God Wants His People to be Clean, Exodus 30:17-21; 38:8

Then the Lord said to Moses, ^‘Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it.Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.’” – Exodus 30:17-21

For the priests, keeping themselves clean became a matter of life or death.

The priests and Levites had to stop regularly at the lavar—located in the tabernacle courtyard between the brazen altar and the tent—to clean their hands and feet. To enter the tent, or serve at the brazen altar, without first washing meant they were placing their lives in the path of peril.

God didn’t give the shape or measurements of the lavar. For it was the contents that mattered most: clean water. The Levites were to replenish the water all day to keep it fresh.

What does water represent in Scripture?

Warren Wiersbe (Be Delivered) writes: “Water for drinking is a picture of the Spirit of God (John 7:37-39), while water for washing is a picture of the Word of God (John 15:3; Eph. 5:25-27). The laver, then typifies the Word of God that cleanses the minds and hearts of those who receive it and obey it (John 17:17). The fact that the lavar was made out of the bronze mirrors of the Jewish women (Ex. 38:8) is evidence that it typifies God’s Word, for the Word of God is compared to a mirror (James 1:22-26; 2 Cor. 3:18).”

(RickWarren.org) . . . .There were three ways under the Old Testament to achieve ceremonial cleansing: by water, by fire, or by blood.
Under the New Testament, we are cleansed from our sin by the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross for us. To receive this cleansing, we must confess our sins (1 John 1:5-2:2). But our hearts and minds can still become defiled by sin when we disobey God, (see Ps. 51). We may be restored through the “washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:26).

The Need for Constant Cleansing

Wiersbe makes another interesting point and relays how this applies to believers today: “The Old Testament priests became defiled, not by sinning against God, but by serving God! Their feet became dirty as they walked in the courtyard and in the tabernacle (there was no floor in the tabernacle), and their hands were defiled as they handled the sacrifices and sprinkled the blood. Therefore, their hands and feet needed constant cleansing, and this was provided at the lavar. . . . When we trust Christ to save us, we’re washed all over (John 13:10; 1 Cor. 6:9-11) and don’t require “another bath” [see John 13:1-15], but as we go through life, our feet get dirty and we need to be cleansed. If we aren’t cleansed, we can’t have fellowship with the Lord, and if we’re out of fellowship with the Lord, we can’t enjoy His love or do His will. When we confess our sins, He cleanses us, and when we meditate on the Word, the Spirit renews us and restores us.”