Sunday, September 10, 2017

Transcription

1 Sunday, September 10, 2017 Lesson: Genesis 17:1-14; Time of Action: about 2066 B.C.; Place of Action: Probably in the plains of Mamre Golden Text: This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised (Genesis 17:10). I. INTRODUCTION. When Abram was eighty-six years old, Ishmael was born. Now at the age of ninety-nine, the Lord appeared again to Abram, reaffirming His promise that Abram would father many nations. Accompanying His promise was the everlasting covenant which required that Abram and his descendants be circumcised as a sign of the covenant. Circumcision is never an easy topic to discuss. Nevertheless, it is the key sign of the covenant between God and Abraham and Abraham s descendants. Even today, on the eighth day of their lives, Orthodox Jewish boys are circumcised. In this week s lesson, we will examine the sign of circumcision and the inward spiritual truth behind the sign.

2 II. LESSON BACKGROUND. God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans (see Genesis 11:31; 15:7; Acts 7:23) and led him and his family to Haran. While there, the Lord commanded Abram to go to a land that He would direct him to while declaring I will cause you to become the father of a great nation; I will bless you and make your name famous, and you will be a blessing to many others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and the entire world will be blessed because of you (see Genesis 12:1-3). So Abram, who was seventy-five years old at that time, departed as the Lord had instructed him, taking his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth the cattle and slaves he had gotten in Haran and finally arrived in Canaan. This area was inhabited by Canaanites at that time. Then Jehovah appeared to Abram and said, I am going to give this land to your descendants. And Abram built an altar there to commemorate Jehovah s visit (see Genesis 12:4-7). There was at that time a terrible famine in the land: and so Abram went on down to Egypt to live. After God had to intervene as a result of a lie Abram told Pharaoh about Sarai (see Genesis 12:10-20), he and his family left Egypt and returned to Bethel in Canaan where he had camped before, between Bethel and Ai the same place where he had built the altar. And there he again worshiped the Lord (see Genesis 13:1-4). After settling a dispute between his herdsman and Lot s herdsman, Abram separated with Lot and his family taking the land of the Jordan Valley which included Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abram and his family remained in Canaan (see Genesis 13:5-13). After Lot was

3 gone, the Lord said to Abram, Look as far as you can see in every direction, for I am going to give it all to you and your descendants. And I am going to give you so many descendants that, like dust, they can t be counted! Look in all directions and explore the new possessions I am giving you. Then Abram moved his tent to the oaks of Mamre, near Hebron, and built an altar to Jehovah there (see Genesis 13:14-18). Chapter 14 deals with the war that broke out in the land and the capture of Lot and his family, who Abram later saved. After this, Jehovah spoke to Abram in a vision, and told him: Don t be fearful, Abram, for I will defend you. And I will give you great blessings. But Abram replied, O Lord Jehovah, what good are all your blessings when I have no son? For without a son, some other member of my household will inherit all my wealth. Then Jehovah told him, No, no one else will be your heir, for you will have a son to inherit everything you own. Then God brought Abram outside beneath the nighttime sky and told him, Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that too many to count! And Abram believed God; then God considered him righteous on account of his faith (see Genesis 15:1-6). Then the Lord told him, I am Jehovah who brought you out of the city of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land. But Abram replied, O Lord Jehovah, how can I be sure that you will give it to me? Then Jehovah told him to take a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon, and to slay them and to cut them apart down the middle, and to separate the halves, but not to divide the birds. And when the vultures came down upon the carcasses, Abram shooed them away (see Genesis 15:7-11). That evening as the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell

4 upon Abram, and a vision of terrible foreboding, darkness, and horror. Then Jehovah told Abram, Your descendants will be oppressed as slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and at the end they will come away with great wealth, but you will die in peace, at a ripe old age. After four generations they will return here to this land; for the wickedness of the Amorite nations living here now will not be ready for punishment until then (see Genesis 15:12-16). So, that day the Lord made this covenant with Abram: I have given this land to your descendants from the Wadi-el-Arish to the Euphrates River. And I give to them these nations: Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites (see Genesis 15:17-21). At this point we are told that Sarai and Abram had no children. So Sarai took her maid, an Egyptian girl named Hagar, and gave her to Abram to be his second wife saying since the Lord has given me no children, you may sleep with my servant girl, and her children shall be mine. And Abram agreed. This took place ten years after Abram had first arrived in the land of Canaan. So he slept with Hagar, and she conceived and gave Abram a son and he named him Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old at this time (see Genesis 16:1-16). This is where our lesson begins. III. A NEW APPEARANCE OF THE LORD (Genesis 17:1-2)

