Priest worships God at the Laver

The Laver, second station in the Temple, was used by the priests of old for ceremonial washing before entering the Holy Place. Today we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, use the Laver like a spiritual bath for daily cleaning of our conscience before we come into His presence. (Acts 24:16)

Just as we brush our teeth daily, we clean our minds daily through the practice of repentance. At the Laver we reflect on God’s commandments, see the difference between His standards and our behavior and realize we are no longer condemned, but drawn to repentance, contriteness, and humility.

The only way to dwell with God is to have a contrite heart. (Isa 57:15-21) We gain a clear conscience by appropriating God’s forgiveness through genuine confession. (1 John 1:9)

We remind ourselves that under the New Covenant the commandments are not there to condemn us, but instead to lead us to repentance and a clear conscience. (Rom 3:20) This daily practice enables us be set free from sinful behavior, transformed in our mind. No longer a slave to bondage that leads to spiritual death. (Rom 12:2)

The Laver is a major obstacle for most of us. We shy away from a regular, honest, appraisal of our behavior. (Psa 26:2) Actually fooling ourselves into thinking we have not sinned. (1 John 1:10) Or that Christ has already forgiven us so we don’t need to confess sin anymore.

This of course is not true, we are deceiving ourselves and missing out on the fundamental way to stay very close to God…. a contrite and humble heart.

DP