We don’t always like what we see in the mirror,
but imagine how difficult life would be without it.
On a recent trip to Central Asia, I met a woman who had little. She lived in an abandoned gas station surrounded by dry and desolate dirt. She and her family lived in a building never meant to be inhabited, lacking electricity, running water, with only a primitive toilet. Yet I noticed she had hung a fragment of broken mirror on her adobe wall.
In the ancient world, most women never owned a mirror. Centuries before glass mirrors were invented, wealthy women in Turkey, Egypt, Japan, and China saw their reflections in ornately decorated mirrors of highly polished metals such as copper or bronze. Though not as efficient as glass mirrors, they gave at least a hazy reflection of the person peering into them. These mirrors were carried by women of means and were sometimes used in religious rituals. Often, ancient mirrors included engravings of gods or goddesses.
In Exodus 38:8 we find a fascinating verse, easily overlooked in daily Bible reading: “And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses [mirrors] of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”
Rags to Riches
After 430 years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites had been delivered by God’s miraculous hand. They experienced the miracles of the plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea. They ate manna and quail provided by God’s hand in the wilderness and drank fresh water from a rock.
Moses received instructions from God Himself regarding how to build a tabernacle for worship. Bezalel, the “he” in Exodus 38:8, was appointed to oversee construction, carefully following all God’s instructions.
To accomplish such a project, the people were called upon to make donations. But, after four centuries of slavery, they had little to offer in the way of money, jewelry, or finery…or did they?
In Exodus 12, before leaving Egypt, Moses instructed the women of Israel to borrow everything they could from their Egyptian mistresses. They asked for clothing and silver and gold jewelry. Because God had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, the Egyptians gave the Israelites what they asked.
This “plunder” came in handy when the tabernacle offering plate was later passed. The first rounds yielded gold and silver jewelry and expensive fabrics used to craft many of the tabernacle’s components. In fact, Moses had to tell them to stop bringing in gold. They already had enough! The inventory of their offerings in Exodus 35:20-29 reminds me of the exhibit of Egyptian treasures from King Tut’s tomb.
Perhaps more impressive than the monetary value of their offering, however, was the description of the hearts of the people. The passage said their hearts were stirred, moved, and willing to contribute their possessions, their skills, and their labor.
After more than four centuries of enslavement, deprivation, and hard labor, they finally came into possession of many beautiful, luxury items, yet they willingly gave up their newfound treasures to build a place of worship. Impressive.
Women in Ministry
We return to the focus of Exodus 38:8: the mirrors of the ministering women. We can only speculate as to the identity of these “ministering women” and the nature of their service. This single obscure reference leaves many unanswered questions. What was the nature of their service?
The Hebrew verb used for to minister or to perform tasks is most often associated with military groupings. Perhaps this indicates the women were organized into shifts and their specific service was orderly and continuous. Though only speculation, it is possible that in this era before the formalization of priestly and Levitical functions, women played an assisting role in the tabernacle. It is also possible their service was more of a practical nature, maintaining supplies or cleaning. Some scholars speculate they aided in the preparation of food.
In the context of modern church culture, we tend to imagine them passing out bulletins or greeting those coming in the door, but this seems unlikely to be the nature of their service. It is better to look at other Old Testament passages for hints of the kinds of service in which women were involved.
Perhaps Moses’ sister Miriam gives us an idea. Just after the Israelites miraculously passed through the Red Sea, Exodus 15:20-21 records that Miriam (described as the prophetess, the sister of Aaron) took a tambourine in her hand and led the women in dancing and praising God. Maybe the women gathered at the entrance with their instruments, singing, dancing, and praising God—a kind of prelude to the worship to take place inside.
In truth, we simply do not know the type or extent of their ministry. We only know they were characterized by their consistent service at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
A Sacrificial Spirit
Perhaps these women are included in Scripture not so much for the tasks they performed as for their spirit of sacrifice. Whatever the nature of their daily tasks at the tabernacle, the significant point is they donated their treasures for its construction.
When it came time to craft the bronze altar, Bezalel passed the plate again. This time, he asked for items of bronze. I like to picture each woman running her fingers over her treasured mirror with a sigh when the plea was made. Another round of sacrifice.
Was it difficult for these women to give up their fancy mirrors? After all, they’d already given up most of the luxury items they carried from Egypt, and it seems they gave those items willingly. They willingly used their skills and their time to weave beautiful linens and fabrics for the tabernacle.
As previous slaves, they undoubtedly enjoyed their beautifully carved and polished mirrors. It must have felt good to see their reflections in the same way the wealthy ladies of Egypt had.
To give up their treasured possessions willingly required a generous heart of sacrifice. After all, they couldn’t just go to T.J. Maxx and replace them. They had no hope of ever owning anything else so lovely and fine.
These women are exemplary for giving up their treasured possessions for the sake of the Lord’s work. They gladly returned to being women without mirrors, underscoring the truth that their focus was not on themselves and their physical appearance but on their longing to worship God and praise Him in His dwelling place.
Women Not Allowed
The sacrifice becomes even more impressive when we consider how their mirrors were used. The women themselves would never be allowed to use the bronze basin made from their mirrors. Though we read accounts of prophetesses and other women who ministered in God’s house, Scripture leaves no doubt women were forbidden past the outer court of the tabernacle. These ministering women were only allowed at the entrance to the tent of meeting, while the bronze basin was located next to the altar, completely off limits to them. They would never use it themselves.
However, the bronze altar and basin were deeply significant symbols of blood atonement and purification, foreshadowing the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. The priests offered a blood sacrifice at the bronze altar for the forgiveness of sins. As we know, this repetitive shedding of blood pointed to the once-and-for-all sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God.
Following the sacrifice, the priests proceeded to the bronze basin made from mirrors. There, they washed their hands and feet before entering the presence of God. They could not come before a holy God with impurity. This important ritual symbolized the ongoing sanctification of those forgiven, and God was very serious about it, stating they were to observe this ritual “that they may not die.”
Although the women themselves never washed in the basin, they understood their sins also were forgiven through the sacrifices and ritual cleansing of the priests. Their fear of the Lord and belief in His commands moved them to give their precious items willingly for the making of the tabernacle furnishings. They held a deep reverence and appreciation for the work the priests did on their behalf. They understood that, unlike physical cleansing, spiritual cleansing was only possible by what took place at the altar and in the Holy Place.
All One in Christ
This obscure verse about the “ministering women” is so rich in meaning for us today. We can’t help but notice the contrast between the old and the new covenants. By the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross, the bronze altar became obsolete. By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we no longer ritualistically use holy water to purify ourselves from sin. And through His death and resurrection for all who believe, the thick curtain separating us from the holiest part of the tabernacle has been torn apart.
In Galatians 3:28-29, we rejoice to read: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
As women under the new covenant, we need not stay “outside the gates,” longing to be allowed inside. We boldly enter the very throne room of our Maker, every bit as much “Abraham’s offspring” and “heirs according to the promise” as our brothers in Christ.
Though they lived and served millennia ago and in a completely different culture, our ancient Hebrew sisters still challenge us today. Their mention, though brief, speaks volumes to us about motives, selfless service, and stewardship of our possessions. How do we measure up to their example?
About the Writer: Ruth McDonald is executive director of WNAC. She and her husband Donnie served three decades as missionaries to Japan. Learn more: www.wnac.org.
