A Sweet Fragrance

    Books Worth Reading

    Thoughts Concerning the King by Elizabeth Prentiss
    Originally published in 1890, these selections from Elizabeth Prentiss' private papers represent the cream of her thoughts and relationship with the Lord. While simply a collection of quotes and poetry, the depth and insight of these quotations make this book a treasure indeed.

    Children of the Storm by Natasha Vins
    Natasha Vins tells the story of life as the daughter of the persecuted Russian pastor Georgi Vins.

    Release the Power of Prayer by George Muller
    George Muller testified that he had received at 50,000 specific answers to prayer. Read the powerful testimony of a man who looked to God for all needs and believed that God delights in the prayers of His children.

    Studies In The Sermon On The Mount by Oswald Chambers
    The Sermon on the Mount would bring us to despair apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Oswald Chambers expounds on the meaning of these commands of Christ and shows us that Christ enables us to follow His teachings.

    Mimosa: A True Story by Amy Carmichael
    A young Indian girl one day heard of a Savior who loved her and from then on she chose to worship only Him even though for many years she could not remember His name. This story reveals the amazing power of our Savior's love.

    If by Amy Carmichael
    If I covet any place on earth but the dust at the foot of the cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love.
    This convicting book, in short, pointed sentences, reveals the true meaning of Calvary love.

    Rose from Brier by Amy Carmichael
    Written not from the well to the ill, but from the ill to the ill, this book contains the treasures of Amy Carmichael's spiritual life during the final years of her life. This collection of poetry, short stories, and encouragement for fellow-sufferers addresses many aspects of human suffering and points us to Calvary as the only source of peace and comfort.

    Set-Apart Femininity: God's Sacred Intent for Every Young Woman by Leslie Ludy
    In contrast to the shallow, selfish, pleasure seeking femininity found today, Set-Apart Femininity lays out a blueprint for life-changing, world altering femininity that is based on God's sacred call and purpose. This book calls young women to make an eternal impact on this world rather than indulge themselves in today's self-focused culture. Speaking forthrightly to the corruption of today's culture and its infiltration into the church, the message of this book drives deep into the heart of true set-apart femininity and the heart of God.

    Golden hours: Heart-hymns of the Christian life by Elizabeth Prentiss
    In this book, Elizabeth Prentiss puts into verse her experiences of both intense joy and suffering. Born out of a time of the darkest pain, these poems reflect the lessons learned by a life consecrated to God.

    Essays on Various Subjects Principally Designed for Young Ladies by Hannah More
    Written over 200 years ago, this thought-provoking collection of essays expounds on various qualities that are unique to femininity. Chapter topics include conversation, meekness, education, and religion. This book affirms the God-ordained distinctions between men and women and encourages young ladies to pursue excellence. A very refreshing book for those who desire to return to a Biblical pattern for womanhood.

    Vanya by Myrna Grant
    The story of a young Russian soldier whose faith did not die in the face of torture and martyrdom. The amazing miracles God did through his life fanned the flames of Christianity in Russia.

    A Day's Time-Table by E. S. Elliott
    Written over a century ago, this simple tale of one day in a young unmarried woman's life incorporates and reveals powerful truths concerning the relevance of God's Word to every detail of our lives. This fictional story is written in the style of a novel, yet is full of Scripture. God's design for womanhood flows throughout the book, untainted by modern feminism.

    Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot
    A collection of letters written to the author's daughter on the meaning of womanhood.

    No Graven Image by Elisabeth Elliot
    The fictional story of a young single woman missionary who is given the enormous task of starting a work among the Quichuas of the high Andes. As she begins her life as a missionary, she quickly learns that she is supposed to project an image of herself as a successful, spiritual missionary. Then something happens that shatters that image and she learns to put no created image, no matter how "spiritual", in the place of God.

    The 1599 Geneva Bible
    The original 1599 Geneva Bible with notes written by the reformers. Nothing has been updated except the spelling. This translation is characterized by simple and beautiful language that is surprisingly understandable even to modern readers.

    Aunt Jane's Hero by Elizabeth Prentiss
    The heartwarming story of a Christian couple seeking to establish a home whose happiness flows from a beautiful relationship with the Lord Jesus. Biblical truths about marriage and family life are interwoven throughout this lovely story.

    Gold Cord by Amy Carmichael
    The story of the Dohnavur Fellowship in Amy Carmichael's own words. An amazing testimony of the work of God.

