Sunday: Circumcise Your Hearts
Deuteronomy chapter 10, a continuation of Deuteronomy chapter 9, is basically God’s reaffirmation of the covenant that He had made with Israel. Indeed, much of this book is a kind of covenant renewal. That is, even after their terrible sin at Horeb, in which no sooner did Moses leave them for a little while than they fell into idolatry, the Lord still wasn’t done with them.
Read Deuteronomy 10:1-11. What is going on here that helps us to understand that God forgave His people their sin and was reaffirming the covenant promise made to them and their fathers?
Image © Bjorn Thorkelson from GoodSalt.com
Moses smashed the Ten Commandment tablets (Deuteronomy 9:17) — a sign of the broken covenant (Deuteronomy 32:19). “To show his abhorrence of their crime, he threw down the tables of stone, and they were broken in the sight of all the people, thus signifying that as they had broken their covenant with God, so God had broken His covenant with them.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 320.
Thus, the fact that God told Moses to hew new tables “like the first” and He would write on them the words that were on the first shows that God had forgiven the people and was not done with them, even then.
Read Deuteronomy 10:14-16. What is God saying to them? What is the meaning of the images that the Lord used here?
There’s a mixture of images here: the foreskin, the heart, the neck. Nevertheless, the point is clear. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant, but it’s only an outward sign. God wanted their hearts, that is, their minds, their affections, their love. The stiff-necked image simply pointed to how stubborn they were in their unwillingness to obey the Lord. And, basically, here and elsewhere, the Lord was telling them to stop with their divided loyalties and serve Him with all their heart and soul.
| Think about all the times the Lord has forgiven you your sins. What should that tell you about His grace? |
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Today's lesson says:
I would like to propose that God never reaches - or experiences - a point where He is "done with" people. Rather, people reach a point where it is they they who are done with God to the point that their rejection of or 'rebellion' against Him becomes 'set' (eg, Hosea 11:2). This is what is meant by the term 'hardened' heart or stiffened (resolute) neck.
Eventually, God will release such a person to their free-will chosen 'path' when He sees that their heart has hardened beyond the point of return - hence the significance of 1 Samuel 16:7b and Genesis 6:5. But this does not mean that God does this because He is done with them. Rather, when we are done with Him, God, with deep sadness, respects our freedom to do that and reluctantly but nevertheless definitively releases us to our chosen 'fate' (eg Hosea 11:5-6,8-9; Matthew 23:37). While God tries everything to draw us, He will not coerce us. Therefore at some point His commitment to our freedom requires that He release us to our destructive choice (Proverbs 14:12).
When we start to comprehend that God does not act or react like us (Isaiah 55:8,9; Hosea 11:9), that He does not get fed-up with us at some point and reject us even though we reject Him, we can then begin to enter into deeper awareness of the bottomless depth of God's grace and compassion.
I note that the Ellen White quote listed in the lesson states "... they had broken their covenant with God, so God had broken His covenant with them." I wondered about this comment as it could be interpreted in various ways. So I explored other instances within her writings where she spoke about the same concept. I found that the latter part of the statement was absent from these other instances. Perhaps she discovered that what she was intending to say was being misperceived and therefore modified her writing accordingly.
Phil then how do you interpret this passage where the LORD rejects the 10 tribes of Israel?
2Kings 17:18-23
20 The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He punished them by handing them over to their attackers until he had banished Israel from his presence.
Thanks for your invitation Shirley.
Verses like this in English translations are not uncommon. There are several issues that contribute to this:
1) At the time of the actual occurrence of the events in the verse and the time of the original writing, language appears to have been considerably more blunt and direct. This is due to a combination of the nature of the brutal times (compared to our relatively more civilised time) and the concreteness of the original Hebrew language.
2) The existence of Hebraism (as per Methods of Bible Study). Unfortunately the Hebraisms have not been adequately catered to in the translation process.
3) The need to take the original intent and translate it into our current context so that we get the true intention of what is being conveyed (ie 'present truth').
Fortunately, in some verses such as the one you provided, within the verse we can see 'clues' if we keep the above 3 points in mind. The second sentence is parallel to the first and tells us the means by which God 'rejected' Israel.
