The tabernacle continued...

Last time we considered the Altar of Burnt Offering, the Bronze Altar, which is the first item of furniture as we enter the court of the Tent of Meeting of the tabernacle. We are now within an area 50 cubits by 100 cubits surrounded on all sides by curtains skillfully made. The entrance faces the east.
Within this area apart from the Altar of Burnt Offering the only other item of furniture is a basin.

Remember, we have been accepted on the basis of the shed blood of the sacrifice. We are covered by the blood and as New Covenant believers our covering is the blood of our perfect burnt offering, Jesus Christ. The acceptable offering for the Israelite was a male without defect; the sacrifice is slaughtered before the Lord, its blood is sprinkled against the altar on all sides and all is burnt on the altar. What a picture to us of the all encompassing, complete and perfect sacrifice of our Lord on our behalf. Can we ever really doubt that we are accepted in Him? There is so much we could say concerning the perfection and completeness of His sacrifice for us.
In Him we are accepted and we can rejoice in the mighty fact that on the basis of His sacrifice we are priests, 'To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.' Revelation 1: 5 - 6.
The role of the priest was to minister to God on behalf of themselves and the people, it was a role that was determined by birth. So it is for the New Covenant believer, we are welcome to come on behalf of ourselves and the people to the God of heaven, a role determined by our new birth in Jesus Christ, our perfect sacrifice.
You know for the Israelite, as we have already said, the failing of the sacrifice of bulls and goats is that they could never take away sin (Hebrews 10: 4) and so the offerer was required to come time and time again, offering for sin time and time again (please read Hebrews 10: 4 - 18) but not so for us. The blood of our sacrifice is perfect and complete...the priest in the day of law, under the covenant of Law stood daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which could never take away sin 'but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,...' Hebrews 10: 11 - 12. Please also receive the final verse of Hebrews 10 which is so wonderful and says that where there is forgiveness of our sins and lawless deeds there is 'no longer any offering for sin.' Hallelujah!

So the New Covenant believer has passed by the Altar of Burnt Offering and is perfectly accepted covered by the blood of the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the once-for-all perfect sacrifice. On this basis we are priests accepted by cleansing and by birthright and so can proceed to the basin.

The basin was made of bronze and sat on a bronze stand. It was for washing and had water placed in it. It was situated between the altar of burnt offering and the Tent of Meeting, the next 'structure' we see before us in the tabernacle. The priests, Aaron and his sons, were to wash their hands and their feet whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting, to meet with God. This washing was imperative 'so they will not die.' (Exodus 30: 17 - 21)

So what is this referring to for us today? What is the encouragement of this type, this shadow of our Lord Jesus Christ? Ephesians 5: 26, speaking of Christ and His bride, the church, says, '...that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,...' What word? The Word of God as a prescription to holiness and blamelessness, NO...God does require daily washing with the word as a prescription to holiness although this is desirable that we go each day to His word...so what word? The word of His Love, the word of His Grace, just as the husband is encouraged to love his wife the word that we are to wash with is the precious word of His Love and Grace so vividly demonstrated in that He 'gave Himself up for her', Ephesians 5: 25. It is in His love demonstrated that He presents 'to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless', Ephesians 5: 27.

You see if our diligence in washing with the water of the word daily then our blamelessness and holiness rests on our 'work' of washing. But we are free from sanctification through our works for we are under grace not under law.
So as we enter His presence, as we meet with our God we come daily, minute by minute, every moment washed with Him, washed with the word of His Love and Grace, washed with Jesus as He is the perfect expression of the love and grace of God, He perfectly presents the heart of God to us. Covered so we are confident that 'we will not die', in fact, this is the only way to Life, there is no other way. Jesus is the Way and He is the Life and we rejoice in life everlasting and abundant and never failing because He is faithful, 'for He who promised is faithful', Hebrews 10: 23.

So the second item of our acceptance shadowed in the tabernacle of old is the basin, the washing place, where forever we are washed in His Love and Grace, washed in Jesus. Oh yes, I would definitely encourage you to go to His Word constantly, receive His Word at all times, take a scripture daily and chew on it, meditate on it throughout your day, not because this is prescriptive for your acceptance in the presence of God but because the Word reveals Jesus Christ, the Word is Jesus Christ, He is our Word and in Him we find the word of the love and grace of God in which we can declare we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21) and accepted in Him.

Be encouraged...wash today in His word to you that in Him, in Love, in Grace you are accepted, a gift, not of works, bathe in it, receive it every moment for it is yours every moment. Hallelujah!