Get Cleaned Up
Exodus 30:17
Every parent has probably said these words and sometime in their life if not thousands of times “Kids come in and get cleaned up for dinner”
There is an old saying that we all know that goes like this “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” we have heard that saying so many times that a lot of people think that its a verse found in the Bible.
That verse isn't found in scripture, but the principle is found throughout Gods word and that's what we are going to look at tonight
The Bible has always taught washing and being clean in a way to help control infections. In The Book of Numbers 19:11, “Whoever touches the dead body of nay person shall be unclean seven days. He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day and so be clean.”
verse 14, “This is the law when someone dies in a tent everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days.” Verse 20, “If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly.”
Today we know the importance of washing our hands. In restaurants and hospitals there are signs everywhere reminding us to wash our hands. Most food borne illness are traced backed to an employee not washing their hands.
Staying clean physically is the best way to prevent sickness and control virus. It was a concept that was taught thousands of years ago in the Old Testament it was a concept that our modern medical community didn't catch on until the mid 1800's.
Jesus though took the concept of staying clean physically and showed that there was a cleanliness even more important than that
Mat 15:1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
Mat 15:2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."
Mat 15:9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"
Mat 15:10 And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand:
Mat 15:11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."
The Pharisees had taken the law of God and turned it into our saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”
They thought to be Godly they had to go through a ceremonial cleansing and Jesus took the Old Testament principle of washing to show them the spiritual meaning of what God was teaching throughout the scriptures the principle that the cleansing has to take place on the inside in order to have an eternal impact.
-As we look at this bronze basin lets quickly review where we're at
The plans for the Tabernacle have been given
we looked at the bronze altar outside, the ark of the covenant inside hid by the veil of the temple the altar of incense before the veil, the lamp stand and the table of bread
-last week we looked at the census tax which was God's way for the people poor and rich alike to support the work of the ministry
Now we come to the bronze basin
This was a place for the priest to wash their hands and feet it was located on the outside of the tent of meeting
the priest hands and feet would be dirty from doing the work of the ministry. Offering sacrifices and walking in the tent which had a dirt floor
-This is the only item in the tabernacle that we do not have specific information or dimensions, it must have been small enough to transport.
-We do know that after they built the temple the basin the priest washed in was able to hold approx 8,000 gallons water
1Ki 7:26 Its thickness was a handbreadth, [fn] and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths. [fn]
a bath was about 4 gallons of water
But there is a very interesting detail about the bronze basin that is going to help us see the spiritual implication of this passage
Exd 38:8 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
At this time in human history man had not yet figured out how to make glass mirrors so mirrors were polished brass that they would see their reflection in
God told them to make the bronze basin by melting down the mirrors, which means that when the priest came to the basin to wash they would be able to see their reflection from the basin itself. It was washing while looking in a mirror at yourself, something that we are all use to
before the priest could go in to do the work of the ministry they had to be cleaned and while washing they were reminded by looking in the mirror that the need to be cleaned went much deeper than just the physical hands and feet
Now here is the application that I find in this passage and throughout scripture
First, we all need to take a look in the mirror
God intends for us all to look inside of ourselves in order to see our true spiritual condition. Sometimes when people are in the hospital they don't look good because they are sick, so they don't give them a mirror to look into and when you go visit them no matter how bad they look you never try to let it show on your face because you don't want the person to know how bad they look at that you are worried just by how they look
well there are a a lot of people walking around spiritually sick who never take the time to look into the mirror to see how bad they really are. Instead they keep themselves real busy so they don't have time to see their reflection. Looking in the mirror would mean spending time in prayer and in the Bible and in prayer meeting and worship service. Because I don't know how many times people have left after sitting in a service and told me that they felt like I was preaching right to them. That's not me that's Gods word holding a mirror in front of you letting you know where you are and what you need to change
there is no way that a person can be saved or they can change until they see that there is a need to change
The psalmist prayed
Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
The apostle Paul said that this type of examination needed to be a continual process in the life of a believer, as a matter of fact he said every time that we come to the Lords table we are to examine our lives spiritually and see where we are with God
1Cr 11:28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
Failure to look in the mirror will cause us to be lifted up with pride and think that we are better than everyone else.
