Well, I invite you now to turn to Exodus chapter 30. I'll begin reading at verse 17. The Lord said to Moses, you shall also make a basin of bronze with its stand of bronze for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar and you shall put water in it with which Aaron and his son shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water so that they may not die. They shall wash their hands and their feet so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations. Thus ends the reading of God's holy word. Let us pray. As John the Baptist proclaimed, a man cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. And so we pray, our Father, as we once again turn to your word, we ask, Lord, give us grace from heaven and faith. in your word to understand the meaning of this passage, its significance, and its connection to Christ. This we pray in his name. Amen. This is one of those passages where you might wonder, how can you get an entire sermon out of that little passage there. I have to say I had to cut stuff out of my sermon. We're not going to spend a whole lot of time tonight on all the various details related to this bronze basin itself, its physical construction, all that sort of stuff. Because honestly, there is very, very little here by way of details for constructing it. All the details are right here. There's no other place where there's more information given. But what we are going to do is say preaching through Exodus can have its challenges. One of the challenges is that it's difficult to preach individual portions of the passage of the book when they're all connected. You see, they're all connected. There are threads again and again, through and through, all through the scriptures. And if I were to pull out every single thread in every sermon, you'd hear a lot of the same things, but also every sermon would be several hours long. And I don't want to do that. So tonight, we're going to take a high-level view. I have to say, this is an extremely significant passage in its meaning. It doesn't look that way from here, but when you see it in the context of all the scriptures, you see all the connections, and it all comes together, and you start to realize, wow, this is awesome. And then you go back. And you read the passages about the tabernacle, and you see what's going on there, and you stand in awe that God managed to summarize all of that in this little, well, several chapter construction section of Exodus, which seems, on the surface, perhaps a little dry. But when you understand all the connections, it's not dry at all, especially with a basin full of water. That's my one joke there for you. All right, so first, instructions for the basin. All right. The Lord said to Moses, you shall also make a basin of bronze with its stand of bronze for washing. So this is going to be made of two parts, a basin and its stand, both of bronze. No dimensions are given in the text, so we can only speculate on its size. Honestly, we've got nothing to go on in terms of its size. Recall that everything placed in the outermost layer of the whole tabernacle construct And by this we mean the basin and the altar of burnt offering is to be made of bronze. This is because the various layers of the tabernacle use different qualities of metal to indicate greater or lesser holiness and nearness to Yahweh. Objects placed in the tabernacle itself are made of gold. Bronze is used outside the tabernacle in the courtyard. We do get an interesting note. about the source of the bronze that was used to construct this basin in Exodus 38 verse 8. So if you're familiar with Exodus, all this stuff is all going to be repeated with some slightly different details when they actually construct it, when they actually build it. And so there we read, he made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting. So in the ancient world, mirrors were made from polished metals, including bronze. They made the basin and its stand from the melted metal of the women's mirrors, presumably the mirrors they took out of Egypt. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it with Aaron, with which Aaron and his son shall wash their hands and their feet." The basin is to be placed between the tent entrance and the altar of burnt offering. So to help visualize this, imagine being in the camp of Israel. You want to bring an animal to sacrifice, so you head towards the tent. First, you go through the large curtain opening of the fence barrier that surrounds the courtyard of the tabernacle. The first thing you would see would be the large bronze altar of burnt offering. If you looked around it, you would see the bronze basin full of water. And then behind the basin would be the tabernacle proper and the curtain entrance through which the priests go in and out of the tabernacle itself. And of course, after it's constructed and placed in the correct location, and its location is significant, we'll get to that though, it is to be kept full of water. The water will be for the priests to wash. And then we read, when they go into the tent of meeting, Or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering, literally it's just an offering by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water so that they may not die. They shall wash their hands and their feet