James 1:23 KJV
[23] “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:”
The word “looking glass” is a poetic and archaic way to refer to a mirror, and was considered the proper word to use when referring to one. The word “mirror” was considered vulgar and middle class by the upper class. A mirror is made of metallic or amalgam backing and gives the reflection of whatever or whoever is placed in front of it. The Egyptians made metal mirrors from highly polished copper and bronze as well as precious metals. The oldest known looking glass is over 3000 years old.
However, there is a looking glass much older than the one dated from modern-day Turkey. James tells us that it’s the mirror of God’s Word. Like all other mirrors, the Bible tells us exactly what we need to know about ourselves. It reveals our flaws and imperfections. It allows us to see ourselves and correct the mistakes in our lives.
How foolish would it be to walk up to a mirror and see an obvious flaw and do nothing about it? If a person has the ability to correct what they see about themselves, then surely they would not walk away without making those corrections. They would do what was necessary to fix what they see. Yet people hear preaching and read their Bibles and overlook the flaws that they see about themselves. They behold themselves in God’s looking glass and then go on their merry way doing nothing about what they have seen.
We all know the importance of looking into a mirror each morning before we show ourselves to others. We are expecting the mirror to reveal the unpleasant things about us, so we can correct them. The same is true about God’s looking glass. Have you stopped by it today?