Jam 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
Jam 1:24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
Second, we all need to be washed
The person who hears the word and fails to put the word into action is someone who has forgotten their spiritual condition. The trouble that many church people have is they spend a lot of their time comparing themselves to other people so they never have time to look in the mirror. Think about it
I can find someone who is worse off than me and it can make me look good.....but God doesn't compare us to others instead the Bible says our true spiritual condition is not good at all
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
God compares us in the mirror to Jesus and we all fall short and we see that there is a need for us to be washed because we are dirty
have you every set across the table from someone and had them point out food on your face or your sleeve, Happens to me all the time
Well that's exactly what Gods word does it points out those areas where we are dirty and need to be washed.
The holy spirit working through righteous convictions is always conforming us to be more and more like Jesus
The bronze basin reminds us that we need to pause from time to time to take a look in the mirror. Spend less time judging others and more time examining self
Second, we all need to be washed
When we are honest with ourselves we see that we have a need to be washed
The prophet Isaiah reminded the people that no matter how righteous they thought they were in their own deeds that they were still filthy
Isa 64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Ecc 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
The priest had to be washed in order to do the work of the ministry and remember the last act that Jesus did for his disciples before he went to the cross?
They were all gathered in the upper room to celebrate the Passover and Jesus took the basin of water and started to wash their feet, preparing them for the work of the ministry
Jhn 13:5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Jhn 13:6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?"
Jhn 13:7 Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand."
Jhn 13:8 Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me."
Jhn 13:9 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!"
Third, Only God can wash us inside
Before you and I can approach God in service and worship we need to be washed. James calling sinners to come to Christ said
Jam 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Now must of us know that the cleansing that is necessary for us to be saved is a spiritual cleansing it is something that takes place on the inside of us
There are some Bible scholars who believe that the Bronze basin and the washing is also symbolic of baptism in the New Testament
Act 22:16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'
The act of Baptism is definitely the first step of obedience for a person who places their faith and trust in Jesus Christ In that instance a person is prepared for ministry as they act in obedience following the example our Lord set of being baptized before he began his earthly ministry
Third, Only God can wash our sins away
James Nicholson wrote a song in the Church hymnal based on Psalm 51:7 it says, “Lord Jesus I long to be perfectly whole, I want you forever to live in my soul. Break down every idol cast out every foe Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow. Now was me and I shall be whiter than snow
Jesus told Peter in that conversation in the upper room- “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me."
In that same chapter the psalmist says
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
This psalmist was David he wrote this psalm after being confronted by the prophet Nathan. An amazing thing happened between Nathan and David. Remember Nathan told the parable
let's turn there and look at it in 2 Samuel 12
2Sa 12:1 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.
2Sa 12:2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds,
2Sa 12:3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, [fn] and it was like a daughter to him.
2Sa 12:4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."
2Sa 12:5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,
2Sa 12:6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
2Sa 12:7 Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.
So Samuel is telling this whole story and David is getting angry about the rich man in the story and he wants to announce judgment on him
It's always easier to see someone else's flaws and faults but then Nathan pulls the mirror out of his pocket and holds it up for David to get a good look
and in verse 7 he says “You are the man!”
Nathan through Gods wisdom allowed David to see himself for what he really was
and David knew that he needed to be cleansed, that he was a sinner and that the joy of salvation was gone from him and where did he turn
Not to his own deeds, instead he turned to God and asked God to create within him a clean heart
In closing,
The bronze basin made from the mirrors the Israelites had was used for the priest to wash in order to clean as the stood before God in service and worship
it reminds us tonight that we need to pause to take a look in the mirror and see our spiritual condition, we need to realize out need to be washed and then the great thing about Christianity we need to rely on God to do the washing because only God can take our sins though they be like scarlet and make them as white as snow
