The Laver of Brass, also known as the Bronze Laver, is a significant element in the typology of Christ found within the Old Testament tabernacle. This sacred basin was used by the priests for ceremonial washing before they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar to offer sacrifices. The instructions for its construction and use are detailed in Exodus 30:17-21.

Biblical Description and Function

The Laver of Brass was positioned in the courtyard of the tabernacle, between the Tent of Meeting and the altar. It was made from the bronze mirrors donated by the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 38:8). The laver held water for Aaron and his sons to wash their hands and feet, ensuring they were ceremonially clean before performing their priestly duties. This act of washing symbolized purification and was a prerequisite for entering the presence of God.

Typological Significance

1. Purification and Cleansing: The laver represents the necessity of purification before approaching God, a theme that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Just as the priests needed to be cleansed to serve, believers are cleansed through the sacrificial work of Jesus. In the New Testament, this is echoed in passages such as Ephesians 5:26, where Christ sanctifies the church, "cleansing her by the washing with water through the word."

2. Christ as the Source of Living Water: The water in the laver can be seen as a type of the living water that Christ offers. In John 4:14, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, "But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life." This living water signifies the spiritual cleansing and eternal life that Christ provides.

3. Reflection and Self-Examination: The use of mirrors in the construction of the laver suggests a typology of self-examination and reflection. Just as the priests would see their reflection in the water, believers are called to examine themselves in the light of Christ's holiness. James 1:23-24 compares the Word of God to a mirror, urging believers to not only hear the word but also act upon it.

4. Priestly Access to God: The laver underscores the role of Christ as our High Priest, who provides access to God through His own purity and sacrifice. Hebrews 10:22 encourages believers to "draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

Theological Implications

The Laver of Brass serves as a profound type of Christ, illustrating the necessity of spiritual cleansing and preparation to enter into God's presence. It points to the transformative work of Christ, who purifies and sanctifies His people, enabling them to serve as a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Through Christ, believers are continually washed and renewed, equipped to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.Exodus 30:18-20
You shall also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash with: and you shall put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and you shall put water therein.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Zechariah 13:1
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ephesians 5:26,27
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hiram, the Inspired Artificer
... of the bases to the outward rim of the laver. ... because they were first subjective
in Christ, the second ... All things were made from forms and types which were in ...
/.../milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/hiram the inspired artificer.htm

Scriptural Types.
... tabernacle stood the brazen altar with its laver. ... the characteristics belonging to
the types themselves, beginning ... the Levitical priests typified Christ was in ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvii scriptural types.htm

The First Part
... O Christ! ... by the harpers standing on the brink of the sea, or glassy laver, and singing ...
of by me, because I have observed that the reason of many types in the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the first part .htm

A Description of Heart-Purity
... to show us the spots of our souls and a laver to wash ... All the legal washings and
purifications were but types and emblems representing Christ's blood. ...
/.../16 a description of heart-purity.htm

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
... 2:9). So then, these two pillars were types of these ... where he saith, I am 'the minister
of Jesus Christ to the ... implied, for that they were made of brass; as he ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/solomons temple spiritualized.htm

The Saints' Privilege and Profit;
... the wisdom of God in his thus ordaining of things; in his placing, in the first
place, the law, and Christ the ark of ... I read that the laver of brass and the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the saints privilege and profit.htm

A Discourse
... the basis must be cut off, and the laver removed from ... methinks the apostles and the
Lord Jesus Christ do in ... house of the forest of Lebanon, were types of the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a discourse.htm

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