When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
Another straightforward if, then, scenario. But how do we truly walk before God faithfully and be blameless all the time? It’s fine to have questions. Questions lead to answers.
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
I had been using his new name before God did. I apologize. It is the more common name though.
6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 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. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and 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.”
Same deal as before with Abraham. Now we’re all caught up with names.
If God changes a person’s name He changes their destiny as well. -A paraphrased Keith Bodner line that stuck with me since I had a class with him way back in University. Sarai was childless, but Sarah was going to have kids.
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”
Remember this laughing incident for later. It’ll come up again, that’s for sure.
18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.
Isaac means laughter. God has a plan and everything fits. Especially when we don’t understand it.
I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.
Here’s everything you could possibly want to know about what took place in a Biblical circumcision.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
What about Christians who aren’t circumcised?
Abraham was a Jew. He never got to see the New Testament.
We are happily saved by this set of verses in Galatians 6. Apostle Paul writes this. We’ll get into more detail about that much later. I figured I should jump ahead before someone started thinking that everyone had to do this. In Galatians, Apostle Paul writes much differently. If you are circumcised, don’t feel cheated. If you’re not, don’t go looking for knives or scissors either. I’ll remind you of this point again after. It can’t be stressed enough.
11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. 14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.
17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
In New Testament times and now Circumcision became more of a “condition of your heart inwardly towards God” thing rather than a painful physical outward thing.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.
Please, do not go looking for knives or scissors.
Scripture Discussed: Genesis 17, Galatians 6:11-18
IIWAC: Snip Snip
Another straightforward if, then, scenario. But how do we truly walk before God faithfully and be blameless all the time? It’s fine to have questions. Questions lead to answers.
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram[b]; your name will be Abraham,[c] for I have made you a father of many nations.
I had been using his new name before God did. I apologize. It is the more common name though.
6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 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. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and 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.”
Same deal as before with Abraham. Now we’re all caught up with names.
If God changes a person’s name He changes their destiny as well. -A paraphrased Keith Bodner line that stuck with me since I had a class with him way back in University. Sarai was childless, but Sarah was going to have kids.
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”
Remember this laughing incident for later. It’ll come up again, that’s for sure.
18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.
Isaac means laughter. God has a plan and everything fits. Especially when we don’t understand it.
[d] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.
Here’s everything you could possibly want to know about what took place in a Biblical circumcision.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
What about Christians who aren’t circumcised?
Abraham was a Jew. He never got to see the New Testament.
We are happily saved by this set of verses in Galatians 6. Apostle Paul writes this. We’ll get into more detail about that much later. I figured I should jump ahead before someone started thinking that everyone had to do this. In Galatians, Apostle Paul writes much differently. If you are circumcised, don’t feel cheated. If you’re not, don’t go looking for knives or scissors either. I’ll remind you of this point again after. It can’t be stressed enough.
11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. 14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to[b] the Israel of God.
17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
In New Testament times and now Circumcision became more of a “condition of your heart inwardly towards God” thing rather than a painful physical outward thing.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.
Please, do not go looking for knives or scissors.
Scripture Discussed: Genesis 17, Galatians 6:11-18