Genesis 17:9-27
Circumcision
Covenant Between God and
Abraham
17:9
God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you
shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants
after you throughout their generations.
10 "This is My covenant,
which you shall keep, between Me and you and your
descendants after you: every male among you shall
be circumcised.
11 "And you shall be
circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it
shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and
you.
12 "And every male among
you who is eight days old shall be circumcised
throughout your generations, a servant who is born
in the house or who is bought with money from any
foreigner, who is not of your descendants.
13 "A servant who is born
in your house or who is bought with your money
shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant
be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 "But an uncircumcised
male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his
foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his
people; he has broken My covenant."
15 Then God said to
Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not
call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 "I will bless her, and
indeed I will give you a son by her Then I will
bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations;
kings of peoples will come from her."
17 Then Abraham fell on
his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will
a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And
will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
18 And Abraham said to
God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before You!"
19 But God said, "No, but
Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall
call his name Isaac; and I will establish My
covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for
his descendants after him.
20 "As for Ishmael, I have
heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make
him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly He
shall become the father of twelve princes, and I
will make him a great nation.
21 "But My covenant I will
establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you
at this season next year."
22 When He finished
talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
23 Then Abraham took
Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born
in his house and all who were bought with his
money, every male among the men of Abraham's
household, and circumcised the flesh of their
foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to
him.
24 Now Abraham was
ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in
the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael his son was
thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the
flesh of his foreskin.
26 In the very same day
Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27 All the men of his
household, who were born in the house or bought
with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with
him.
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change
the way that we think, and the way that we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
Why the Jewish
People are Circumcised
On the surface, this seems
like a barbaric ritual and ceremony of a backward
tribe. In reality, there is some powerful symbolism
in this passage from Genesis. God
required Abraham and all the males in his household
to be circumcised for several possible
reasons.
One - A covenant with
God's people and obedience
At the time, circumcision
provided a way to be obedient to God. And, it meant
there was no doubt who the Jews were. Circumcised
people belonged to God and were Jews.
No matter where they roamed,
they had a separate identity as followers of
God.
Two - A new life with
God
The circumcision itself is a
way of showing that the old, sinful life was now
cut away allowing for a new life under God.
Not shown in my study Bible,
but I personally have an opinion that it is an
outward show of faith much like the baptism of
Christians is a public statement to let others know
of a new (or first time) commitment to accepting
Christ. You may disagree and, as I said, just a
personal observation.
Three -
Health
God also knows the health
benefits of circumcision so He could have used this
as a way of keeping His people healthier along with
the other reasons.
In view of all these reasons,
circumcision was the one thing that made the Jewish
people different from all others in the land. It
showed that they truly worshiped the one and only
God. This show of commitment was essential to
keeping them strong in faith and strong as a
nation.
Final
thought
God does not ask us to go so
far as Christians. But, He does ask us to be
obedient to what He requires us to do. Our job is
to love God, love other people, and make new
disciples of Christ. Easy to say but sometimes
difficult to practice. Can
we at least make an effort towards doing our job
for God today?
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
study John
3:16 and learn more
about becoming a Christian.
Verses about why Jews are circumcised are
from New American Standard Bible
More Study Lessons from
Genesis:
Genesis
13:1-18 - Abram and Lot Part
Ways
Genesis
14:1-24 - Abram Rescues Lot during the War of the
Kings
Genesis
15:1-21 - God Promises Abram a
Son
Genesis
16:1-16 - Sarai Gives Hagar to Abram - Ishmael is
Born
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