In yesterday's passage the Lord changed Abram's name to Abraham and we will be calling him by his new name from now on. Today we are going to look at a practice the Lord told Abraham he and all his male descendants must perform. This sign is to remind these men that they are a separate people from all those around them and that they must follow the Lord instead of the false gods of the pagan tribes of Canaan. It's also a reminder that their trust is to be in the Lord and not in the flesh (in what their own human strength can do). Abraham has already made the mistake of trusting in himself to bring about a promise of God. So now, as God reminds Abraham that His covenant with him still stands, He gives Abraham a task to perform that will be a sign to him and to all the males of his family line.
"Then God said to Abraham, 'As for you, you must keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner---those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or whether bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.'" (Genesis 17:9-14) Every male born of Abraham's line, every male child born to a servant or slave of Abraham, and any male slave bought by Abraham or his descendants must undergo this procedure. The Lord says here if any male of Abraham's line refuses to continue this procedure in his family, he is to be excommunicated.
Circumcision might seem like an odd sign for the Lord to give Abraham and his male descendants. We may wonder why the Lord didn't choose something else, something that would be seen more often by the bearer of the sign and something that would be visible to other people. After doing some research on this, I've found what sound like two very good, logical reasons for why the Lord specifically chose this particular sign.
For one thing, it involves a cutting away of the flesh. This symbolizes what the Lord is telling Abraham to do: to stop trusting in the works of the flesh. The Lord is going to make a great nation of Abraham's descendants and that nation is going to need to trust in Him. The sign of circumcision is a permanent mark that will be with a man his entire life, reminding him every day that he is part of a chosen nation with which God has made a covenant, and that he is to daily walk in faith with the Lord. He is not to be like the tribes around him. He is to be different.
Another reason for choosing circumcision is that every time Abraham has relations with his wife Sarai (soon to be renamed Sarah), he will be reminded of the Lord's promise of a son. Ishmael will not be Abraham's heir. Ishmael will not be one of the patriarchs of God's chosen nation. Ishmael was begotten through the works of the flesh, not by the miraculous works of the Lord. In his most intimate moments with his wife, Abraham will acknowledge that righteousness is by faith and not by works. It may seem strange to us for a man to be reminded of such a thing when having physical relations with his wife, but God wants to bless every aspect of our lives---including our marriages. So when Abraham is alone with his wife, he can't help thinking about God's promise of a son, and his faith in the Lord is strengthened. He can say to himself and to Sarai, "I know I'm old and I know that you're old. I know we've waited all our married life for a son and he still hasn't appeared. But God is going to keep His promise. I don't know when and I don't know how. Maybe it will be on this night. Maybe it will be years from now. But we've got to keep believing that the Lord will do what He says He's going to do."
"God also said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and I will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.'" (Genesis 17:15-16) The name "Sarai" means "princess". The name "Sarah" means "my princess". The difference is quite subtle but "Sarah" is a possessive and more intimate version of her name. God is saying, "You are no longer just a princess but My princess. I have chosen you to be the mother of a great people. Your descendants will include mighty kings. One of your descendants will be the King of kings. Stand tall, My princess. Take heart, My daughter. You who have borne the private disappointment and the public scorn of being barren shall become the mother of My chosen people. My own Son, the Redeemer, will come from your family line. No one will ever look down on you again or talk about you behind your back. I have chosen you, My princess, and you will bear the son you've always longed for."
Some of my readers may have struggled with infertility. If so, you know all the thoughts and feelins Sarah has dealt with for all her married life. My own mother-in-law had those same struggles. At last she was able to bear one child: a son. In recognition that this gift of a child was performed by the work of God and not by any medical intervention, she named him "Jonathan" which means "given by God". Sarah too is going to have a son given to her by God. There will never be any doubt in her mind that God performed a miracle. There will never be any doubt in anyone's mind that God performed a miracle, for Sarah will be ninety years old when her son is born. Those who used to pity her for being childless will praise the name of Sarah's God for His blessings on her. Those who used to whisper behind her back that she must be a sinful woman since she wasn't blessed with children will have to repent of their malicious words and admit that God has done a wondrous thing for her. His name will be exalted, by believers and unbelievers alike, because everyone will have to admit the gift of a son to Sarah was given by God.
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