Uncircumcised Heart לְבָבָם֙ הֶֽעָרֵ֔ל

We are in chapter twenty-six of Leviticus with our word for today which is a phrase used for the first time in the Bible in our chapter. לְבָבָם֙ הֶֽעָרֵ֔ל [Literally heart uncircumcised] uncircumcised heart. It is used 4 times in the Old Testament. Let’s look at these uses starting with our chapter since it is used for the first time in the Bible there. Leviticus 26:40-42 But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their לְבָבָם֙ הֶֽעָרֵ֔ל uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. We have already looked at our word for circumcision which is the cutting around of skin so that there is no longer a covering over. So applied to the heart it means that one’s heart is covered up or hard. One’s heart is not open to God and his will and direction. This is just one of the many ways God describes his people’s rejection and rebellion of Him and his will for his people. The other two uses are in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Which interestingly enough talk about other people besides God’s people. Jeremiah 9:25-26 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are עַרְלֵי־לֵֽב[this is our phrase with the two words in different order] uncircumcised in heart. Ezekiel 44:6-7, 9 And say to the rebellious house, to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: O house of Israel, enough of all your abominations, in admitting foreigners, עַרְלֵי־לֵב֙[this is our phrase with the two words in different order] uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to be in my sanctuary, profaning my temple, when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood. You have broken my covenant, in addition to all your abominations … Thus says the Lord God: No foreigner, עֶ֤רֶל לֵב֙ uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary. Notice that it wasn’t just that they were not circumcised physically but also that their hearts were not right before God. Their hearts were hard not open to God. Throughout the Bible we see God caring, loving and wanting all people to come to him. This is definitely identified more clearly in the New Testament. We will talk more about this as we journey through the Bible together. For today I’ll close with our phrase applied to God’s people in a general way describing their resistance toward him from one generation to the next. We see this in the New Testament when Stephen is speaking to the Pharisees right before they stone him to death. Notice how he describes God’s people with the New Testament words translated the same way as our phrase. Acts 7:51-53 You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”