Good Morning.
And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it. (Exodus 25:10-11)
That the Ark was overlaid within and without with gold is important for various reasons, not least among them being what is symbolized by this fact — the outside matched what was inside. In other words, there were not two distinct looks but one. What was visible to everyone outwardly faithfully reflected what was on the inside. Likewise, as it was with the ark, so it should be with God’s people. What everyone sees on the outside should genuinely reflect what is in our heart.
In Judaism there is a term that is used when speaking of those who don’t measure up to this standard. A person who appears righteous but whose heart is wicked is called a “pig’s foot.” When lying on its side with its hooves visible to the observer, a pig appears to meet the qualifications of being clean — it has cloven hooves. However, upon an inward inspection, the observer will discover that, in fact, the pig isn’t clean at all — it doesn’t chew its cud.
When a person appears to be righteous outwardly but is not pure of heart and mind, that person is considered to be a hypocrite. In my view, religion lends itself to hypocrisy because it allows for the outward trappings to take preeminence. What we look like, speak like and express for others to see gets most of the attention in a religious environment. On the other hand, a genuine relationship with the Almighty goes right to the heart of man leading me to conclude that God doesn’t want a religious people — He wants a people who long for a sincere relationship with Him. He desires a people in whom truth resides within their inward parts (Psalm 51:6) and who express that truth through their actions. The point today is, then, don’t be a “pig’s foot” but be one whose life exemplifies this principle — what’s on the outside needs to match what is on the inside.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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