Does God devalue women? As I ministered to a mixed group across the spectrum of religiosity from conservative to liberal the topic under study was Paul’s prohibition for women to speak in the church (1 Corinthians 14:34-35). A common undercurrent of opinion in that group held that God must therefore devalue women. Though I stated repeatedly that God does not devalue women and gave several examples of high-profile women who appear in Scripture the arguments continued, and I asked for time to prepare and share a studied response. From that study I wrote a white paper (available from my site): Does God Devalue Women? Take a fresh look and draw your own conclusions.

Influential Bible Women

The Bible names many women whose examples influence our thinking today. Consider this sampling:

  • Rahab – Tagged for all time as “the harlot,” but faith as strong as hers is rare.
  • Hannah – Prayed for a child, and God answered with Samuel.
  • Ruth – Trusted God in a foreign land where her people were hated.
  • Esther – Her actions of faith saved an entire nation.
  • Mary – The young woman chosen to be the mother of Jesus.
  • Lydia – A business woman who provided a home for Paul during his missionary work in Philippi.
  • Priscilla – A tentmaker who traveled with her husband, Aquila, and encouraged Paul in his labors. Aquila and Priscilla led a church in their home.

My library contains two volumes written by different authors but sharing the same title, All the Women of the Bible. Edith Deen (1955) wrote the first, and Herbert Lockyer (1967) composed the second. Deen included an alphabetical listing of 189 women named in the Bible. Lockyear’s count stands at 179 as names are duplicated. There are countless unnamed women who appear in Scripture also. Today we zooms in on a group of those unnamed ladies. Their story is shared in this single verse:

Moreover, he made the laver of bronze with its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 

Exodus 38:8 NASB

Build a tabernacle

In the study of Scripture we must set the context. In the preceding chapters of Exodus Moses has received from God the Law and detailed instructions for building a tabernacle to serve as the focal point of Israel’s worship. Moses, like most of us who have served in a leadership capacity in an organization, may have wondered, “Who’s going to pay for all this?”

God answered that question before Moses had a chance to ask it.  Before God shared the design details of the tabernacle He explained the source of the funds for its construction and decoration.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. 

Exodus 25:1 NASB

Moses returned to the people with God’s plan and presented their opportunity to be a part of the implementation.

‘Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD’S contribution: gold, silver, and bronze,

Exodus 35:5 NASB

The wide-spread and astounding response is captured in these phrases from Exodus 35.

  • Everyone whose heart stirred him… (v. 21)
  • Everyone whose spirit moved him… (v. 21)
  • All whose hearts moved them, both men and women… (v. 22)
  • Every man, who had in his possession… (v. 23)
  • Everyone who could make a contribution… (v. 24)
  • The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them … (v. 29)

The workmen tasked to construct the tabernacle as well as its furniture and utensils returned to Moses with a report that staggers modern day fundraisers.

And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform.” So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more.

Exodus 36:4-6 NASB

A spirit of worship led to overwhelming generosity which permeated the congregation as Moses kicked-off the collection. The hearts of the people overflowed with praise and thanksgiving for the God who had delivered them from Egypt.

Gather an army of servants.

As Moses penned the record of Exodus he singled out a group for honorable mention. Moses referred to them as “serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting” as though everyone in camp knew who they were and what they were about. No record is given for their call to service. Were they appointed or did they simply band together and serve?

An interesting note is that the word “served” used here is a military term which means “assemble, fight, muster, or war.” Those ladies gathered to do battle and became a serving army. What service did the ladies provide at the doorway of the tent of meeting? How did they contribute? We aren’t told.

Gathering at the doorway kept them close to God and put them in the path of needy people seeking guidance or comfort or a word of encouragement. Their chosen station became the perfect spot to share a cool drink of water with a weary traveler or to watch out for and shelter the elderly in the blistering heat. Perhaps God left the record of their service hidden because we, too, should be gathering to minister to anyone in any way possible.

Understand the difference between the holy and the profane.

Though we aren’t told how they served we are given a snapshot into their hearts. And it is the heart’s condition that matters. Bezalel needed to construct the bronze laver, that part of the tent of meeting where the priests could wash up before entering the Holy Place. Washing was a mandatory observance for priests working with blood sacrifices in a dusty land. The laver stood between the altar and the Holy Place to remind them of the need to remove the world’s filth before meeting God.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. “Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD. 

Exodus 30:17-20 NASB

The serving ladies held in their hands the materials needed for that laver. These women stand as an example of what Paul meant when he wrote (Philippians 2:3), “regard one another as more important than yourselves.” The concern for the priests overshadowed any self-interests or preoccupation with personal appearance.

A smudge of dirt on one’s face outside the tent of meeting might affect social impressions, but for those priests that same smudge might mean death. The ladies sacrificed their mirrors. Someone else had risen in importance in their hearts. Their devotion to God outpaced all else.

Worship God above appearance or possessions.

These ladies could not swing by Target and pick up another mirror. They sacrificially gave their precious gifts and learned to be ladies without mirrors. Maybe they began to look out for each other with each one carefully and lovingly rendering assistance toward the other. Perhaps they gently washed each other’s faces and brushed one another’s hair.

Moses felt no need to describe them further. Their service and devotion said it all. Anyone reading his words would know about their selfless lives and their devotion to God.

Were the mirrors melted down and reformed? The laver with its highly polished surface and the water therein would give the priests a reflection of themselves. Some say Bezalel worked the mirrors into the design of the laver rather than melting them. Either way the priests were given a clear view of any smudges of blood or dirt on their persons.  The bronze mirrors symbolically remind us of that need in our lives. Do we take time to wash up spiritually before we meet with God?

What do I see in the mirror?

Mirrors allow us to focus on ourselves and see ourselves for what we are physically. In his New Testament book James the half-brother of Jesus warned that humans find it easy to look in the mirror, see the blemishes, and walk away without making changes (James 1:23-24). James held up God’s Word as the mirror which reflects our condition spiritually. How do I respond when the Word reveals a glaring smudge on my face? Do I wash?

The example of the “serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting” teaches us volumes about ourselves in only a single verse. Are we paying attention?

Credit for image: Ancient Egyptian bronze mirror, Egypt, 800-100 BCE. Science Museum, London.