The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 13 July 2024 – Circumcision, An Everlasting Covenant
TOPIC: Circumcision, An Everlasting Covenant
READ: Genesis 17: 1-27 (NKJV)
- When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I [am] Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
- “And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
- Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:
- “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
- “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
- “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
- “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
- “Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
- And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
- “This [is] My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;
- “and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
- “He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
- “He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
- “And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
- Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah [shall be] her name.
- “And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be [a mother of] nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
- Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall [a child] be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear [a child?”]
- And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”
- Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, [and] with his descendants after him.
- “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
- “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
- Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
- So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.
- Abraham [was] ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
- And Ishmael his son [was] thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
- That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;
- and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
THE MESSAGE:
God here establishes a covenant with Abraham. He undertook to be his God, bless him exceedingly, produce many nations from him, and give him the land of Canaan (vv.4-8). In turn, Abraham and his male descendants were to be circumcised (vv.10-13). This law applied to everyone (vv.12-13).
Abraham obeyed promptly. On the same day, Abraham, his son Ishmael and all the male members of his community were circumcised (vv.24-27). Their population would have been several times that of his trained and armed servants of 318 (Gen. 14: 14). Notice also the change of names for both Abraham and his wife (vv.5&15). Further, his wife, Sarah, who was past the child-bearing age at 90, would bear the son of promise the following year (v.19). On request, Ishmael also received his share of the blessing(vv.18,v20). God fulfilled every part of his covenant. Israel, Abraham’s physical descendants, fulfilled only the physical circumcision aspect of the covenant, but failed on the spiritual side.
Today, many Christians, who are the spiritual Israel, fulfill the physical aspects of church membership, but may not be circumcised in their hearts. As Abraham obeyed promptly and got circumcised, have you received the spiritual circumcision of the new birth? (John 1: 12-13).
PRAYER: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
