., and the putting away of filthy communications out of our mouths—slanders, envy, strife, back- biting, etc., a cleansing as proper for the natural man as for the consecrated saints.” (R1543:6)

On the other hand, the Candlestick, made of beaten gold, bespeaks the deeper, diviner elements of the Truth, to those only who by consecration of their justified alls unto the Lord have “died” to their human hopes, interests and ambitions, and, as sanctified and anointed “priests,” are now in the light of the Candlestick privileged to fellowship and communion with God as is suggested by the golden Table of the Shewbread (R2670:3), and as “priests” to offer sweet incense unto the Lord, as is suggested by the golden Altar of Incense. (T120, 22)

The deeper aspects of the Truth are such as the Apostle Paul designated “strong meat” (Heb. 5:14), and involve membership in the (royal) priest- hood with a recognition of Christ Jesus as the High Priest (Heb. 3:1), membership in the “Seed of Abraham” (Heb. 6:12-17; Gal. 3:29), member- ship in the “body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:13), the sharing of Jesus’ cup in a communion of saints (1 Cor. 10:16), and the hope of glorification with Je- sus (Heb. 6:12,19) which belongs only to the predestinated, foreordained responders to the high calling (Rom. 8:24,29; Phil. 3:14; Heb. 3:1). Thus does this deeper aspect of the Truth involve sanctification by God’s holy Spirit. The Candlestick stood in the Holy of the Tabernacle of the Con- gregation.

Let it be further noted that no ordinary Israelite, nor even the ordinary Levite, ever saw the lighted Candlestick. When the Camp traveled, it was covered, outwardly with a seals’ skins covering (Num. 4:9,10) so that not even its gold was visible to the people. How significant! And let it also be remembered that no one, not even a priest, had the privilege of being enlightened by the golden Candlestick within the Holy unless he had first been washed with the waters at the Laver in the Court. (Exod. 30:19-21)

“And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.” (Lev. 8:6—see also Exod. 29:4)

“Aaron, the typical High Priest, represented Jesus, the Head, and the Church as members of the body—the great antitypical High Priest. Being but a sinful man, like others, Aaron had to be washed in order to represent the purity of the antitype, Jesus, who knew no sin, and his Church, cleansed through his precious blood, and the washing of water by the Word.

“After being washed, Aaron was clothed with the holy garments of ‘glory and beauty’ (Exodus 28)—and lastly the anointing oil was poured on his head. Each article … typical of qualities and powers of the Great Deliverer—Head and Body—as Jehovah discerned them, looking down into the future … and the fulfillment in them of his promises.” (T29)

“He shall put on the holy linen coat, and shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh. . . ; these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.” (Lev. 16:4)

“Aaron was washed, in order fitly to represent the purity, the sinlessness, of the ‘new creature’—the Head and his body members. (‘No one who has been begotten by God practices sin; because his seed abides in him, and he cannot sin because he has been begotten by God.’—1 John 3:9, Diaglott)” (T54)

“And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt-offering, and the burnt-offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.” (Lev. 16:24)

“As the white robes worn throughout the work of sacrifice covered the body and represented the justification of the body, their purity in God’s sight through Christ, so the ‘garments of glory and beauty,’ put on subsequently, represent the glories of the Church’s position and work in the future, after the new creatures have been perfected, after they have gone beyond the ‘Vail.’ The washing with water at this time signifies that, though the white garments (imputed righteousness of the ‘body’) are now removed, it does not signify the reimputation of sin, but the completion of the cleansing, making the ‘body’ perfect in resurrection completeness—the garments of glory and beauty representing the glory, honor and immortality of the First Resurrection to the divine nature. The washing further shows that the sins of the people for which atonement had been made do not attach to or contaminate the purity of the priest.” (T74)

Sometimes the Septuagint is helpful when it appears that a portion of the Hebrew text seems to be missing, though we cannot always be sure that the Septuagint version has not itself been tampered with. What follows, therefore, is merely of passing interest; nor does it merit our endorsement. No mention of the transportation of the Laver is made in the Hebrew text of Num. 4:5-15, but in the Septuagint and agreeing with the Samaritan Pentateuch, and the Samaritan version, a method is described, viz., that it was covered with a purple cloth and above this the “seals’ skins” cover- ing; and that it was carried on “staves” (bars?). (See McClintock & Strong, Cyclopedia, “Laver”)