5 A. The time of God s appearance (Genesis 17:1). Our first verse says, And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. After God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans (see Acts 7:2-3), God appeared or spoke to him four more times in eleven years (see Genesis 12:1, 7; 13:14; 15:1-21). After Ishmael was born to Abram and Hagar, thirteen years later (see Genesis 16:16), when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram. The frequency with which God appeared to, or spoke to Abram helps us understand their relationship. The fact that God hadn t spoken to Abram for thirteen years speaks of broken fellowship, which we Christians will also experience with Christ when we act in the energy of the flesh as Abram did when he had a child with his concubine Hagar (see Genesis 16:1-4). The Lord appeared to Abram this time when he was ninety years old and nine or ninetynine years old. This was twenty-four years after Abram had entered Canaan and about nineteen or twenty years after God promised him that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars (see Genesis 15:5). The words The Lord appeared to Abram should be taken literally (see Genesis 17:22). This appearance was a theophany or a pre-incarnate appearance of God the Son, Jesus Christ in either angelic or human form. While the exact nature of the theophany is not stated, God did reveal Himself as a Man in chapter 18. The Hebrew name for Lord is sometimes translated Yahweh or Jehovah. Since this was a special name for God, the Israelites would not pronounce it but would use the term Adonai whenever they read Scripture

6 aloud. Yahweh or Jehovah refers to God s eternal nature as the Great I am (see Exodus 3:14) and speaks of God revealing Himself and His covenant relationship with His people. When the Lord appeared to Abram, He said to him I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. First, God identified Himself by a new name the Almighty God. In Hebrew, this name for God is El Shaddai where the term El means God and refers to His almightiness and Shaddai refers to God s overwhelming sufficiency. As the Almighty God or El Shaddai, He is the all-sufficient God who could make even the aged Abram fruitful enough to have children. Note: Throughout the Old Testament, the Hebrew Yahweh is usually rendered as LORD. This was God s covenant name He revealed to Moses (see Exodus 3:13-15). Sometime later in the Old Testament period, Jews began to avoid using Yahweh completely in order to keep from taking His name in vain (see Exodus 20:7). Many modern Jews still practice this today. However, Scripture does not forbid using God s name, but instead it forbids misusing His name which is a sin too often committed today. Second, God told Abram to walk before me, and be thou perfect. To walk before God means that we are to think, act, speak and conduct ourselves as though we were in His presence and under His watchful eye at all times, which we are (see Psalms 139:1-10). The word walk speaks of a skill to be learned. We adults learned to walk and now do it by habit. Therefore, we tend to forget that we learned this skill by some hard knocks and skinned knees. We also learn to walk before God the same way, by experiencing emotional and spiritual bumps

7 and bruises. To be perfect means to be complete, that is to be spiritually healthy, having integrity and consistently showing a godly lifestyle. When applied to men who believe God, the word perfect means to be upright, blameless, and to possess integrity. Thus, the term was used to describe Noah (see Genesis 6:9) and Job (see Job 1:1). God wanted to see Abram demonstrate more faith. B. The nature of God s revelation (Genesis 17:2). This verse says And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. As God continued to speak to Abram, He said And I will make my covenant between me and thee. God s words I will meant that His covenant was unconditional (see Genesis 12:2-3; 17:6-8) even though it was between God and Abram. In other words, keeping the covenant depended on God alone. The disobedience of Abram or his descendants would not cause God to nullify His covenant. The expression translated make my covenant does not mean God was establishing it for the first time. He had already done that earlier (see Genesis chapter 15). Now God was putting the covenant that He had already established in operation. Even though Abram and Sarai were up in years, God told Abram that He will multiply thee exceedingly. In their old age, this couple would have a physical posterity, and Abram also would have innumerable spiritual descendants because of their faith (see Romans 4:16-18).

