Circumcision of the Heart
Read Deuteronomy 29-30.
Deuteronomy 29:1 1 These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He had made with them at Horeb.
God makes a second covenant with Israel based on the Law of Moses (God’s 613 Commandments, as it is written in Deut 29-30.
The terms of the Covenant at Sinai AND the Covenant at Moab are that Israel will obey (shema) God’s 613 commandments.
The key promise of the Covenant at Moab is that God promises to circumcise their hearts (Deut 30:6) after they have been scattered, repent, and return to Him. (Deut 30:1-5) God will ensure that Israel keeps His commandments. (Deut 30:6-8)
Deuteronomy 30:6 6 “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
Jer 31:33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Col 2:11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
Eze 36:26-27 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
God found Fault with them (Covenant at Sinai). “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. For finding fault with them, He says, “Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;” (Heb 8:7-8)
God will restore Israel, removing their faults. (Circumcision of the heart)
God will circumcise the believers’ heart with a circumcision performed by the Spirit of God. God will put His law and His commandments in the hearts of men. God will cause Israel to walk in His statutes and be careful to observe His ordinances … i.e. obey (shema) God’s 613 commandments.
Exodus 19:5-6 5 Now then, if you will indeed obey (shema) My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
In Exodus 19-24, God made a Covenant with Israel at Sinai. This covenant is based on keeping God’s 613 commandments. God makes Israel a promise “you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” IF “you will indeed SHEMA My voice and keep My covenant”. This promise is for anyone who keeps God’s commandments --- “obey (shema) My voice and keep My covenant”. If you break the covenant, you are not going to receive the promise.
This promise in Exodus 19:5-6 is achieved by anyone faithful to the Sinai Covenant (a faithful remnant) OR anyone who has their heart circumcised according to the Covenant at Moab. Both groups meet the terms of the Sinai Covenant and receive the promises of God.
“you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6)
Deuteronomy 29:4 4 Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.
Up to this point, God has not given Israel “you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear”. Israel hasn’t been given the “helper” that Jesus spoke about.
Jesus said - “ I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. “ (John 14:16; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7)
Deuteronomy 29:14-15 14 “Now not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath, 15 but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God and with those who are not with us here today
This covenant is with Israel that was at Moab that day, plus people into the future, forever. The New Covenant circumcises hearts so that men can Love God with all their heart and soul, and we know that loving God includes Keeping His commandments. “if you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15)
Deuteronomy 29:29 29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
In Deuteronomy 29-30, God has revealed that He will ensure that Israel is capable of observing all of the words of His Law. He will circumcise their hearts. (Deut 30:6)
Deuteronomy 30:1-5 30 “So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the Lord your God has banished you, 2 and you return to the Lord your God and obey (shema) Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, 3 then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. 4 If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. 5 The Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.
God knows that Israel will stray and that He will banish to the nations. Israel will be banished until they repent and obey (shema) God’s commandments. (Deut 30:1-5)
Deuteronomy 30:6 6 “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
After repenting, God will circumcise their hearts to love God with all their heart and soul so that they may live!!! (Deut 30:6)
God will circumcise the believers’ heart with a circumcision performed by the Spirit of God.
Colossians 2:11 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
Deuteronomy 30:8 8 And you shall again obey (shema) the Lord, and observe all His commandments which I command you today.
Israel SHALL obey God and obey (shema) His 613 commandments.
Deuteronomy 30:9-10 9 Then the Lord your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; 10 if you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.
Israel MUST turn to the Lord God with all their heart and soul and obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law!!! (Deut 30:9-10)
Matthew 22:36-40 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
God will circumcise Israels hearts so that they can keep His commandments and love God with all their heart and soul, and love their neighbors as themselves.
Deuteronomy 30:11 11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.
God tells Israel that the commandments are not a yoke that is too difficult or out of reach. This is a common misconception in mainstream Christianity. God says His Law and commandments are not too difficult. AND, it is even easier with the Holy Spirit as our helper.
Deuteronomy 30:12-14 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
Romans 10:6-8 6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
Deut 30:12-14 shows us “the righteousness based on faith” (Rom 10:6) and the “word of faith which we are preaching” (Rom 10:8). Circumcision of the hearts and keeping God’s commandments go together. That is the faith that Paul was preaching.
Bible references are New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.