He [Bezalel the artisan] made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting. (Exodus 38:8)
A mound of gold earrings and jewelry stood at the temple site, and the Israelites had to be restrained from giving more. It was a high point in their devotion. They were caught in a wave of revival, and on the crest were the godly women who served as temple concierges. They melted their bronze mirrors to make the basin used for washing in front of the altar. Their hearts were redirected from a self-centred focus to cleansing before God.
Those who spend a lot of time in front of the mirror often miss the point of life. So, I asked the Lord to show me what mirrors I hold in my heart, where I am more focused on myself than on Him. A few things surfaced.
I worry about how to make the next part of my life pleasant. The days I have remaining should be about honoring Jesus, not about staring into comfort. So that’s a mirror.
Then there are the cravings of my old nature—overindulgence, distraction, laziness. Surely those are mirrors of self-interest.
Finally, there is my work. To the extent that I make my vocation about what I do instead of what God does through me, it’s another mirror.
To melt these reflectors of vanity, I have to do what the temple concierges did. As I redirect my attention to adoration of the Holy One, the spiritual heat melts my concerns about myself. Only daily worship can recast my narcissistic devotion into the washbasin of Christ.
Prayer: Beautiful God, melt these mirrors into cleansing worship of you.