Genesis 17.9-14-Abrahamic Covenant Ratified by Circumcision
Thursday January 19, 2006
Genesis: Genesis 17:9-14-Abrahamic Covenant Ratified by Circumcision
Lesson # 85
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 17:1.
This evening we will study Genesis 17:9-14, which records that the Lord gives Abraham and his descendants the ritual of circumcision to observe as a sign to ratify the covenant that He established with Abraham when he left Haran.
Genesis 17:1, “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.’”
Genesis 17:2, “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
Genesis 17:3-4, “Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, ‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations.’”
Genesis 17:5, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.”
Genesis 17:6, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.”
Genesis 17:7, “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.”
Genesis 17:8, “I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
Genesis 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.’”
Genesis 17:10, “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.”
“Covenant” is the noun berith (tyr!B+ ), which is a compact or agreement between two parties binding them mutually to undertakings on each other’s behalf.
“My covenant” is a reference to the unconditional covenant that the Lord established with Abraham when he left Haran as recorded in Genesis 12:1-3 and was enlarged upon in Genesis 13:14-17, 15:1-6 and 17:1-8 and which covenant is called by theologians, the “Abrahamic” covenant.
Theologically (used of relations between God and man) a “covenant’ denotes a gracious undertaking entered into by God for the benefit and blessing of man, and specifically of those men who by faith receive the promises and commit themselves to the obligations, which this undertaking involves.
The “Abrahamic” covenant that the Lord established with Abraham denoted the Lord’s gracious undertaking for the benefit of Abraham and his descendants.
The “Abrahamic” covenant was “unconditional” meaning that its fulfillment was totally and completely dependent upon the Lord’s faithfulness.
An unconditional covenant which binds the one making the covenant to a certain course of action, may have blessings attached to it that are conditioned on the response of the recipient.
That response is simply faith or to trust that God will deliver on His promise, which expresses itself in obedience to the commands of God.
The blessings that Abraham would receive were conditioned on his obedience to observe circumcision.
In Genesis 17:1-8, the Lord enumerates His promises to Abraham and now in Genesis 17:9-14, the Lord presents the responsibilities of Abraham and his descendants.
“You shall keep” is the verb shamar (rm#v#), which means, “to observe conscientiously” in the sense that Abraham and his descendants were to be careful, thoughtful, heedful, attentive, and meticulous in conforming their actions in compliance with the practice of circumcision.
“Your descendants” refers to Abraham’s “biological” descendants, the nation of Israel.
Genesis 17:11, “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”
“Circumcised” is the verb mul (lWm) (mool), which refers to the act of cutting of the foreskin of the male’s penis and was given as a sign to Abraham and his biological descendants that they were set apart by God and yet was not given to justify or saved them.
Circumcision was not exclusive to Israel but was also performed by several Asian Oriental groups such as the Muslims as well as the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and was also practiced by Egyptian priests and those who wanted to be initiated into their sacred mysteries.
Circumcision among these nations was a rite of passage but was not performed on infants, thus the sign of circumcision given to Abraham to be performed on infants eight days old was unique in the ancient world.
The ceremony of circumcision consisted in cutting away the foreskin, the hood or fold of skin covering the head of the male organ, which was generally done by means of a sharp knife, but in more primitive times sharp stones were used (Ex. 4:25; Josh. 5:2, flint knives).
As a rule this act was performed by the father (Gen. 17:23), although it might be done by any Israelite, and, if necessary, women as well (Ex. 4:25), but never by a Gentile.
In later times, in the case of adults, a doctor performed circumcision and the Jews of the present day entrust it to a person called a mohel appointed especially for the purpose.
At first, this requirement seems to be strange but the Lord gave it to Abraham and his biological descendants as a “sign” of His covenant with Abraham and his descendants.
Circumcision would symbolize in a distinct way the purpose and results of the Abrahamic covenant.
The emphasis of the covenant was on the Promised Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ and on the abundance of progeny, which would accrue to Abraham (Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, page 333).
Circumcision was a sign only to the individual concerned, his parents and his wife and was not to be shown to people in general, but was uniquely personal.
