The spiritual meaning of circumcision in the above verses is obvious. We know that physical heart surgery is not intended, but rather the cutting away, the removal, of sin. The word heart is used in Scripture as the seat and source of life, and it is therefore the controlling force of man's emo tional and volitional nature. God describes the human heart as being "deceitful above all things, and desperately wick ed" (Jeremiah 17:9). Our Lord said, "For out of the heart of man proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornica tions, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Matthew 15:19). These evils must be removed from the heart by a Divine process of spiritual surgery. The process includes both hu man responsibility and Divine enablement, both of which are found in the two Deuteronomy passages. God said to Israel, "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart", and then He followed that command with the statement, "The LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart." Where there is desire and willingness for holiness of heart, the Lord stands ready as the source of power to cleanse (circumcise) the heart. David saw the wretchedness of his heart, and so, desiring cleansing he prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, 0 God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51: 10). David had come to God to be circumcised in his heart. It was a solemn indictment upon the Jew when God said, "All the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart" (Jeremiah 9:26). (See also Leviticus 26:41 ). The Bible speaks also of the circumcision of the ear. The Lord said, "To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it" (Jeremiah 6: 10). The uncircumcised ear will not hear and heed the Word of the Lord. In the Parable of the Sower and the Seed our Lord said, "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 13:9); "Take heed what ye hear" (Mark 13:24), and "Take heed therefore how ye hear" (Luke 8: 18). The spiritual meaning of the circumcision of the ear should be clear to all. Is the Word of God coming to us through our ears? Or are we like those to whom God said, "We have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing" (Hebrews 5: 11 ). To what, or to whom are we listening? "He that hath an ear, 74
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker