What does it mean to Circumcise your Heart?

Bob Lampkin
Jun 28, 2023
3 min read

The Torah, the sacred text of Judaism, contains many commandments and laws that guide the Jewish people in their relationship with YHWH and with each other. One of these commandments is the circumcision of the male foreskin, which is a sign of the covenant between YHWH and Abraham and his descendants. However, the Torah also mentions another kind of circumcision, which is not physical but spiritual. This is the circumcision of the heart.

What does it mean to have a circumcised heart? According to the Torah, it means to love YHWH with all your heart, soul and strength, and to obey his commandments. It means to be humble, compassionate, faithful and loyal to YHWH and his people. It means to repent from your sins and to seek YHWH's forgiveness. It means to be qadosh, as YHWH is qadosh.

The Torah warns that if the people do not circumcise their hearts, they will face YHWH's wrath and punishment. They will be exiled from their land, suffer from diseases, enemies and curses. They will lose their connection with YHWH and his blessings. On the other hand, if they do circumcise their hearts, they will enjoy YHWH's favor and protection. They will inherit the land, prosper in all their endeavors and live in peace. They will experience YHWH's love and mercy.

The circumcision of the heart is not only a commandment for the ancient Israelites, but also for us today including those of us who are grafted in. As followers of Yeshua, we are called to have a circumcised heart that reflects his character and will. We are called to love our father with all our being and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are called to walk in his ways and to keep his statutes. Israel, a nation of priests, is called to be a light to the nations and a blessing to the world. The power of Yeshua makes this possible.

To support these points, let us look at some verses from the Torah that mention the circumcision of the heart:

- "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your Elohim ask of you but to fear the Lord your Elohim, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer." (Deuteronomy 10:12-16)

- "The Lord your Elohim will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live." (Deuteronomy 30:6)

- "If you return to the Lord your Elohim and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then he will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you." (Deuteronomy 30:10)

- "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem." (Jeremiah 4:4)

- "The days are coming,” declares the Lord,

“when I will make a new covenant

with the people of Israel

and with the people of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant

I made with their ancestors

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,

though I was a husband to them,”

declares the Lord.

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel

after that time,” declares the Lord.

“I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their Elohim,

and they will be my people.

No longer will any of them teach

his fellow community member

or his brother, ‘Know Adonai’;

for all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest;

because I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.”

(Jeremiah 31:31-37)

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