We’re in the third straight chapter of highlighting Bezalel’s responsibilities, skills and ability to get the job done in precisely the manner God has instructed, and I agree that Bezalel deserves this fine feature story. He should get credit where credit is due. This task is monumental, and he is handling it like a champ. I feel though like we’ve celebrated Bezalel in a respectful way in past posts, so in this chapter I want to focus on one teeny sentence that caught my eye. It’s in verse 8, and it says Bezalel created the bronze washbasin and its stand “from bronze mirrors donated by the women who served at the entrance of the Tabernacle.” The Bible sometimes gives us the impression that all these events are driven and accomplished by men and men alone, but Moses, as well as other authors, gives us little snippets from time to time that let us know that women were all hands on deck as well. Why does the Bible tend to place women in the “background?” I don’t know. Maybe it’s because that’s where we are in life most of the time. sortofsarcasm As women, though, we kind of have to embrace our background roles and love them for what we know they are – not what others sometimes imply they might be just because they don’t recognize how important those “behind the scenes” characters can be in life. It’s important to see what this one little sentence actually says:
1. Women served at the entrance to the Tabernacle. This was a major responsibility and position of honor and leadership. Not everyone got to serve at the entrance to the Tabernacle.
2. The women – not their husbands or fathers – donated the bronze mirrors. How these women obtained the bronze mirrors is a question, yes. Like were they gifts? An inheritance? Or did they have the means to purchase these items? No matter how they obtained them, though, they obviously owned them outright and had full say over what they could do with them.
In other words, women had more clout than we (I) may have thought.
Writing prompt: women
If you’re a woman, write about how you are feeling as a woman today. If you’re a man, write about a woman in your life who doesn’t get the credit she deserves. Let’s pray for women everywhere today also.
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