8 IV. A NEW NAME FOR ABRAM (Genesis 17:3-8) A. The new name given to Abram (Genesis 17:3-5). 1. (vs. 3). This verse says And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying. In response to God s new revelation of Himself as the Almighty God or El Shaddai, and the repetition of His promises, Abram fell on his face to the ground in reverential awe and humble adoration. This act of prostration or falling down before someone is still practiced in the Near East as a sign of humility. For Abram, it was a spontaneous reaction as he recognized his unworthiness to be blessed by God. Abram is a reminder to us that sincere humility should be a characteristic of every saint because all the eternal blessings we enjoy in Jesus Christ are a result of God s grace, not our own works. Note: Some sort of human activity is nearly always necessary in the true worship of God. To prostrate oneself as Abram did was to humbly recognize God s greatness. Without question, this was not only an act of worship by Abram, but also there was confession and repentance involved. Abram became involved with his concubine or mistress Hagar as a result of his burning desire for a son to be his heir. Although being married and involved with a concubine or mistress was an accepted custom in the Middle East, it did violate God s original plan for monogamous marriages. God permitted a man to have several wives

9 at one time in the Old Testament, but He never approved of it. Such relationships always led to sorrow, bitter feelings and rivalry. By taking Hagar as a second wife, Abram showed that he didn t trust God to perform a miracle in Sarai s body so that she could conceive. Realizing how impatient and unfaithful he had been, Abram fell upon his face in the dust in sincere repentance and confession of sin. After Abram fell down to the ground in reverential awe and humble adoration, we are told that God talked with him, saying. What God said to Abram at this point is what follows in the remaining verses. 2. (vs. 4). This verse says As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. God s words As for me places emphasis on the obligations He put on Himself. The Lord bound Himself unconditionally to fulfilling His word. God told Abram that my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. God reaffirmed His covenant (see Genesis 17:2) telling Abram that thou shalt be a father of many nations. In other words, many tribes of peoples would trace their lineage back to Abram. Note: Historically, Abram s lineage or descendants were the Arabs who came from Ishmael (see Genesis 16:1-12), as well as others who are genealogically linked to him through sons who were born to Abram s later wife, Ketura (see Genesis 25:1-4). The Edomites, who descended from Esau, and the Israelites who descended from Jacob are also included in the many nations that would come from Abram. The fact that

10 Abram would father nations included a spiritual aspect as well. Not only would Abram be father to a vast natural progeny, but also to those of all nations who would be justified by faith. By setting the pattern of receiving God s righteousness by faith (see Genesis 15:6), Abram became the spiritual father of all who do the same thing (see Romans 4:16-17; Galatians 3:6-9). 3. (vs. 5). This verse says Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. In order to reinforce the covenant promises He made to Abram, God said to him Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham. No longer would he be called Abram which means exalted father, but now his name shall be Abraham which means the father of a multitude. This new name was a pledge that the Lord would do just as He had promised. Note: The covenant was so secure that God already saw Abraham s role as the father on a multitude as already fulfilled. At this time, Abraham had only one heir, Ishmael. However, God would soon declare that Ishmael was not the one to continue the covenant (see Genesis 17:18-21). Just as God gave Abraham a new name, He has also given Christians a new name. He has declared us to be saints or holy ones (see Romans 1:7; 8:27; 16:1-2; 16:15; I Corinthians 1:2; II Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; 2:18-19; 4:11-12; 5:3; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2; 1:4). Unbelievers may mock us because they see that our actions and words do not always measure up to our high calling. But we

11 can trust God s promise that our position and our conduct will someday coincide in His presence. Indeed, this is so certain that God declares it to be already done (see Romans 1:17; 8:28-30; Ephesians 2:4-7, 19). B. The implications of Abram s new name (Genesis 17:6). This verse says And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. Now God reiterated what He had promised in verses 2-5 that Abraham would be exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee. In other words, the nations that would come from Abraham would have significantly large populations. God also added a new thought. He said and kings shall come out of thee. The nations that Abraham would father would be large enough to have kings. All the kings of Israel and Judah descended from him and so did the Edomite kings (see Genesis 36:8-9, 31-39, 43). Note: In addition to all the purely human kings who came from Abraham, the Messiah who will one day rule the earth, is also a descendant of Abraham (see Matthew 1:1), and as such He will fulfill all God s promises to Abraham. This fact is quite significant. Scripture teaches that Messiah is the sovereign King (see Isaiah 9:6-7; Revelation 19:16). The spiritual descendants of the Saviour, which includes you and me, cannot be numbered. All believers in every age are included among His descendants (see Romans 4:16-18).

