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The Tabernacle "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24). Immediately God gave him the answer, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 7:25 ). Then followed the eighth chapter of Romans, filled with the Person and work of the Holy Spirit of God. It is the high point of the epistle, the answer to all the prayers of an honest heart-God's answer-giving life and power and blessing to the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led child of God. Do you see the message of the brazen ]aver in the outer court of the Jewish tabernacle, my friend? It speaks to us of the cleansing power of the Word of God, when applied to our hearts by the Spirit of God. There is no other way to b1cssing and power and communion and worship. When we neglect our Bibles, we grow cold and indifferent to the things of Christ. When we let the Mirror of the soul reveal the defilement of our hands and feet- our service and our walk-then we "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18). Washed in Jesus' Blood «once for All"--Cleansed by His Word Daily There were two ceremonial washings of the priests, as we saw in our last lesson: First Moses washed them all over at the door of the tabernacle when they were con- secrated to the office of a priest. Then they washed their own hands and feet daily before they entered the Holy Place, and as they came out to minister at the brazen altar. Moses' washing the priests a11 over was a picture of Another's washing them once for all in His precious blood, even the Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Of this
171 The Tabernacle the altar of burnt offering speaks. But in the laver we have the picture of Christ as the believer's "Advocate with the Father," washing His disciples' hands and feet fro~ the daily defilement of sin. Thus He maintains fellow~h1p between Himself and His believer-priests. We are first JUS- tified by His blood; then we are sanctified ~hrough con- fession of sin and cleansing by "the washmg of water through the word," as it is applied by the Spirit of God. As Dr. W. G. Moorehead once wrote, "There is a bath which requires no repetition!" Once saved, always saved- by the grace of God. "Regeneration i~ ne:ver, never _re- peated!" To all who have put their faith m the atonmg work of Christ, He says, "Ye were washed ... ye were sanctified ... ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God" (I Cor. 6: 11, R. V.). This is what Christ meant when He said to Peter, as He washed the disciples' feet, "He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not a~, For he knew him that should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean" (John 13:10, 11, R. V.). Let us remember that brass, in the Jewish tabernacle, speaks to us of judgment upon sin. We saw that, in our former studies concerning the brazen altar, where the sacrifice was slain-for sin; and in the pillars and sockets of brass. We saw that the brazen serpent in the wilder- ness was used by our Lord, in His conversation with Nico- demus to illustrate His bearing our sins upon the accursed tree; for the serpent is the symbol of sin; brass, of judg- ment. Now as the penalty of sin was judged at the brazen altar, so defilement was confessed and judged-put away
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