    They Found the Secret by V. Raymond Edman
    This is a book about the exchanged life, the life that is of Christ. This collection of 20 short biographies of men and women who discovered the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will increase your desire to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in your own life. The Christian life is, first and foremost, about a mighty, resurrected Lord whose Spirit can indwell and completely transform those who surrender to Him.

    Toward Jerusalem by Amy Carmichael
    A collection of poetry and songs written for those who are about the King's business.

    His Thoughts Said. . .His Father Said . . . by Amy Carmichael
    The thoughts of a child of God are often troubled and questioning. The Father has an answer to all of them.

    A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
    My favorite biography of Amy Carmichael. Full of excerpts from Amy's writings, this well-researched book gives us a glimpse into the life of one of the great lovers of God.

    Love to the Uttermost by F. B. Meyer
    An exposition of John 13-21. The author digs deep into the events of Jesus' last hours in order to bring us to a closer, passionate devotion to the Messiah.

    God's Missionary by Amy Carmichael
    "The Cross is the attraction." This fiery little book reveals Christ's standards for the true soldiers of the Cross.

    Testament From Prison by Georgi Vins
    A collection of personal testimonies, stories, sermons, letters, and poetry written by Georgi Vins, his family, and other persecuted Russian believers.

stls_button

softpink-rose “And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” (Exodus 38:8)

     I think it can be safely assumed that most of these women did not have a second looking-glass. In the stark, barren, dusty wilderness it would have been tempting to hold on to every vestige of culture and refinement. Yet these women gave them up for the beautification of the Tabernacle.

     Who were these women? They were, obviously, Israelites. But the words of this verse offer us a few more clues. The Hebrew word for “assembled” is “tzaba” which means to “assemble, fight, perform, muster, wait upon, war.” These were women who gathered to worship and serve the Lord in a serious, dedicated manner. The Lord was revealing Himself to His people at that time more fully than ever before, and the hearts of these women desired to know Him and worship Him.

     Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary says:

     “Probably these women were such as showed their zeal upon this occasion, by assisting in the work that was now going on for the service of the tabernacle. They assembled by troops, so the word is; a blessed sight, to see so many, and those so zealous and so unanimous, in this good work.”

     They freely chose the beauty of the Lord instead of the beauty of self. They believed God, and started a time-honored tradition of women serving and praying in the Tabernacle and later, the Temple. These women looked for the coming of the Messiah, and many centuries later, one of them (Anna – Luke 2:36-38) actually found Him. The Lord has always honored women who serve and adore Him.

     The women of Exodus 38:8 could not approach the Holy of Holies where the ark of the covenant was kept. That service was not appointed to them. No woman every entered that holy place. Yet in faith they kept watching and waiting for the day when every barrier would be broken down.

      Perhaps, then, that is why it was entirely appropriate that the first person who saw the resurrected Christ and experienced the glorious reality of His victory over death and perfect atonement for our sins – was a woman (Mark 16:9).

     I can’t think of any greater honor womanhood could ever have.

  

Sources:
Calvin’s Commentaries vol. 3 p. 309
The 1599 Geneva Bible study notes on Ex. 38:8
Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary study notes on Ex. 38:8
Strongs’ Exhaustive Concordance

softpink-bar

 

 

Post to Twitter Post to Delicious Post to Digg Send Gmail Post to StumbleUpon

Related posts:

  1. And Certain Women
  2. Are There Any Women? ~ Amy Carmichael
  3. A City Which Hath Foundations

3 Responses to “~ Of Worship, Looking-glasses, and Troops of Women ~”

  1. warrior_poets
    warrior_poets

    Wow, this is a wonderful post. I have never bothered to think about that verse before. It’s so easy to pass by it and not consider it. That is very interesting; I shall have to write this down as a reminder. : )

    - Erika

    [Reply]

  2. calledblessed
    calledblessed

    This post made me look at things in a new way – thanks so much for that!

    [Reply]

  3. A_Sweet_Fragrance
    A_Sweet_Fragrance

    @warrior_poets - 

    @calledblessed - Yes, I found some of the commentaries I read about this verse to be very interesting and thought-provoking. There is even more information in some of the links at the bottom of this post.

    [Reply]

Leave a Reply

Spam protection by WP Captcha-Free

Proudly powered by WordPress. Theme developed with WordPress Theme Generator.
Copyright © A Sweet Fragrance. All rights reserved.