A circumcised Heart

In The making of a Hearing Ear, and There is Purpose for the Wilderness posts, we briefly identified that naturally, our hearts are dull of hearing. In other words, we have difficulty understanding spiritual things. We then acknowledged that a refining process must occur, a divine intervention, in which a callous(hardened), beast-like, heart becomes transformed into one that is able to perceive (comprehend) the things of God.  Biblically this process is also often recognized as circumcision of the heart.

 

A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit,...(Ro.2:29 BSB)

 

 

According to Jewish tradition, circumcision was complete traditionally by the father of the household, 8 days after birth of every male child.  Understandably, the child had no say in this matter, that is, involving not the will of the child, but the will of the father.  It was a very sour and painful experience, however fortunately, also short lived.   Likewise, the circumcision of the heart is often characterized as a period of perplexing and very difficult circumstances in a person’s life. Yet as mentioned, a healing period shortly follows.  

Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal. (Job 5: 17-18 BSB)

 

The Bible states that old-testament circumcision served as a sign of the covenant (evidence) that God had made with Abraham, in other words legal rights.  Now there is a connection between circumcision and the associated privilege or “right” to celebrate and partake of the Passover. We find the connection in the following verse

 

A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the LORD's Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it. (Ex. 12:48 KJV)

If you read Engage in Communion, the symbolic resemblance of the Passover (identified as Communion in the NT) was uncovered.  The intimate place (prayer closet), where Christ breaks the bread of life and expounds scripture to the hearer.  

 

You see, spiritually, we are the foreigners, sheep from another fold, that were circumcised at the heart, so that we can spiritually partake of the Passover.  He leads us in the way of the wilderness, where the transformation occurs. As argued in The making of a Hearing Ear, and There is Purpose for the Wilderness posts, a harden, callous heart is given “ears to hear” and ability to receive The Word.

 

Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands) remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. (Eph. 2:11-13 BSB)

 

 

Supporting Texts 

In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands.  (Col. 2:11 KJV)

 

every man’s slave purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. (Ex.12:44)

The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. (Deut. 30:6 KJV)

 

Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. (Je 4:4 KJV)