Tabernacle 2: Emmanuel by the Washbasin

The Washbasin was the second item you would encounter as you entered the Tabernacle. The priests would wash their hands and feet in this basin to cleanse themselves after offering sacrifices at the altar and before entering the Holy Place. This washbasin speaks to us of the work of sanctification because of Christ’s finished work on Calvary and through the power of the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus. It points towards the spiritual step of water baptism where we identity with the death and resurrection of Jesus. And it also reminds us of the living water that Jesus promised to give us through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. All of these spiritual experiences bring us closer to Jesus as our sinful nature is transformed into the character of Christ.