Giving Up Our Mirrors (W.o.W. Rewind)

They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Exodus 38:8

This isn't a passage of Scripture that you are likely to be very familiar with. It's buried well into a sixteen-chapter section of Exodus that deals almost exclusively with the minutia of the tabernacle including lengthy discussions on the dimensions and details of the tent, its posts, its coverings, and all its furnishings and their utensils. In fact, the only reason you would likely come across this passage is if you were working through a Bible reading plan that requires you to read the entire Bible. Yet, I always find that the Holy Spirit mines treasures out of the depths of Scripture when I really dig into it. And that proves true here. 

In keeping with the Lord's command, the Israelites had taken up a love offering to gather all the materials needed to construct their place of worship. In this section of Scripture, we find out how much gold they collected, how much silver, how much bronze, and how much of all the other necessary materials as well. But no other individual or group is specifically credited for their gift like these women are. Why? What made their gift worthy of special mention?

First, it was costly. A mirror would have been a prized possession for women living in a desert. It's not like there were pools of water around that they could see their reflection in! It is also entirely possible that the only valuables these women owned were their jewelry and these mirrors. Without the ability to work and make money, this was a financially costly gift as well. And assuming that these women didn't own multiple mirrors, this meant that they would be considerably less able to manage and check their appearance. Can you imagine the possibility of living completely without mirrors for the rest of your life? So, it cost them something to give away this comfort and this control. 

Second, it was a wise gift. Many of the pagan religions of the day encouraged their worshipers to engage in sexual acts with temple prostitutes as an expression of worship to their false gods. In that cultural context it isn't difficult to imagine how people could get the wrong idea about these women who were standing at the entrance to the tabernacle, especially if they were beautifully dressed and attractively groomed. By giving their mirrors to the Lord, these women were committing to avoid allowing their presence at the tabernacle to turn into something unholy.

For you and I these women provide an example to follow. When was the last time you gave an offering to the Lord that was costly? When was the last time you gave until it hurt? Consider making a love offering to the Lord. Consider giving something or fasting from something that will help safeguard you from falling into some sin or excess in your life.

Giving Up Our Mirrors

They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Exodus 38:8

This isn't a passage of Scripture that you are likely to read. It's buried well into a sixteen-chapter section of Exodus that deals almost exclusively with the minutia of the tabernacle including lengthy discussions on the dimensions and details of the tent, its posts, its coverings, and all its furnishings and their utensils. In fact, the only reason you would likely come across is if you are working through a Bible reading plan that requires you to read the entire Bible. Yet, I always find that the Spirit mines treasures out of the depths of Scripture when I really dig into it. And that proves true here. 

The Israelites had taken up a love offering to gather all the materials they would need to construct their place of worship in keeping with the Lord's command. In this section of Scripture, we find how much gold they collected, how much silver, how much bronze, and all the other necessary materials as well. But no other individual or group is specifically credited for their gift like these women are. Why? What made their gift worthy of special mention?

First, it was a costly gift. A mirror would have been a prized possession for women living in a desert. It's not like there was a lot of pools of water around that they could see their reflection in! Assuming that they didn't have multiple mirrors, it meant that they would be considerably less able to manage and check their appearance. Can you imagine the possibility of living completely without mirrors for the rest of your life? So, it cost them something to give away this comfort and this control. It is also entirely possible that the only valuables these women owned were their jewelry and these mirrors. Without the ability to work and make money, this was a financially costly gift as well. 

Second, it was a wise gift. Many of the pagan religions of the day encouraged worshipers to engage in sexual acts with temple prostitutes as an expression of worship for these false gods. It isn't hard to imagine how people could get the wrong idea about these women who were standing at the entrance to the tabernacle, especially if they were beautifully dressed and attractively groomed. By giving their mirrors to the Lord, these women were committing to avoid allowing their presence at the tabernacle turn into something unholy. 

For you and I this should be a powerful reminder that requires expression. When we love someone, we do big and difficult things to express that love to them. And somehow by the act we remind ourselves again of just how much we do love them. When was the last time you gave an offering to the Lord that was actually costly for you to give? When was the last time you gave until it hurt? Maybe it's time for you to give a love offering to the Lord. If so, consider giving something or fasting from something that would also serve to safeguard you from some sin or excess in your life.

Following Christ

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

Following Christ's example means to serve. To put the needs of others ahead of your own. To pour yourself out on their behalf, in the same way that Jesus poured His life out for our sake. To give up your privileges and benefits for others. Jesus did this too! He gave up all the privileges of the throne of Heaven to become the poorest man on earth. Why? "He became poor so that, through his poverty, you might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9). To follow Christ's example then, is to give too much; to give more than people think you should. To give of your very life.

