Section Three—Laver of Brass

In verse 17, we have the beginning of another section. "Thou shalt also make a laver of brass." Before the priests could draw near as the representatives of God's earthly people to worship God, to execute the office of their priesthood, defilement must be taken away. There was a laver of brass. Brass in the Word of God signifies divine righteousness in the judgment of evil. You will remember that in Rev. 1, our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the golden candlesticks had His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass. His feet trod out everything opposed to God. He had eyes like a flame of fire detecting everything contrary to God, and feet like fine brass to judge it. In the seven churches the Spirit of God pointed out what was contrary to God.
In everything we need self-judgment with purification, and that is typified in the laver, the water of the Word. Our blessed Lord, in John 13, brought that before us when He took the water and washed His disciples' feet. That lowly Savior took that place to serve His beloved people. This is the same One who made known to the poor woman the desire of the Father's heart that we might worship in spirit and in truth, He, knowing the defilement of the way, washed the disciples' feet, Peter could not bear to see Him taking that low place. How often we need to put our feet in the hands of the Lord.
Our communion with the Father and Himself is interrupted if the defilement is not met by the washing of the water of the Word. Our worship is hindered and it is solemn for us to go into the Lord's presence when there has been defilement in our pathway. Do not let us sit down there as if it did not matter. If one of the saints of God comes with unwashed feet, it will be a hindrance to the whole assembly.
You may say, "I had better not come. I have allowed this or that, which is contrary to the Lord, and I do not want to hinder other people." If you and I have contracted defilement by the way, are we to stay away? In 1 Corinthians where sin had come in, they had to judge themselves. They had to get into the presence of God, and so eat of that bread and drink of that cup. There is the precious cleansing of the Word of God to cleanse that defilement away.
The Lord Jesus Christ is alive in the presence of God for us today. We read in Eph. 5 that Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it that He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the Word. By that Word, the Lord would cleanse our feet that we might not stay away. The water of the Word has met the defilement and maintains us in the presence of God as worshipers.