When was the last time your driver’s license needed renewing? Or your passport? Think about that moment when you near the end of all the paperwork and long lines and you step up to the red line and ready for that dreaded moment…the picture. My last trip to the DMV was to change my license from Hawaii back to Texas and as I walked into the office the line looked like it was for a new roller coaster at Six Flags. By the time they readied to snap my picture, I probably looked like I had been on the Iditarod trail for 3 weeks. But you know how it goes, step up to line, manage a sheepish smile and before you know it, click, it’s over. Now to just wait and see how your face will appear for the next 10 years on the front of your license.
But you know, there’s something really funny about how we think we look versus how we really look. It’s even gotten much worse in the last several years with the invent of the selfie, social media and the constant pressure of self-promotion. While in Hawaii I would daily see "under 30’s" on the beach taking upwards of 35 pics of themselves to find the perfect one to put on their social media for the world to see. The perfect pic of what they wanted the world to see. But I’ve noticed something as I meet many people for the first time. Rarely do they look like their profile pic. You can’t truly alter what the world sees.
Today we focus on Exodus 38 and it has yet more fine details about the construction of the tabernacle. God was very detailed in its construction. Everything had a point, a purpose and a meaning. As I was reading early this morning, I came across the construction of the bronze laver and it spoke to me. The bronze laver was basically a big wash basin that was filled with water. It was situated after the bronze altar so after you offered your sacrifice to God to cover your sins, you would wash in the bronze laver before entering the Holy place. The purpose? To wash yourself clean before moving closer to God. But what spoke to me was the material that God chose for its construction.
“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.” Ex 38:8
To better understand this verse, you have to better understand mirror technology of 3500 years ago. They did not possess glass mirrors like we have today, they would highly polish small bronze discs until you could see your reflection. Just like today, women would carry them so they could see themselves as they were out and about. I guess you could say that this was the original “compact." But out of all the materials in the entire Israelite camp that God could have chosen, gold, silver or hammered bronze, He chose a mirror finish. But why?
Back up to the bronze altar where you would offer God a sacrifice. This is where you would pay the penalty of your sin by offering innocent blood. Folks, this is exactly what Jesus Christ did for every one of us over 2000 years ago on the Cross. Perfect, innocent blood shed for the guilt of sin against a righteous God. Now that the sin has been dealt with at the altar, you were allowed to move closer to God. But before you could do that you needed to be cleansed. And the water that would cleanse you rested in a highly polished container made from mirror like bronze. The mirror represents the Word of God. The Bible today is a mirror to us that shows the believer his need for cleansing before God. You see a mirror never lies. You might think that you look one way, but as you get that new driver’s license in the mail, you might realize that you actually look quite different.
You see, we have the same problem spiritually. We think we look one way spiritually but we really look much different to God. In order to align these two, you simply need a mirror. Something that will accurately reflect your current spiritual condition. A physical mirror can show you what your face looks like, but the Holy Word of God will show you what your spirit looks like before God.
As you rise early every morning, hair askew, eyes puffy and red, how ready are you to look in the mirror? I know for me as I brush my teeth every morning, I look in the mirror and sometimes wonder who this guy is. Gray hair, more wrinkles by the day and much less hair than those pictures of me in college. You see, if we don’t like how we look, we will not want to look in the mirror. We’ll just avoid taking that next glance. The mirror of God’s Word is no different. Do you feel spiritually “right”, or do you feel that you are distant from God because of choices in your life? When you occasionally pick up the Bible do you read a few passages and then put it down quickly and just feel a disconnection? Folks, God’s Word will show you every gray hair, every wrinkle and every bald spot. God’s Word will point out the sin in your life like a High Definition TV. You may not like it, but it’s not the fault of the mirror, it’s just showing you exactly how it is. I saw a funny meme the other day about a woman that tossed her bath scale out the window because it wasn’t reading right. You see, the mirror of God’s Word will be brutally honest, even to the point that we will want to discard the mirror. The world is full of people today that have thrown out God’s Word because the reflection it cast was not to their liking.
I pray today that you will confront the mirror. That you will earnestly seek the genuine reflection of your spiritual condition before God. That no matter how harsh it may look that you will embrace it. And as a result, you will immerse yourself in the Holy Word of God. That you will spend time every day studying and meditating on the wisdom of His Words. As you do, consider it “spiritual grooming.” As you study more about God through His Word, the next time you look in that mirror, your hair will be combed. The next time, a little make-up on. Until finally you will look in that mirror and see a bright shining face full of God's light, love and peace. A face that is in love with God’s Word.
But folks, praise be to God that as we look in that spiritual mirror and see our own face, God sees something quite different. He sees the perfect face of His Son Jesus Christ. If you have called upon Jesus as you Savior, God does not see the ugliness of your sin, He only sees the precious blood of the Lamb. If you have never called upon Jesus to be your God, you can do that today. It’s free to you, a gift from a God that loves you more than you'll ever know. Simply ask Jesus to save you from your sin and make your life right with God. He will do that for you, it’s what He does. He saves sinners.
Blessings for you today as you take a long hard look in the mirror, may the reflection be of one that is living for Christ.
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