Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. (Deuteronomy 10:16)
I’ll admit that, on the surface, circumcision doesn’t seem to be a proper topic to meditate upon as we start our day. However, there is something all of us can learn from the words of Moses on this subject. It is important to know what the Hebrew word translated as foreskin, or more specifically its root, actually means. The Hebrew word ערל aral means “to restrict” and implies that something (or someone) is unwilling “to yield.” To circumcise this restrictive “covering” from one’s heart is to cut away that which would prevent His Word from penetrating the heart.
The heart of man is the seat of desire and emotion and must be willing to yield to God’s purposes. If God’s Word is in someone’s head but it never penetrates their heart, it is to no avail. So, in addition to the circumcision of the flesh, Moses calls upon God’s people (male and female) to circumcise their hearts, thus implying that the former is useless without the latter. That is exactly the point Paul was making in his letter to the Romans. He said:
“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29)
Paul didn’t say “Don’t get circumcised” nor did he say “You must get circumcised.” He simply said if a person is circumcised in the flesh but doesn’t walk in obedience to God — i.e. isn’t circumcised in the heart — what’s the point? In fact, the person’s circumcision is negated by his disobedience. On the other hand, if someone who isn’t physically circumcised walks in true obedience to God, that obedience is not negated by his uncircumcision. What’s the point of this?
It goes back to what was discussed previously — “What does the LORD require of you?” We are to love Him, to fear Him and to serve Him with all of our heart, not just our head. So let’s make sure that our hearts have been cut and every impediment removed so that we may receive all that the LORD has for us. We must allow the Word of God to penetrate our inner man and thus transform us into the person He wants us to be.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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