We are moving into chapter twenty-nine of Exodus with our word for today used for the first time in the Bible. וְרָחַצְתָּ֥ אֹתָ֖ם בַּמָּֽיִם wash them with water. It is used 3 times in the Old Testament. Each of these refer to part of the setting up and consecrating Aaron and his sons to serve as priest for the tabernacle worship. Exodus 29:4-6 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting וְרָחַצְתָּ֥ אֹתָ֖ם בַּמָּֽיִם and wash them with water. Then you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod. And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. Exodus 40:12-15 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting וְרָחַצְתָּ֥ אֹתָ֖ם בַּמָּֽיִם and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations. Leviticus 8:5-9 And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded to be done.” And Moses brought Aaron and his sons וַיִּרְחַ֥ץ אֹתָ֖ם בַּמָּֽיִם and washed them with water. And he put the coat on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band. And he placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses. We see this concept of God using water to symbolize the cleansing and making holy for service throughout the Bible. And I find it interesting that just as God commanded Moses to sanctify the priests by washing with water at the start of their life of serving God as a priest He does the same in the Church. We find Jesus commanding us to be washed to start our service to him as his priests. As we have already looked at we are all considered priests who are believers in Christ. Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This is the start of Jesus continued work of equipping us to serve as God’s priests. He continues to do this as we serve him as this great closing prayer at the end of the book of Hebrews teaches us. Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
