Most Christians know about the Ark of the Covenant.
Many know about the veil, the altar and the Holy of Holies.
Few know about the mirrors.
During a recent interview with Charisma Media, Rabbi Kirt Schneider highlighted an often-overlooked detail in the tabernacle that reveals a powerful truth about spiritual growth, repentance and the work of the Holy Spirit.
The object in question was the brass laver, a basin used by Israel’s priests before they ministered before the Lord.
“One of the pieces of furniture inside the tabernacle once you’re able to see inside is something called the brass laver,” Schneider explained.
The priests came to the laver daily to wash themselves before entering into service. Yet Schneider pointed to a detail many readers miss when studying the book of Exodus.
“The Lord specifically instructed in the Torah that the brass laver, which was that place where the priests came daily to wash themselves, the Lord said it had to be made from the mirrors of the women that ministered outside the doorway of the tent of meeting or the tabernacle.”
The command was deliberate.
“It wasn’t just to be made of brass. It couldn’t just be any brass. It had to be made of the mirrors.”
Every detail of the tabernacle carried meaning because the structure was not man’s idea. It was God’s design.
“The pattern of the tabernacle was given from Hashem himself, from the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ,” Schneider said. “Every measurement, every type of material it was made from, every piece of furniture that was in there, the garb of the priest, every single part of the tabernacle was not the result of mankind trying to figure out how they could build a nice place to come and worship God.”
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For Schneider, that means the mirrors were not an accident. They were a lesson.
“When those priests came to the brass laver each day and they leaned over it in the hot desert sun, what did they see? A reflection of themselves.”
That image forms the foundation of Schneider’s teaching.
“What this tells us is if we’re going to be cleansed, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to be our mirror, showing us who we are and the truth about ourselves.”
In an age filled with distractions, noise and constant affirmation, Schneider believes Christians need the ministry of that mirror more than ever.
“The Lord is always wanting to be holding up that mirror in our life so that we can see what it is that he’s wanting to correct, what it is that he’s wanting us to overcome, what it is that we need to change, where do we need to shift.”
The reflection is not intended to bring shame. It is intended to bring transformation.
Schneider pointed to practical areas where the Holy Spirit often works.
“How are you communicating? What’s the energy of your communication? Are you divisive? Are you gossiping? Are you accusing? Are you speaking in fear? Are you putting burdens on people that you shouldn’t be putting burdens on?”
According to Schneider, conviction is evidence of God’s love at work in the life of a believer.
“The Holy Spirit becomes a mirror.”
The response to that mirror determines whether growth follows.
“If we’ll allow him to show us ourselves and say yes to him and agree with him, then what happens is that’s repentance. We are cleansed and transformed.”
The lesson hidden within the brass laver challenges a common assumption about spiritual maturity. Growth is not simply about gaining more knowledge or accumulating more information. It begins with allowing God to reveal what needs to change.
Schneider described the principle in simple terms.
“I think this is huge because I think the only way of transformation is through self-awareness and this is what the Holy Spirit wants to be for us, a sacred mirror.”
Thousands of years ago, priests approached the brass laver before entering deeper into God’s presence. Before they ministered, they stopped and looked.
The Holy Spirit still performs that work today. He reveals what has been hidden. He exposes what must be surrendered. He uncovers attitudes, habits and strongholds that keep believers from walking in greater intimacy with God.
Spiritual growth does not begin by looking around at everyone else. It begins when we allow God to show us ourselves and respond in repentance.
The path to transformation has never changed.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
