CIRCUMCISION

Scene of Circumcision in ancient Egypt. Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, reign of king Teti, ca. 2345 2333 BC. Tomb of Ankhmahor, Saqqara necropolis. Egypt Museum

⁹ And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, ¹³ both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

Genesis 17:9-14

In the process of forming the nation of Israel, God set boundaries that would set his chosen people apart from the rest of the world’s population. Historical records and artifacts reveal that by the time Abram is introduced in the book of Genesis (chapter 11) the earth was well populated and travel between ancient towns in Mesopotamia and the land of Canaan was common (Gen. 11:31-32). Much like the nominal Christians of our day, there was little to on real understanding of the one true God other than what was written on the heart of each person and perhaps familial stories of their ancestors dating back to the days of Noah (Gen. 5:29).

Abram’s family was like most everyone else, they were pagan idolaters and did not think twice about it (Josh. 24:2). It was a way of life for them. The practice of worshiping the sun, the moon, and other imaginary gods was common. It is no wonder that out of His infinite knowledge of the human heart, Yahweh knew that in order to create a nation that would be separated from the rest of humanity for the sole purpose of drawing people to himself for salvation, boundaries had to be set.

God began by asking Abram to continue the journey that his father had begun (Gen. 11:31) and to go to the land of Canaan, and he obeyed. Along the way, he was greatly blessed with prosperity and favor. Years later, God made his covenant with Abram to begin the process of redeeming the world through the seed of Abram (Gen. 15). This covenant was a one way contract that Yahweh will keep with his chosen, no matter what happens with humanity. Keep in mind that these events happened hundreds of years before the Law of Moses was introduced. God does not rush his people but instead gives them time to grow and understand. Abram, learned to listen and recognize Ya’s voice and then would respond accordingly.

It took twenty-five years for God’s promise to Abram and Sarai to be fulfilled. The promise that they would have an heir, who would come to bless the world. The heir of promise had to come from Abram’s wife Sarai and no one else and it would only happen in God’s perfect timing. When the time was right, God made his first conditional covenant with Abram and the generations after him that would come under his tent (Gen. 17). This was a covenant of belonging, that all males in Abram’s household including his slaves and family that he was responsible for, would be circumcised. The circumcision of their foreskin would be a reminder that they were set apart from the rest of humanity as belonging to the Creator God, The God Most High (Gen. 14:19-20).  Anyone who rejected the circumcision procedure would be cut off from the rest of the family and the inheritance of the LORD.

Context

Why was this act so important that God would disqualify those who rejected the process? Circumcision was not unique, so the mere physical distinction would not be the reason that the LORD was so insistent. Historical records deduce that Abram began his journey to Canaan around 2091 (21^st century B.C.), so this would be about the time when Yahweh gave the instructions for male circumcision. Archeological records, however, reveal that the Egyptians practiced circumcision during the Old Kingdom period around the 27^th century B.C. which was long before Abram was even approached by Yahweh. Reasons ranging from health-hygiene and social class to a rite of passage into manhood are given as possible rationales for circumcision in Egypt.

Either way, this was an outward sign to the world that gave some sort of message about the people groups that practiced this type of ritual. Ya’s intent was to build a nation from his chosen couple, Abram and Sarai. He was separating his people from the rest of the world, so the question remains; why would the Creator choose something like circumcision as a sign for his chosen people when it was already practiced by other pagan nations? This is where understanding the character and nature of the Creator gives the reader an insight into God’s work.

Purpose

Nowhere in Scripture does God ever force himself on humanity. His desire is to draw people to himself to protect them from Satan’s trap which will always end in destruction (1 Pet. 5:8). God is also extremely patient with humanity and works at the speed of the individual’s understanding. Circumcision was the first act that would give the individual a choice to accept Ya’ or to reject his protection and offer to be a part of his chosen ones. Circumcision was to be a continual reminder to the individual that he belonged to God’s people (Gen. 17:10).

That belonging came with an expectation of righteous living. The difference between this newly formed band of circumcised people and those of other groups is that they were also expected to listen to the natural law that was written on their heart. The natural law that comes as a result of the imago deo that is embedded onto every human being. When Scripture is read in its original language, the reader will benefit from a depth of understanding that he or she might not otherwise get.

The English language Bible uses the same word for circumcision in verse eleven as it does in verse ten. This word has, however, a different connotation when read in Hebrew. Verse 10 speaks of the physical act of cutting the foreskin of a man’s penis ((מוּל (mûl)), whereas in verse 11 the focus is on circumcision of the heart (מּﬥﬥ (mll)), which is a spiritual rendering of the heart. What is inside of a man is what God sees, the external parts of a man is what humanity recognizes.

Yahweh’s Intent

The act of circumcision is only the outward sign of belonging; the circumcision of the heart is the commitment to a certain set of behaviors that signal a relationship with the Creator. A life that seeks to live a blameless life before God (Gen. 17:1-2). As mentioned earlier, when Yahweh approached Abram and gave him this first covenant to be a sign between Abram’s household and God’s recognition of those who were dependent on Abram, there was no written Law aside from the Creator’s moral code written on the heart of each person.

This would become clearer hundreds of years later when Moses and the prophets would point out that God’s people needed to render their heart to be circumcised to their God (Deut. 10:16; Jer. 4:4). Circumcision of the heart is to be so sensitive to the promptings of God’s Spirit that it becomes easy to hear him and as a result, to live rightly before him. The Creator has not changed, he still offers protection from an eternity in hell to those who choose to accept his guidelines as well as his Son as one circumcises his or her heart. The choice remains, everyone alive can either choose to accept God’s Messiah, or to be cut off from His family for all of eternity.

Living rightly before God is a testament to a life that will not compromise even in the face of great adversity. Faith is active and will not settle for waiting for someone else to speak into a corrupt culture. Each of us is expected to mature in our faith and understanding of God’s ways (Rom. 2:25-29). There is no excuse for a stagnant life. Keep seeking and learning, we will all be judged by our fruits.

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