so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him, that is Aaron, and to his offspring throughout their generations. So an important requirement is stipulated here if Aaron and his sons plan to live, they have to wash themselves before they minister in the tent. So you imagine they come up, they wash, and then they go into the tent, or they come up and wash, and then they turn around and go back to the altar of burnt offering to offer sacrifices. So whichever they're planning to do, at that particular moment, they need to wash before they serve and minister. They're required to wash their hands and their feet, and this is a permanent requirement. Okay, let's move on now to its significance. Significance of this bronze basin. Why did they wash? Perhaps there was a practical reason. You could imagine if you are sacrificing and sacrificing animals all day, and that's like your full-time job, you are just going to be covered with blood, covered with blood. All the slaughtering they presumably needed to wash. Perhaps washing symbolizes cleansing from sin, holiness, and sanctification. So there's a practical idea, that's nowhere in the text, it's just something that maybe, but we're going to see that these theological ideas of washing, symbolizing these things, cleansing from sin, holiness, and sanctification, these are not wrong, but it goes quite a bit deeper than that. So we're going to go into that. In the first place, it's important to realize that the tabernacle is a miniature Sinai. I've repeated this several times. Just as Israel was permitted at the base of the mountain, Mount Sinai, that's where they are right now as Yahweh is speaking these words to Moses. Just as Israel was permitted at the base of the mountain, so Israel is permitted into the courtyard to offer sacrifices. Just as the priests and elders were permitted halfway up the mountain to eat in the presence of God, so the priests continue to have this special privilege in the holy place, the first room of the tabernacle in which they did eat in the presence of God, the bread of the presence. They ate that. Just as Moses was permitted through the cloud and into God's immediate presence on the summit of Mount Sinai, so Aaron, the high priest, is permitted access into the Holy of Holies where Yahweh is said to dwell above the cherubim of the chest of the covenant. So all of this makes sense. The tabernacle. is to be a portable copy of Mount Sinai so Israel may, as it were, relive the Sinai experience year after year. But we need to expand our view a bit more. The broader story of Exodus is God delivering his people from Egypt. Now, those sermons were a long time ago. Might be hard to remember this, but recall that Egypt represented theological Sheol, the place of chaos and death and judgment. In the ancient Near East, the sea was considered to be the primordial place of chaos and death. And Egypt is literarily portrayed in these terms. There is no getting in or out of Egypt without passing through the waters. So, if you can remember back that far, after the night of Passover, Israel hastily packed up and fled. They went to the sea and camped beside it. Pharaoh is the dragon, the sea monster, and he personified death and chaos. Pharaoh hounded Israel, and he was intent on wiping Israel out. But here's the miraculous thing. God brought his people safely through the waters of the sea. The water, again, represented chaos death, and judgment. And Yahweh brought chaos, death, and judgment down on Pharaoh's head. And all his mighty chariot army met its end." So the waters of the sea are waters of judgment. The waters of the sea are waters of judgment. But, and this is significant, the waters of judgment were used by God for the salvation of his people. Israel passed through the waters of judgment unscathed. They were safely brought to life. Paul speaks of this as their baptism. in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. This is the pattern. Through the waters of judgment to the mountain of God for worship in his presence, through the waters of judgment to the mountain of God for worship in his presence. The courtyard and most especially the bronze basin symbolize the sea. the waters of death and judgment through which Israel passed from death to life, so that they may come to God's holy mountain, Mount Sinai, to meet him for worship." Maybe you think I'm crazy at this point. To further prove the connection, this is crazy, but it's true. Note that in 1 Kings chapter 25, verses 13 and 16, 1 Chronicles 18 verse 8, and Jeremiah 52 verses 17 and 20. This bronze basin is called the bronze sea. Yes, sea, the Hebrew word yom, which refers to a body of water. The same word is used for Israel going through the sea. The bronze basin represents the sea. But there is more. You didn't think I was done yet. There are more connections to be made that follow and strengthen this same pattern. Consider Moses. Consider Moses and his life. His life followed this pattern. Pharaoh had made a decree that all Hebrew infant boys were to be put to death by throwing them into the waters. His mother, wanting to save his life, placed him in a basket made of bulrushes that had been daubed with bitumen and pitch. Exodus 2.3, she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. As an infant boy, Moses was placed into the waters of judgment. Pharaoh's