2 Chronicles 4

(2Ch 4:2) Then he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.

(2Ch 4:5) It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained three thousand baths.

Everything in the temple was tremendous. If we could go back in time and see what Solomon created it would truly take our breath away. I still get the creeps when I stare at the huge statue of Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln memorial, or even walking into the National Cathedral.. Imagine walking into a place where everything is a picture of heaven.

Today we look at the Sea of Bronze. This was a huge bronze bowl, which the priests would bathe in. The bowl was 7 1/2 feet tall (cubit = 18 inches). The circumfrance measured 45 feet. It could hold 3000 bathes, which each bath contains 6 gallons so thats 18,000 gallons of water! Needless to say, this thing was big, and interesting enough, the water was to be circulating creating a fountain effect.

I love the idea of bathing before we enter to see the Lord. 1 Corinthians tells us:

1Co 11:27-31 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (29) For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. (30) For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. (31) For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

We are to examine ourselves. We are to prepare our hearts. We are entering into the Lord's presence!!! Where are our hearts, mind, and strength when doing so. The priests had only one choice, and that was to bathe. Taking a bath certainly has a lasting effect on your day. Take a bath in the Word, that you might enter into His presence to praise.