In light of the above, this is how I interpret passages such as the one you asked about:
Israel had reached a point where, despite God's repeated attempts to warn them against misusing the benefits of His protection and blessing to instead perpetuate the worst kind of evils upon even their own children (and in so doing also completely misportray to the surrounding nations what God was actually about), Israel refused to discontinue their chosen course (2 Kings 17:7-17). Consequently, the Lord was now left with no other option than to cease from blessing and protecting all the descendants of Israel (because it was being misused to perpetuate evil) - and in doing so, cease to restrain the inherent consequences of their chose course. Thus, in ceasing to continue providing protection and blessing, Israel was released to their inherent unprotected state that was the direct consequences of their chosen way of being. In this now unprotected state, Israel soon fell prey to being plundered by the surrounding warrior nations - for God was no longer able to exercise watchcare oversight upon them.
The Hebrew word translated "rejected" in 2 Kings 17:20 (wayyimas) is only used in one other passage in the Old Testament: Psalm 78:59,67. That passage outlines the same dynamics and also includes the same parallel clarification in Psalm 78:61 (God gave up His strength and power) - and Psalm 78:62 (God handed His people over to the sword). These are the default states inherent to walking in the way of lawlessness/sin/evil that God ceases to restrain against and therefore releases to.
I appreciate that this may sound a bit complex as an interpretation. But unfortunately it is what is necessary to - at least initially - convey 'present truth' in a way that I am humbly confident is true to the God revealed across the entirety of scripture and especially in the person of Jesus Christ (John 17:4,6 along with Matthew 23:37).
Phil, no matter how or why, as you said:
Or in other words no longer carrying out the terms/promises of His Covenant with them.
Shirley - In order for us to fully 'appreciate' the 'Glory of the Lord' and the 'fairness inherent in His Power', would you not think it important to want to know the 'how' and 'why' to the extend it is revealed to us?
Yes, Shirley, that is correct. The outcome is the same but the means to the outcome and the motivation behind the means is very different. However this is always because humans have exclusively caused the dissolution of the Covenant - not because God is "done with" them or has "rejected" them. Thus God was no longer able to participate in the covenant because humans had precluded that option by their persistent choice.
Metaphorically, this is a similar dynamic in a marriage when one partner is persistently unfaithful and unrepentant. That unfaithful partner has dissolved the marriage and therefore the 'faithful' partner is no longer able to contribute to the marriage because the marriage no longer exists. There is a big difference between the faithful partner needing to go their own way because the marriage has been dissolved by the persistently and unrepentant unfaithful partner versus going their own way because they are "done with" the marriage or have "rejected" their unfaithful partner.
God is all too frequently portrayed as acting (or reacting) like we do as humans. This clouds our capacity to see God's higher ways and is a reason a lot of people reject a God who has been (mis)portrayed that way. As Genesis 3 1-6 illustrates, the most subtle of misportrayals of God can have the most profound negative impacts upon humans trust in God. According to Ellen White, Satan has used this tactic relentlessly from the beginning and continues to do so.
Appreciate this explanation. In the numerous passages which appear to portray God as reactive and punitive, I have come to conclude that He NEVER breaks His covenant of love but, because of the choice of the rebellious ones, the Holy Spirit is withdrawn and the Evil one swiftly swoops in. That God gives man the CHOICE to love or reject Him is part of that Covenant of love.
Hi Phil. You proposed that God never reaches - or experiences - a point where He is "done with" people. I would like point out Exodus 32:10 which clearly expresses God's anger and it sounded like He was done with the people until Moses reasoned with Him as cited in Exodus 32:11-14. I believe that Moses may have reasoned with God that to destroy the people would make a mockery of everything that God sent out to do. Moses also reminds God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Israel.
I'm trying to be extra cautious as to how I write this because you and I worship the same God and I don't want this to sound insulting or show a lack of my faith in Him. I also have no shame in correction if you feel I need it. So please if I'm way off, let me know by all means. I can only increase through correction.
But I'll end this with one question. Within this lesson, God does express His anger and His intent. Did Moses have anything to do with changing God's mind? Or did God change His mind on His own?
Thank you Elder Phil. I do appreciate any comments you can offer.
Hi Nelson
Thanks for your question and openness.
I recently wrote a comment in regard to Numbers 14:10-20. Have a read of it and then if you have further questions, please ask.
I will also flag that 'God's anger' is very different to human anger. It is (understandably though unfortunately) another very misunderstood aspect of God.
Phil
Read Deuteronomy 10:1-11. What is going on here that helps us to understand that God forgave His people their sin and was reaffirming the covenant promise made to them and their fathers?