12 C. The covenant enunciated and its duration (Genesis 17:7-8). 1. (vs. 7). This verse says And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Not only did God promise to bring forth nations from Abraham, but He also said And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant. God would make His covenant not only between Him and Abraham, but also with Abraham s seed that came after him which refers to those who would physically descend from Abraham. It appears that this promise applied to all Abraham s descendants, but God narrowed the covenant line to Isaac (see Genesis 17:19, 21) and then to Jacob and his family (see Genesis 35:9-12). This covenant would extend to the Israelites in their generations for an everlasting covenant. Although the word everlasting can have flexible connotations, it is best to interpret this promise of an everlasting covenant in light of other Scriptures regarding Israel s covenant. One such passage given to Jeremiah when Israel was disobedient, promises that the covenant will stand as long as earth, sun, moon, and stars exist (see Jeremiah 31:35-37). The Lord also promised to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. This expression not only means that God would be a true God to Israel in contrast to the false gods of the pagans, but He

13 would do everything for Israel that His deity implied. God would keep the terms of the covenant and guide, provide, protect, teach, chasten, and preserve the Israelites as He had already been doing in Abraham s life. Note: When discussing Abraham s seed there is a widely held method of interpretation called amillennialism which teaches that the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in the church. However, this conclusion has been arrived at by overlooking the literal interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures. Amillennialists believe that the seed of Abraham consists of a spiritual entity, the church. But if we look at the context of this verse, we will find that God was speaking to Abraham the founder of the Hebrew nation (see John 8:53). The Hebrews in Jesus day understood the term Abraham s seed to refer to Jews (see John 8:33). The Apostle Paul observed that some of Abraham s natural seed or Jews, have faith in God while some don t (see Romans 9:6-7). Therefore seed may sometimes refer to Christian Jews. In another context Paul said that all believers in Christ are Abraham s seed (see Galatians 3:29). Therefore seed can refer to three groups: (1) unsaved Jews, (2) Christian Jews, and all believers in Jesus Christ. 2. (vs. 8). This verse says And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. God s covenant with Abraham and his seed also included God providing them with a land of their own. It s clear that God had earthly Israel in

14 mind and not spiritual Israel or the church as the amillennialists believe. We know this because God said that He would give Abraham and his descendants the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan. We cannot spiritualize these words to be a promise of heaven for believers. This statement simply summarizes the promise of a land to Israel that had been made earlier in the covenant in Genesis 15: The Lord promised Israel all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. As long as the earth would stand, this territory would be theirs, because it was given to them by the Creator. However, this didn t guarantee that they would always inhabit this land because years later God warned Israel over and over again that disobedience to Him would cause them to be evicted for a time from the land (see Deuteronomy 11:16-17; 28:63-64). Note: As a result of disobedience, particularly Israel s idolatry, the people were actually evicted from the land through both the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities (see II Kings 17:18-23; II Chronicles 36:14-20). It happened again when the Romans overthrew Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (see Luke 21:20-24). However, God s prophets always held out hope for a day of national repentance and the restoration to the land (see Ezekiel 36:24-28; Zechariah 8:1-8). When the Israelites were about to invade the Promised Land under Joshua, God reiterated the land promise, as recorded in Joshua 1:4: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates all the Hittite country to the Great Sea (the Mediterranean Sea) on the west. According to Genesis 15:18 and Joshua 1:4, the land God gave to Israel included everything from the Nile River in Egypt to Lebanon (south to north),

15 and everything from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River (west to east). Therefore the land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants includes all of the land modern Israel currently possesses, plus all of the land of the Palestinians (the West Bank and Gaza), some of Egypt and Syria, all of Jordan, some of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Israel currently possesses only a fraction of the land God has promised. Amillennialists (see note above on verse 7) generally believe that God has already fulfilled His promise that the Israelites will possess their land. They teach that God fulfilled this promise in the days of Joshua and Solomon. However, the Jews have yet to possess all of the land God promised to Abraham, but one day saved Israel will because the land of Canaan is an everlasting possession for God s people. In the last part of this verse, God concluded His covenant promises to Abraham with the words and I will be their (Abraham s descendants) God. The Lord would identify Himself with Israel in a unique way so that even though He was the God over all the earth, they could still claim Him in a special way as their God (see Deuteronomy 7:6). V. A NEW SIGN FOR THE COVENANT (Genesis 17:9-14) A. The institution of circumcision (Genesis 17:9-11).

