Exodus 38:1-8. The brazen altar for the sacrifices, and the laver for the priests, are next fashioned: both typical of him, who made the one atonement for sin, and whose blood alone can cleanse our souls from the guilt or the defilement of it. This laver was made of the looking-glasses of the devout women, who frequently assembled to worship at the door of the congregation. Be it remembered to their honour. Note; 1. They who appear often before the sanctuary, and in the glass of God's holy law see the deformity of their nature, will never spend their time at their toilette in admiring their persons. 2. When God's service requires it, we should be willing to part with any thing, however useful to us or precious, and count that best bestowed, which is employed for his glory. 3. When we go to the laver of Christ's blood, we must look into the glass of the law, and then we shall see more distinctly in the one, how much we want the other.
Exodus 38:1-8
1 And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof.
2 And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass.
3 And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basons, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.
4 And he made for the altar a brasen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.
5 And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.
6 And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass.
7 And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards.
8 And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglassesa of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.