From the Inside Out (Ex. 25:2-3; 1 Jn. 1:9)

The importance of being changed from the inside out by God is supreme. If man could have changed himself or been regulated by external law, Jesus would not have needed to leave heaven and come to earth to walk among us, die, and be raised to glory by God; no offering would’ve been necessary. But it is necessary for God to work in a man or woman’s heart before change can occur. 

I thought of the idea of being changed from the inside out this week as I have been working on piecing a huge quilt, my first such undertaking. I mentioned to my mother Her response: “That’s right! There’s a lesson in there!” Having tried other methods, I have to say it is working much better . . .  the only flaw is that I as a creator am imperfect. My God, however, is not!

My reading made me think of this again today. Reading Exodus makes it clear that a removal from Egypt (the external) wasn’t enough to change the heart of a people far from God (in location and in their inner beings). God’s first recorded words to Moses on the mountain in Exodus 25:2-3 after he waited on God to speak for six days were these: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.” The first thing on the list of offerings to take is the gold which God had provided them from the hands of those who had enslaved them in Egypt  . . . God caused the Egyptians to be plundered. He provided everything His children needed to be able to serve him effectively. (BTW, the same is true today. It’s all His . . .)

Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, the children of Israel stood doubting Moses’ return and “convinced” Aaron to build a calf of gold—the same gold provided for Himself to be given willingly from a grateful heart. He had already met all of their needs, but in their unrestrained impatience, they decided to change their circumstances and created a worthless idol. They could have given the gold to the God who delivered them for His worship, but even the gold was lost to them when Moses burned the calf and scattered the ashes in water they drank. God's holiness could not and would not tolerate their sin (remember the first commandment given on the mountain?). The irony is beyond anything man could think up.

To add to the tragic irony, God had been giving detailed instructions to Moses for creating garments of glory and beauty to clothe Aaron in as he served before Him. However, Aaron angered God to the point He wanted to consume Israel and make a great nation from Moses. The priest whose purpose had been to lead the people toward God built a golden calf to lead them away and caused much death and plague to the people in the process. 

But God is faithful even when His children are not. He provided an intercessory in Moses, who pleaded earnestly for a people it must have been difficult in the extreme to lead. They were stubborn and stiff-necked (like me)! There were consequences for their unrestrained sin, but God allowed His children to move forward instead of remaining in their sin. We, too, have our moments where our unwilling hearts take instead of giving and build instead of trusting and sin instead of walking in holiness, and we, too, have an intercessor, Jesus, who lives to intercede daily for us before God. I am covered by His blood. I am washed clean when I confess my sins (1 Jn. 1:9). I am restored and clothed in His robes or righteousness, just as Aaron was clothed in the garments prepared for him by God through Moses. 

If you haven’t been changed from the inside out, pick up your Bible and read about this Jesus. Get to know God through His Word. Talk to a Christian about how to be saved. And then . . . your heart will be willing.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.