16 1. (vs. 9). This verse says And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. Having committed Himself to His unconditional covenant promises, the Lord now told Abraham what He expected from him and his descendants. In this verse we are told that God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. As noted earlier, this was an unconditional covenant which means that only God was responsible for fulfilling it, and Abraham was not obligated to do anything to assure its fulfillment. So the words Thou shalt keep my covenant may simply be a general command that goes back to verse 1 where God told Abraham to Walk before me and be thou perfect. Although this interpretation makes sense, it seems better to see the words Thou shalt keep my covenant as pointing to the command God gives in the next verse calling for Abraham and his descendants to obey as participants in the covenant. 2. (vs. 10). God went on to say in this verse This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. Since this Abrahamic covenant depended only on God s faithfulness, He had already established it in Genesis chapter 15. However, in order for a person to participate in the covenant, they had to submit to an outward sign. God said the sign was that Every man child among you shall be circumcise. In other words, circumcision (the cutting away of the foreskin of a baby s penis) of all males was the initial rite that signified their

17 participation in the Abrahamic covenant. For sure, this covenant with Israel was certain, but any given male was eligible to enjoy its privileges only if he was circumcised. Although there was no corresponding ritual for girls, they were included in the covenant because their fathers were circumcised. Note: The spiritual significance of circumcision had to do with the separation of the descendants of Abraham from other peoples. Why God chose circumcision to be the sign is not revealed in Scripture. Whatever we may think would only be guess work. The rite of circumcision didn t originate at this time. However, this is the first time it is mentioned in the Scriptures. It was practiced by a number of ancient peoples, including the Egyptians and Canaanites. But among these peoples it was performed at about 12 years of age as a sort of initiation into manhood. However, for the Israelites it signified their participation in the Abrahamic covenant. 3. (vs. 11). This verse says And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. Very often the covenants God made were sealed with, or identified by a particular sign or token like the rainbow (see Genesis 9:12-13). Here, God s words are for Abraham personally. First, God said to him ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. Abraham was no different from anyone else as far as the covenant was concerned. God commanded him to circumcise or cut away the foreskin from his penis as a token or sign of the covenant betwixt me (God) and you (Abraham). For Abraham, circumcision signified

18 faith in God s promises. Note: It took strong faith and commitment for a ninety-nine year old man to submit to circumcision. Such an act would have made no sense unless faith in the covenant promises was behind it. Circumcision was also symbolic of the physical fruitfulness God had just promised Abraham (see Genesis 17:2, 4-6). Abraham was still clinging to the hope that Ishmael would be his heir (see Genesis 17:18), so God wanted him to realize the supernatural power of God that would produce the real heir, Isaac, and also multiply Abraham s seed even though he was an old man. Therefore, circumcision was a mark or sign that would remind Abraham and all his descendants of God s promise. B. The rules concerning circumcision (Genesis 17:12-13). 1. (vs. 12). This verse says And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. If circumcision was to be carried out in an orderly manner, specific rules were needed. As to the time that the male child was to undergo this procedure, God said he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you. Note: Scripture does not tell us why the eighth day was chosen as the day on which the circumcision was to be performed, but there are scientific studies

19 showing that between the fifth and the seventh days of a newborn male s life vitamin K is present in adequate quantities for blood clotting. On the eighth day, the full amount of vitamin K is present (the only day in the male s life in which this will normally be the case). Therefore, the 8th day is the perfect day to do the circumcision when the Vitamin K levels are at their peak, providing maximum safety for circumcising the newborn. If this is truly the case, once again the Bible has revealed a great deal of scientific truth hundreds, and sometimes thousands of years before being discovered by modern scientists. This is further proof that God knows exactly what He is doing at all times! The Jews also connected the giving of names to their male children with circumcision. This is illustrated in Luke 2:21 concerning the circumcision of Jesus where it says And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. After stating the time when the circumcision of a newborn male was to take place which was the eighth day of his life, God then told Abraham who should be circumcised. God said this included every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. The phrase every man child in your generations refers to Abraham s own male children. The words, he that is born in the house refers to any servants and their male children born in Abraham s household. And the phrase bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed refers to non- Jews from whom Abraham would purchase servants. All of