They had not come to the point in their relationship with God where they had learned to wait on the Lord, which Lametations points out is an attribute of those who seek Him. Lamentations 3:25. God told Moses to hew a stone for Him to write on like the 1st. God gave His people a second chance, and as we will see later on in their journey another and another. Through out this quarter we are going to see God's character of grace, love, justice, longsuffering, peace, joy, goodness, and faithfulness revealed. The exact character that Christ revealed with His time spent on earth.
I wonder why God keeps thumping the message into us that it is all about the heart. Perhaps we are a bit thick! (does that translate outside Australia) In mathematical terms, the bone to brain ratio is a bit high. The Isrealites had the same problem but used a different metaphor - Stiff-necked.
Why is it that we would rather think in terms of rule-keeping rather than heart changing?
Let me tell you a story (I have used this illustration before but it was a while ago). There is an ex-Rugby Union (The real football) player who became a journalist. He had his own column and wrote in a pithy laconic Australian style. He grew fat and unhealthy. He would drink a bottle of wine every night with his evening meal. One day he looked at the ingredients list on the wine bottle and saw how much sugar was in it. He then looked at how much sugar was in the beer that he liked. He decided that he would stop drinking alcohol. Three months later he noticed he was losing weight. A year later he wrote in his column that he was back to a healthy weight, felt really good, and what was more, his marriage had improved out of sight. He wrote, who would have thought that giving up the "Australian descriptive slang" grog would have so many benefits. He was enjoying life to the full. He was obeying the drink driving rules, he was obeying the public behaviour laws, not because he had to but because he had made a heart decision and had reaped the benefits of it. He was preaching the very best temperance sermon you could imagine.
And God wants that sort of heart decision in our spiritual lives. Read what is in the ingredients of the sin package and make a decision to fill our lives with those things, "against which, there is no law!"
"he was obeying ... not because he had to but because he had made a heart decision and had reaped the benefits of it."
I pray that all who read your comment will truly 'see' with the eyes of their heart what you are saying so that they will want this to be their experience too...
Lord, open the eyes of our heart.
What does it mean to "circumcise your heart"?
I believe it means develop a Character like the LORD.
At creation humans were created in the image of God and throughout His Word the LORD is inviting us to allow Him to restore us into His Image or in other words to have a character like Him.
Deut 10:12-13
Be holy as I am holy
Lev 19:2; Matt 5:48; 1Peter 1:16
Be transformed
2Cor 3:18. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Rom 12:2; Rom 8:29; John 3:3
The message is not about what we should or shouldn't do but about like whom we choose to become.
Reinforcement of the term LOVE...
Just in case there remains any doubt, the Scripture record of Deut.10:14-16 sets the matter straight:"... Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it." Therefore, if we believe that we are included in 'the earth and all that is in it', then we belong to the LORD - whether one fully acknowledges this or not!
To be sure I learn the variances of what 'stiff-necked' means, I looked it up: 'To be stiff-necked is to be obstinate and difficult to lead'; 'The meaning since then has involved antagonism, stubbornness, argumentative, and going into minute detail in order to distinguish our point of view from others; haughty; proud; willful; arrogant; refuse to obey - can one think of other aspects describing the 'uncircumcised heart' as it relates to the leadership of the LORD, its unwillingness to be 'led by the LORD'?
How do we circumcise our heart - or should one start by asking: "Why do I need to circumcise my heart?" We, living in the age after the Son of God and Man lived among us, can know the LORD personally and intimately. Do some still harbor doubt about His integrity, His 'motives' for becoming involved in our lives? Why would one still tolerate 'stiff-neckedness' in one's heart? If one still finds himself obstinate - stubbornly refusing to change ... - , what is causing this resistance to giving 'all that I am' to be changed? Could it be that one's heart wants to hold on to a remnant of 'self-righteousness' - the old natures 'right' to determine for itself what it prefers?
Rom.8:1-17KJV - We are assured that: v.1-2"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the 'LAW of the SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS' hath made me free from the 'law of sin and death'."
Is it not high time to trust and give 'it all' to Christ Jesus, to be willing to take His Joke upon us? - Matt.11:29-30KJV.
When God's law is written in our hearts with love,the zeal of loving the Lord with all our abilities and our neighbor as ourself will be inherent thereby the heart is circumcised.
Psalms 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
When a believer's heart is circumcised, it will reflect in his/her characters and actions,the fruits of the spirit will be manifested.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.