Henry M. Morris, writes, “To his parents it would confirm that they had been faithful in transmitting the seed to the son with whom God had blessed their union and that they were trying to follow God’s will in training him. To his wife, it would give assurance that he indeed was a descendant of Abraham, to whom she could joyfully submit in the marriage relation, in faith that God would bless their home and their children. To the man himself, it would be a daily testimony that he and his family were consecrated to the God of Abraham and that they shared in his calling and ministry to the world” (The Genesis Record, page 334).
The sexual act and reproductive organs and processes were created by God to be enjoyed by both the man and the woman in marriage and received the full blessing of God (Gen. 1:28; 9:1).
But with the Fall of Adam and the Woman, the sex organs and sex act became vehicles of sin and corruption since Satan led man into sexual debauchery, corrupting the institution of marriage in every conceivable way in order to stop God’s purpose for man and his redemption.
Therefore, we see that another symbolic meaning of the act of circumcision where the cutting of the foreskin spoke of a surgical removal, a complete separation, from the sins of the flesh so widely prevalent in the world around Abraham and his descendants.
The nations and tribes around Abraham were involved in sins largely centered in the misuse of the male organ in adultery, fornication and sodomy.
Circumcision symbolized to the Jewish man that he was a member of an elect nation, a peculiar people, distinctly holy before God, in relation to sexual conduct, so it came indirectly to speak of holiness in every phase of life.
Leviticus 20:7, “You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.”
Therefore, the organ of the male body that was used for procreation is consecrated to God (cf. Deut. 30:6; Jer. 4:4) and failure to submit to circumcision demonstrated one’s overt unwillingness to obey the Lord.
The penalty for failing to submit to circumcision meant exile from Israel and from any inheritance in it and in fact resulted in capital punishment.
In Exodus 4, Moses failed to circumcise his sons because of his Egyptian wife Zipporah, and was as a result almost killed by the Lord for failing to do so but Zipporah grudgingly gave in.
Circumcision has hygienic value since cancer of the penis has a much higher incidence in uncircumcised males.
Henry M. Morris, “If the nation so formed was indeed to endure and to be a witness for God through all generations to come, then it must be physically strong and clean” (The Genesis Record, page 333).
“Sign” is the noun `oth (tw{a), which refers to the distinguishing mark upon the organ of procreation among Abraham’s biological descendants who had entered into the Abrahamic covenant and served as confirmation of Abraham’s lineage to fulfill their covenantal responsibility.
The ordinance of circumcision could not save man but was to be the distinguishing sign of the Jewish nation from the other nations.
God has not commanded circumcision of the flesh for Christians.
Circumcision of the flesh is useless unless there is a circumcision of the heart.
Deuteronomy 30:6, “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”
Colossians 2:11, “and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”
Your faith in Christ is what is important to God and not whether you are circumcised or not.
Abraham was first justified by his faith and then he was given circumcision as a badge or a mark that he was saved and set apart by God.
The Jews in Paul's day believed that because they were physical descendants of Abraham that they could ride into heaven on the coattails of Abraham.
They believed that they were sons of Abraham by right of circumcision, when in reality those who believe God are the true sons of Abraham.
The 1st Church Council in Jerusalem that is recorded in Acts 15 deemed that a person does not get saved through the practice of circumcision but through faith alone in Christ, thus the Gentiles were not required to be circumcised.
Galatians 6:15, “For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”
Genesis 17:12, “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.”
The phrase “every male” indicates that there were to be no exceptions, every male who was a biological descendant of Abraham was required to be circumcised.
The phrase “every male” also exempts females for circumcision of females in ancient times was a regular custom among some races or tribes.
All infants who were descendants of Abraham were to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth.
Modern medicine has discovered that blood-clotting agents do not take full effect until eight days after birth.
Of course, God knew this all along since He is omniscient and is the One who designed and created the human body.
Genesis 17:13, “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.”
Also, notice that any slave bought by a descendant of Abraham would also have to be circumcised, thus the servants and slaves were also brought into covenant relation with God and became part of His people.
Genesis 17:14, “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.”
Genesis 17:14 records that there were to be no exceptions, any biological descendant of Abraham would have to be circumcised otherwise, he would be separated from those who were circumcised among Abraham’s biological descendants.