Being Christ-like means forgoing that lavish vacation to feed the hungry. It means downgrading your house or car to help fund Bible translation. It means being willing to sacrifice social status to talk to co-workers and friends about the gospel. To be like Christ, you must give sacrificially: to your church, to missions, to widows, to orphans... It means humbling yourself, lowering yourself, as low as is necessary to really make a difference in the lives of others. It means doing more than just giving money; you have to get your hands dirty meeting real physical and spiritual needs in the lives of those around you. 

Oh, how few of us actually live like Jesus did. I don't. Instead, I live in fear that I will take my faith too far, give away too much and suffer because of it. How absurd! Shockingly, the extreme that I fear is exactly what Jesus is calling me to. Give away too much! Live like Jesus did. There is nothing more costly, but nothing more worth it. Give your life away.

For further reading...

• Luke 14:25-33- Count the cost. "Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples."

Give and See

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,

 and he will reward them for what they have done.

Proverbs 19:17

Those who give to the poor will lack nothing,

 but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.

Proverbs 28:27

There's always a tension when it comes to giving. I have a limited amount of money and if I give some of that money to feed the poor, fund missions, or support my church; then I have less money to pay my bills, feed my family, and spend on the things I want to do. That's the rub; and my greed, my logic will always try to talk me out of giving sacrificially for those reasons. Frankly, I can always make a logical argument for me needing to keep more of my money to care for my family.

But God's knows this about me, about us, and He meets us right at our place of need. And when it comes to helping poor people (a group which God shows particular concern for) He takes that excuse off the table. God tells us in the proverbs above that when we give to the poor, He charges it to His account. (Jesus says the same about poor believers in Matthew 25:31-46.) He takes it personally. He treats it as a personal loan made to Him, and He promises to pay us back. 

This creates a paradox of sorts. We give but we are promised we will never lack for having given. Proverbs 11:24-25 puts it a little differently, It says "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper." So then as Matthew Henry notes, those who give to the poor are "never the poorer for having given." It could be said that giving to the poor is the surest form of investment. 

Giving sacrificially is an act of trusting God that He will give enough back to me to make sure my family's needs are met. This makes giving an act of faith in God's sovereignty over my finances. He's in control of how much comes my way, if I obey Him then I can trust Him to continue to meet my needs in one way or another. 

Do you trust God to pay off His loans? Do you trust Him to keep His word? Will you step out on faith and give to meet the needs of those starving all across the world? Is your faith strong enough to give sacrificially, to give 'til it hurts a little? Trust God! Give and see what He will do.

Divine Interest Rates

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor

  will himself call out and not be answered.

Proverbs 21:13

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,

  and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 19:17

Some time ago I saw a picture of a homeless child in India sitting on the side of the street begging. The child was very small, perhaps four or five. Far too young to be able to fend for himself in any situation, let alone on the street. The caption on the picture spoke of people walking past the boy and ignoring him. It impacted me deeply. I couldn't imagine walking past a small, hungry child who was alone on the streets and doing nothing to help him. I wanted to run over and scoop that child up and take him home with me. What could cause people to grow so cold and unempathizing as to offer no help?

Yet, as I read Proverbs 21:13 I feel a tinge of guilt. I haven't ignored street children sitting at my feet, but haven't I ignored the cries of the poor? In today's world we all have a front row seat to suffering. We've all seen the commercials. We've heard about the ministries and the need. There is desperate need and more good ministries meeting that need in the name of Jesus than you or I could ever provide for on our own. There are orphans, hungry families, the ill, those without the gospel, those without the Bible, those who are persecuted for their faith, those who are forced into slavery or sex-slavery, the homeless, the disabled, and many, many more. It's emotionally exhausting and overwhelming to think about. How should I go about determining which ministry to give to, or how much to give, or (even harder) how much I should keep for myself and my family? We must be careful to avoid allowing our hearts to become hardened to the cries of the poor. God promises to punish those who ignore the need around them. He promises to soften their demeanor by letting them experience need for themselves. Help me, Father, not to be guilty of this great sin. 

But perhaps a little motivation toward righteousness will help too. Consider Proverbs 19:17. In it God promises to bless those who help the poor. Far from being ashamed to associate with poor people, God equates Himself with them. He says that when we give to the poor it's like we are helping Him. In fact, we can give money to the poor in confidence that it's exactly what God wants to bless them with. He promises to view it as a loan and pay us back. Now what kind of interest do you think God pays on His loans? I don't know but I'd be willing to bet that He always repays His debts.

So check your ears today and make sure they are still wide open to hear the cry of the needy. We all have to keep some money back for our own family, but make sure you are giving sacrificially to the opportunities God has placed in your path. Trust me, He'll pay you back.