99_The bronze basin

Ex 30:11-16 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13 Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel[b] according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs),[c] half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord’s offering. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord’s offering to make atonement for your lives. 16 You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”

“And the LORD said to Moses, 18“You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it, 19with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet. 20Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made by fire to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die. 21Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

In a small village, there was an old bridge that connected two sides of a deep ravine. The villagers used it for many years. Over time, the wood rotted, and the bridge became unsafe. The villagers feared they would be cut off from the other side without a bridge. A wealthy man saw the danger, and paid a trustworthy contractor to build a strong new bridge that would last for decades. It was now possible for anyone to cross over, whatever their wealth or status.

This story illustrates the nature of redemption—a costly provision given freely to all.

In Exodus 30:11-16, we see a striking command from God regarding the census of the Israelites. Each man was to pay a ransom for his life, a half-shekel, to prevent a plague. Rich or poor, no one was exempt, and no one could pay more or less. This payment symbolizes the price to be paid for a person to be part of God’s people. Eternal life is a gift from God, and redemption comes at a price. Yet Psalm 49:7-9 shows clearly that the half-shekel tax was only a symbolic payment:
“No man can possibly redeem his brother, or pay his ransom to God.
For the redemption of his soul is costly,
and never can payment suffice,
that he should live on forever
and not see decay.”

The souls of men are precious to God, yet He has redeemed them at an immense cost. The price of redemption is not measured in earthly wealth but in divine sacrifice.
In 1 Peter 1:17-19, we read, “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

The economic value of human life varies in today’s world. Some lives are judged to be more valuable than others, based on social standing, wealth, or achievements. But before God, every soul is of equal worth. Every person in Israel paid the same ransom for his life. The sacrifice of Christ was made for every sinner alike.

The Lord moved on to another significant object in the Tabernacle—the bronze basin. This basin was placed between the altar and the tent of meeting. It was filled with clean water for the priests to wash their hands and feet every time they went into or came out of the tabernacle. Though already consecrated, they needed repeated cleansing. This mirrors the ongoing cleansing in our lives by obedience to the water of the word.
John 15:3 says, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” And in John 17:17, Jesus prays, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” It is in hearing, believing, and obeying His Word that we are cleansed.

The Lord reinforced this truth in John 13 when He washed His disciples’ feet. Peter, initially resistant, said, “You shall never wash my feet.” But Jesus responded, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Typically, Peter then begged to be washed wholly, so that he might have a complete share in Jesus. But the Lord corrected him gently, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean.” Having come to Jesus, becoming his followers, we are cleansed from our past sins and from a bad conscience once for all. Yet daily cleansing is still necessary as we stumble and sin many times over the course of each day.

The prophet Isaiah also emphasized this, Isaiah 52:11: “Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.” Just as the Israelites were called to separate themselves by leaving the impurity of Babylon, which was doomed to destruction, let us leave the filth around us to live in holiness and in love to God and to others. Let us guard and cleanse our hearts and minds from daily defilement. These defilements may not be obvious sins, but rather subtle distractions—money, education, power, social status. They turn us out of the path of simple single-minded trust and devotion to doing God’s will.

Exodus 38:8 reveals that the bronze basin was made from the bronze mirrors of the women who ministered at the entrance of the tent of meeting. These polished bronze mirrors were once used for self-beautification. They focused the user’s eyes on self. But when the call came to build the tabernacle, those women who loved God preferred to put their treasures into the Lord’s service. Instead of looking at and ministering to themselves, they surrendered them to Moses and Aaron. Eventually, this bronze was used for a far higher purpose. Meanwhile, they themselves busied themselves with the numerous menial chores that were necessary for the tabernacle – “ministering at the entrance of the tent of meeting.” Denied any higher form of service because they were women, these blessed and praiseworthy women cheerfully did what they could.

James 1:23-25 speaks of the Word of God as a mirror that reveals our true condition. “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. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” The mirror not only shows us our flaws but guides us as we cleanse ourselves. It is not enough to look into the mirror of God’s Word; we must act on what we see. This is a call to a life of perseverance in holiness. James assures us that the one who looks into the perfect law and continues in it “will be blessed in his doing.”

One striking feature of the bronze basin is that no specific dimensions are given. Unlike other furnishings in the Tabernacle, the focus is not on its size or shape but on its purpose—washing. It provided water for constant cleansing. This reminds us of the vastness of God’s grace and the sufficiency of His Word. But we must not abuse that grace. 1 John 3:3 says, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

Let us remember the price of our cleansing from our sinful impurity. Let us remember that we have been given the privilege of being holy as he is holy. Let us rejoice in holiness because we have been redeemed. Let us constantly cleanse ourselves of the defilements of our lives and our spirits by the word. Let us minister to our God as true priests, in reverence and godly fear. God bless.