My last post covered God’s perfect timing as He clarified His covenant with Abraham prior to launch (Gen. 17:1-8). This post covers God’s expectations of Abraham and his descendants in relation to His covenant. We’ll explore Abraham’s reaction to God and the remainder of chapter 17 next week.
You may read Genesis 17 here: Bible Gateway.
God’s Terms
A covenant is a contract. While most contracts require an even trade, God’s terms were quite lopsided.
What exactly were God’s terms?
Abraham’s responsibility: “Walk before me and be blameless. . . . This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised . . . . It will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.” – Gen. 17:1, 10-11
And God’s part?
He would give Abraham property, heirs, wealth, and power (Gen. 17:4-8).
God’s requirement for Abraham to circumcise the males in his household, however, was not conditional to His promise. But disobedience to this command would be costly: “Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
Typically, this is a reference to execution, sometimes by the Israelites, but usually by God, in the form of premature death.” – Layman’s Bible Commentary
Circumcision: The Sign of the Covenant
(todayiamblessed.com)
The word circumcision means ‘cutting around.’ It refers to a minor operation that removes the foreskin from the male organ. Only males underwent circumcision. In the patriarchal society of the ancient Near East, people considered that a girl or woman shared the condition of her father if she was single, or her husband if she was married. . . . It [circumcision] is to an Israelite what a wedding ring is to a bridegroom.” – Layman’s Bible Commentary
Circumcision was personal for the individual concerned, his parents, and his wife. This outward sign symbolized an inward commitment.
Reflect
Although following God requires commitment and obedience, His benefits and blessings far outweigh our cost of discomfort or inconvenience.
How does the biblical command for circumcision relate to us today?
Once an individual was circumcised, there was no turning back. Similarly, God wants us to commit our lives to Him, walking blamelessly before Him by not turning back and indulging in sin. Deuteronomy 30:6 speaks of the kind of circumcision that counts—circumcision of the heart—operated by the Holy Spirit. It involves cutting away the old sinful nature instead of mechanically observing the written code.
For more on this concept please see The Meaning of Circumcision. . . . Have a wonderful week!
kdmanestreet 
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Hi ,
(Genesis 17:10-14 ) state :‘ God said, “This is my covenant,which you shall
keep, between me & you & your offs pring after you:Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your fores kins, & it shall be a sign of the covenant
between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circum cised. ‘
The verse is propounded nicely in this article.
This is one way of explanation about the circumcision rule of Old & New Testament .
These are the verses about the physical & the spiritual circumcision in the The Old & New Testament _:
A) The Old Testament rule about physical circumcision _:
(Genesis 21:4 ) states:’And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.’
(Joshua 5 : 2) state :’At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives & circumcise the sons of Israel
a second time.”
B) About spiritual circumcision_:
(Deuteronomy 30:6) states :And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart & the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart & with all your soul, that you may live.’
The “circumcision of the heart” is a metaphor for the spiritual renewal & transformation that occurs when a person accepts Jesus Christ & his teachings, as said,__’ God will circumcise your heart. ‘
This came into existence when God made another covenant,that is the New Testament law. This is stated
in, (Jeremiah 31:31–33) :‘ Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lᴏʀᴅ, when I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel & the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when l took them by the hand to
bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lᴏʀᴅ.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days : I will put my law within them. ‘
This new law is the NewTestament law.
The Old Testament Law about physical circumcision was till Jesus. He was alsocircumcised.
(Luke 2:21) states :’ And at the end of eight days, when HE was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given
by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.’
Zechariah was circumcised.(Luke 1:59 )states : ‘And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child & they would have called him
Zechariah. ‘
(John 7:22 ) state : ‘Jesus said to the people, “Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers) & you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. ‘
Through crucification Jesus abolished this Law of commandments of physical circumcision.
(Ephesians 2 : 14,15 ) state :For he is our peace, who hath made both one, & hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.’
(Acts 13 : 39) states : ‘And through Jesus everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could
not be freed through the Law of Moses.’
(Galatians 5:4) states : ‘For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have
been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.’
As Jesus broke the Old Testament Law,
(Philippians 3:3 ) says : ‘We are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God & glory in Christ Jesus.’Only,
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”& believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe & are justified, & it is
with your mouth that you profess your faith & are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)
(Colossians 2:9,11) state:In Him also you were circumcised with a circum
cision made without hands,by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ’
Yet,
(Colossians 3:11 ) says:’Here there is not Greek & Jew, circumcised & uncircumcised, but Christ is all & in all.’
(1 Corinthians 7:19) states :‘For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping
the commandments of God.’
(Galatians 5:11 )says:’ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.’
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Thanks so much for your visit and adding more scripture references on circumcision. Blessings! 🙂