THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION

PROCLAMATION

“And God said unto Abraham … 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 … and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt Me and you.”  Genesis 17:9-11 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  When Abram was ninety-nine years old, The Lord God appeared to him.  God told him to be faithful and blameless.  He said that He would make a covenant with him and that he would be the father of many nations. (Genesis 17:1-4)  The Lord changed his name from Abram to Abraham and said that he would be very fruitful and that he would be the father of many kings. (Genesis 17:5-6)  Again God said that He would give Abraham and his seed the land of Canaan. (Genesis 15:7 and 17:8)  Then He said that Abraham and his seed after him must keep His covenant. (Genesis 17:7-9)  The covenant was that every male in his household and in the nation must be circumcised.  Every newborn male must be circumcised when he is eight days old. (Genesis 17:10-13)  Anyone in the nation that is not circumcised is to be cut off from the people for breaking the covenant. (Genesis 17:14)  Then The Lord God changed Abraham’s wife’s name from Sarai to Sarah.  And He said that He would bless her with a son at the age of ninety. (Genesis 17:15-21)  After God finished speaking to him, Abraham took his thirteen year son Ishmael and all of the men in his household and they all got circumcised. (Genesis 17:22-27)

 

APPLICATION

Today there are a lot of non-Jewish men and a lot of non-Christian men who have been circumcised.  Many mothers have their infant sons circumcised and there a quite a few adult males who get circumcised.  I have heard non-believers say that it was done for preventive health reasons.  However, the act of circumcision was instituted as a token reminder of the covenant between The Lord God and Abraham and his seed. (Genesis 17:10-11)  Physical circumcision will not save a non-believer.  One must undergo circumcision of the heart in order to be saved. (Romans 2:29)  If our heart and our spirit are not right, then the physical circumcision of the flesh will not matter.  If we believe, then we are God’s people; if we do not then we are not.

OUR HEART NEEDS TO BE CIRCUMCISED BY THE SPIRIT

PROCLAMATION

“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.  No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by The Spirit, not by the written code.  Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.”  Romans 2:28-29 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

The Apostle Paul wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  He begins by stating that is unacceptable and inexcusable for those who do the things which they condemn others for doing.  Those who pass judgment on others for doing something and yet do the same thing, will not escape the judgment of God. (Romans 2:1-3)  The Lord God will repay each person according to what they have done. (Romans 2:6-10)  Then Paul speaks out against those who teach or preach against a sin then they commit it themselves. (Romans 2:21-24)  After this he goes on to describe who is a Jew.  He clearly states that being a Jew is not a birth right but a behavior.  One can be a Jew outwardly or physically, but if they do not obey the law of God then they are not a Jew inwardly or in their heart.  And, conversely, one who is not a Jew by birth but who keeps the law of God, he then is a Jew by his behavior, and he will receive God’s praise.

 

APPLICATION

Some people will say, “Do as I say do, not as I do” but that is not Christ-like.  Our actions speak much louder about us than do our words.  It is our behavior which defines us and not our words.  When Judgment Day comes, we will all be judged on our actions, (Revelation 20:12) our words, (Matthew 12:36) and our thoughts (Hebrews 4:12) by The Lord God who sees and knows our hearts. (Proverbs 21:2)  Let us pray that The Holy Spirit of God will make us real Christians, not just outwardly appearing to be one, but inwardly, in our heart and spirit.  We want to truly be one of God’s people.

 

CIRCUMCISE YOUR HEART

PROCLAMATION

“Circumcise yourselves to The Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or My wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done; burn with no one to quench it.”  Jeremiah 4:4 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These are the words of The Lord God which were spoken to the prophet Jeremiah and proclaimed to the people of Judah.  The Lord God had exhorted and requested that the people of Israel return to Him. (Jeremiah 4:1-2)  He warned them that if they didn’t return to Him, their enemy to the north would come down and destroy their towns and their land. (Jeremiah 4:5-9) 

APPLICATION

In days of old, parents would spank their disobedient children.  Here the disobedient children of Israel were being warned that if they continued to do wrong then they would be spanked.  The term “circumcise” refers to the removal of excess useless foreskin.  It was and old Jewish custom which is still practiced today. (Genesis 17:10-12)  The reference to “circumcise your hearts” was a request to remove “unnecessary covering around their hearts” as a token of their covenant with God.  Today, we give our hearts to so many things and people, but we don’t give our hearts to God.  One of these days we will incur the wrath of God because our heart was in the wrong place and covered with the wrong thing.   

WE NEED TO HAVE OUR HEART CIRCUMCISED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD

Proclamation:

“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.  No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by The Spirit, not by the written code.  Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.”  Romans 2:28-29 (NIV)

Explanation:

The Apostle Paul wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  He begins by stating that is unacceptable and inexcusable for those who do the things which they condemn others for doing.  Those who pass judgment on others for doing something and yet do the same thing will not escape the judgment of God. (Romans 2:1-3)  The Lord God will repay each person according to what they have done. (Romans 2:6-10)  Then Paul speaks out against those who teach or preach against a sin then they commit it themselves. (Romans 2:21-24)  After this he goes on to describe who is a Jew.  He clearly states that being a Jew is not a birth right but a behavior.  One can be a Jew outwardly or physically, but if they do not obey the law of God then they are not a Jew inwardly or in their heart.  And, conversely, one who is not a Jew by birth but who keeps the law of God, he then is a Jew by his behavior and he will receive God’s praise.

Application:

Some people will say “Do as I say do, not as I do” but that is not Christ-like.  Our actions speak much louder about us than our words.  It is our behavior which defines us and not our words.  When Judgment Day comes, we will all be judged on our actions, (Revelation 20:12) our words, (Matthew 12:36) and our thoughts (Hebrews 4:12) by The Lord God who sees and knows our hearts. (Proverbs 21:2)  Let us pray that The Holy Spirit of God will make us real Christians, not just outwardly appearing to be one but inwardly, in our heart and spirit.  We want to truly be one of God’s people.