9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 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. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 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. 13 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. 14 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 (Genesis 17:9-14).
While certainly these verses may seem odd to those that do not know God, they are packed with meaning and reveal much about the relationship of the Creator to the created. But can you imagine the conversation between Abraham and those about to be circumcised (especially the adults): “Abraham, you are going to do, what?” Clearly this would not have been something that was easily accepted. And yet God desired His people to show their commitment to Him through the sign of circumcision. However, circumcision is just that a sign or symbol. It is a symbol of submission and a setting apart from the natural Man. Really what God wants of His people is for them to be ‘all in’. He wants 100% commitment. This commitment is circumcision of the heart.
While certainly these verses may seem odd to those that do not know God, they are packed with meaning and reveal much about the relationship of the Creator to the created. But can you imagine the conversation between Abraham and those about to be circumcised (especially the adults): “Abraham, you are going to do, what?” Clearly this would not have been something that was easily accepted. And yet God desired His people to show their commitment to Him through the sign of circumcision. However, circumcision is just that a sign or symbol. It is a symbol of submission and a setting apart from the natural Man. Really what God wants of His people is for them to be ‘all in’. He wants 100% commitment. This commitment is circumcision of the heart.
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