In this daily Bible reading God speaks to Ezekiel telling him of the coming fall of Egypt at the hand of Babylon. After Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and Judah, the remnant of Judah who remained went down to Egypt. They could have remained in Judah and lived in peace. God told them to remain, but they disobeyed God and went to Egypt. Babylon later returned and conquered Egypt. Babylon also killed many of the Judah refugees in Egypt.
In these passages, it is interesting how God described the final resting place of the conquering nations and the multitude of those killed. God said that the nations of Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt were all sent to a place called the Pit. God called them uncircumcised and all of the uncircumcised who died went down to the Pit, to the innermost parts of the Earth.
When God chose Israel to be his people He commanded that all males become physically circumcised. This physical characteristic identified God’s chosen people. It also provided for better physical health, as did many of God’s laws.
The Bible also uses the term circumcision as it applies to one’s heart. The Bible says that God wants our hearts to be circumcised. He wants us to remove the things in our lives that are spiritually unhealthy. Just as circumcision of the body provides for physical health, circumcision of the heart provides for good spiritual health. The Bible says that the Jews are God’s chosen people. However, the Bible also says that ‘he is not a Jew who is a Jew outwardly. Rather he is a Jew who is a Jew inwardly.’ It is our heart that matters to God.