20 these groups mentioned here would be included among the covenant people after they were circumcised. 2. (vs. 13). This verse says He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. Here the Lord emphatically reiterated the instructions He gave in the previous verse saying He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised. In addition, the Lord declared that my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. In other words, for those who were circumcised God s everlasting covenant would be marked in their flesh in every generation. This procedure could not be reversed. C. The penalty for uncircumcision (Genesis 17:14). Our final verse says And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. Here the Lord addressed those persons who refused to receive circumcision. He said And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people. Those who rejected the covenant of circumcision were rejecting God s covenant. This was a serious offense and it demanded punishment which was that soul (person) shall be cut off from his people.

21 But just what does that really mean? No doubt it meant separation from the people of God and loss of many physical benefits. However, an examination of other Scripture passages that use this same expression shows that it not only refers to being excluded from the covenant community, but sometimes it even meant death, either at the hands of the authorities or under the direct judgment of God (see Leviticus 20:1-3; 23:26-30). The reason God gave for the uncircumcised man child being cut off from his people was because he hath broken my covenant. This means that if a family refused to circumcise a male child, that child was cut off from the people of Israel and the family was guilty of breaking the covenant that God had established as in the case of Moses who forgot to circumcise his son, the foundation sign of Israel s covenant relationship with God. As a result, his wife Zipporah had to circumcise the child to keep Moses from God s punishment (see Exodus 4:21-26). Neglecting to circumcise their male children continued for Israel throughout the forty years of desert wanderings. As a result, when they reached the Promised Land, God commanded Joshua to circumcise all the males who were born during the wilderness wanderings. This was because all the males who came out of Egypt were circumcised, but they neglected to circumcise any of the males born in the wilderness (see Joshua 5:2-7). Note: This verse stresses the fact that God s covenant with Abraham and his seed, as well as the sign of His covenant circumcision, was not to be taken lightly. Abraham took these instructions and warnings seriously. He had all the males in his household circumcised according to the rules (see Genesis 17:23-27). This included himself and his thirteen year

22 old son, Ishmael. At this time, Isaac had not been born. To this day, the custom of taking the covenant of circumcision or berith milah in Hebrew, is still the most faithfully followed of all the Jewish traditions. Even Jews who don t practice Judaism consider it unthinkable for a Jewish boy not to be circumcised. In Jewish thinking, an uncircumcised child is considered a Gentile. One may grasp the importance of circumcision to Jewish people when it is recognized that they view it to be of higher authority than the Sabbath. A rabbi who would not think of working on the Sabbath, or the seventh day will circumcise a male child if the infant s eighth day of life falls on a Sabbath. Even those who follow Islam circumcise their male infants to show that they are descendants of Abraham and therefore participants in the Abrahamic covenant. In the early church, some Jewish Christians wanted to force circumcision on Gentiles who had turned to Christ, even making it a condition of salvation. They declared that Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved (see Acts 15:1). But Paul refused to force Gentiles to be circumcised (see Galatians 2:3) or to obey other Mosaic rituals (see Galatians 5:2-4). Paul knew that outward rituals don t necessarily mean a person has inward faith (see Romans 2:25-29; Galatians 6:15; Colossians 2:11-13).

23 VI. Conclusion. God gave circumcision as a physical sign of the covenant He made with Abraham and his descendants. Circumcision was controversial in the early church, but it was determined that it was not necessary for salvation (see Acts 15:1-11). The new covenant that Jesus instituted superseded the old covenant s ritual requirements. The crucial thing to possess is spiritual circumcision. The fleshly ritual has no bearing on salvation. It was only a sign pointing to a greater, spiritual reality (see Philippians 3:3). The inward circumcision of the heart through Jesus Christ is the ultimate reality. The spiritual circumcision of the Christian comes by faith in Jesus Christ (see Romans 3:26-31), and it is accomplished without hands, resulting in the forgiveness of sins (see Colossians 2:11-13). ***The Bible Expositor and Illuminator, Union Gospel Press***