Circumcision of the heart

“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.” - Deuteronomy 10v16

“Fear God, walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him, and keep His commandments.”

These are some of the commands that God gave to His people as they prepared to enter Canaan. All of these are good instructions, and are indeed commands by God.

However, God’s instructions go beyond these instructions and really cut to the “heart of the matter.” God makes it clear that the externals are not enough. God says to “circumcise the foreskin on your heart, and stop being stubborn.” Physical circumcision is a cutting away of the flesh. Spiritual circumcision is a cutting away of the fleshly nature of the heart. It is obvious that this is associated with being stiff-necked and stubborn.

It is clear that what is really important to God is the condition of our hearts. If we could keep in mind the importance of having a circumcised heart every thing else would fall into place. What is it our hearts that we need to cut away so that we can serve Him?