daughter found him and drew him out of the water. Exodus 2.10, she named him Moses because she said, I drew him out of the water. That's a picture of what God is going to do for all his people. Following this passage. Through the waters of judgment, he eventually fled Egypt. I'm not going to recount all the details of that. He fled Egypt, he went to Midian, and while he was keeping a flock, he led it, Exodus 3, verse 1, to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And there, at the mountain of God, Yahweh appeared to Moses, the next verse, in a flame of fire out of the midst of the bush. He took off his sandals and he worshiped. So, Moses' life follows the pattern. Through the waters of judgment to the mountain of God for worship in his presence. Well, there are more connections. Several Hebrew words regarding Moses being placed in the basket connected with Noah's ark. The Hebrew word translated basket, it's not what it means. It doesn't mean basket. It means chest or box. This word is only used to refer to one other thing, Noah's ark. Moses was placed in what could just as well be translated ark. And just like Noah's ark, this one is sealed and made watertight with bitumen and pitch. I doubt there is any need that I have to convince you that when you read through Genesis chapter six through nine, the water spoken of there are waters of death and judgment. Let me just read a little bit here, chapter 6, verse 11, we read this earlier. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, I have determined to make an end of all flesh. For the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. And a few verses later, make a roof for the ark and finish it to a cubit above and set the door of the ark on its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh, in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die, but I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you." Waters of judgment, no doubt, but also for Noah and his family, waters that brought life. For after the floodwaters subsided and the ark rested on Mount Ararat, we read this, chapter 8, verse 20. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And significantly, we read that immediately after Noah offered these burnt offerings, that the Lord delighted in the pleasing aroma. And so once again, we see the same thing. Noah's life follows the same pattern. Through the waters of judgment, to the mountain of God for worship in his presence. Incidentally, Peter directly connects the waters of judgment that Noah safely passed through with baptism. 1 Peter 3 verse 20, God's patience waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through water, baptism. which corresponds to this, now saves you. There's one other connection I want to make before moving on. I've mentioned this before. We read in verse one, the Lord said to Moses. That phrase occurs seven times throughout the tabernacle construction narrative, once in our passage. Many commentators have noted this and suggested that it is a subtle way of connecting the construction of the tabernacle to the seven days of the creation account. The seventh occurrence of the phrase includes Sabbath regulations. That's Exodus 31 verse 1. It goes into the Sabbath verse 12 there. Six days of creation and a final seventh day rest. There's something going on here that has to do with creation. I would suggest to you that the whole tabernacle itself represents a new creation, just as the Ark of Noah itself also represented a new creation. But here, I want to draw your attention to some points that connect with the theme we've been following. When reading Genesis 1, it becomes clear that the dry land itself has passed through the waters of chaos and death, even if the word judgment in Genesis 1, of course, doesn't fit. The simple point is this, creation itself, the dry land where life is set to flourish, has passed through the waters. To add credence to this idea, there's loads of connections all over the place here. Recall Israel passing through the sea when they fled Egypt. In order for that to happen, the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind. The word for wind in Hebrew can be translated either wind, spirit, or breath. Wind, spirit, or breath. Although it's obvious that it should be translated wind, in that location, it still alludes to the Spirit hovering over the waters of the first creation. Another connection, again I'm talking about Israel going through the sea, is that God divided the waters and caused the dry land to appear. The language there in Exodus 14 mimics the language of the third creation day. Genesis 1 verse 9, and God said, let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place. and let the dry land appear. And it was so. It's the same, same thing. When Israel went through the sea, God made the waters divide and the dry land appear. It's as if Israel was walking into a new creation. So, Israel passed through the sea. It was a movement from judgment and death to new creation. Although judgment doesn't fit in Genesis 1, the waters seem to serve a similar role in bringing the first creation through the waters. God placed Adam and Eve on the summit of Mount Eden, and there they walked with God. So, it follows the same pattern. Through the waters, to the mountain of God, to worship in his presence. Same with Adam and Eve. In sum, the bronze basin represents the waters, the waters of creation, the waters of judgment through which Noah was safely brought through, represents the waters that infant Moses was placed in, waters of death. represents the waters of the sea that Israel went through on dry land safely. It represents the waters of death and judgment. For after sin has entered the world, it is only through death and judgment that a new creation and new life may come about. So now, let's look at its significance here in connection with Christ. Let's first be clear of the pattern here to make this even more abundantly clear. On the Day of Atonement, as described in Leviticus 16, there is much of significance that takes place. But at this point, forget about the sacrifices. The sacrifices on the Day of Atonement are are immensely important, essential. But there is meaning here even without respect to the sacrifices. Think about, I described earlier, envisioning what it looks like when you enter into the tabernacle area there. Think about if you're the high priest. Where are you going to go? What is your path? What are your steps? First, he comes into the courtyard. He washes in the bronze basin. He passes through the waters of death and judgment, and yet, having passed through death and judgment, he begins to climb, as it were, the mountain of God. He enters the tabernacle first into the holy place. Following this, he goes to the very summit. He enters the holy of holies. And there he offers the blood of atonement for worship in the presence of Yahweh. As I described the movement of the high priest, were you able to discern the movement of the great high priest Jesus Christ? I hope so, because that's what the whole thing is a picture of. He passed through the waters of death and judgment. as he died on the cross and endured the wrath of God. You know, when you read the Psalms, we sang two Psalms here that speak of waters, waters of judgment. His way was through the sea. That's what the cross is. His way is through the sea. When Jesus is on the cross, he has in his mind different Psalms. You go look up several Psalms, you read through them, you'll see this theme of waters of death and judgment. Lord, save me for your breakers are crashing over me. It's all the same theme. It's all the same theme, waters of death and judgment. That's what the cross is. That's what the cross is. But God raised him from the dead. And he ascended the symbolic mountain of God. He ascended to the summit, to the top of the heavenly Mount Zion. There to appear and to present himself before the presence of his father. The waters of the Bronze Sea represent the death and judgment that we deserve for our sin. We deserve the waters that that ended that world in which Noah lived. We deserve those waters. We deserve, like Pharaoh and his army in the sea, we deserve to be overwhelmed and put to death for our sin. The priest who washes represents our high priest, Jesus, who has gone through the waters on our behalf. Year after year, the Israelites witnessed this pattern again and again, all for signifying the redemptive work of our Savior, Jesus. Finally, I want to look at what the significance is in terms of us. The significance in terms of us. We talk about baptism. Our union with Christ is signified in our baptism. Your union with Christ by the Spirit means that his death has become your death. He went through the waters. You are in union with that death. His judgment has become your salvation and his life has become your life. So I'm going to read the first few verses of Romans chapter 6, and you see this same thing. When you think of baptism, think of judgment and death passing through the waters of judgment and death by our union with Christ so that we may have life with him. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means. How can we who died to sin live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." The waters of baptism symbolize your union with Christ by the Spirit. The waters symbolize your union with the death of Christ. The water symbolized the washing away of the guilt of your sin. The water symbolized that it is only through the death of Christ that you may have life. The water symbolized the eschatological outpouring of the spirit by which you are brought into the new creation. The water symbolized an eschatological washing and renewal. This is the true Exodus, leaving the death of this present creation through Christ to the life of the new creation. That is what this little passage about the Bronze Basin is all about. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we do rejoice and thank you for the symbolism of your word and how it is so intricately connected, passage and passage, various words, themes, ideas, all of them intended to portray for us and for all your people on down through the ages, Jesus Christ. And here, particularly, His suffering as the flood waters of your wrath broke upon him and ended his life. He bore all of that judgment so that we might be saved. We thank you that by the Spirit we are united to him. that we will not face that judgment. He bore it for us as our great high priest. And so he brings us safely through the waters of death and judgment unto resurrection, eternal life. We bless you, our father, for our savior Jesus. Amen.