# 141 The Sign and Seal of Circumcision

The Book of Genesis Day 141 Ge 17:10 "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; 11 "and 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 child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. Circumcision. So painful. So fitting! The circumcised Hebrew would be reminded daily from the eighth day of his birth that God was going to send a human Messiah born of woman through the descendants of Abraham. The promise made to Eve would come to pass through God’s covenanted people. Every sexual act of a man would serve as a reminder to him that God was working to restore creation and redeem all people. Even the shedding of blood which accompanied a circumcision would serve as a reminder of the cost of God’s redemption. I’m not so sure men were always thinking these things, and that’s rather obvious as we read of the exploits of these men in the Old Testament, nonetheless, circumcision was not only a covenant but a sign. A sign that would point to the arrival of Christ, and a seal that would mark the circumcised child from the eight day as a covenanted child of God! As wonderful as this sign and seal were, it would avail nothing should the circumcised person cease to “walk before God!” Faith had to accompany circumcision or it had no power to save. Unfortunately, many of the people relied solely on the mark of the covenant instead of the covenant itself. John the Baptist warned against such an attitude when he told the circumcised Pharisees IN Mt 3:8-10, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” In other words, “Don’t think that your circumcision as an eight day old child is going to save you! God is able to raise up children of faith from stones! It’s the circumcision of the heart that must accompany the circumcision of the flesh! This circumcision of the heart is accomplished by God, who grants the gift of repentance and faith! De 30:6 says, "And 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, that you may live.” God commanded the physical act of circumcision in the Old Testament, but He is looking for the inward reality of a circumcised heart! A heart that is “cut off” from every desire, except to walk before God, to love and serve Him alone! If He is able to do that to a stone, He is able to do it to your hardened heart as well. Of course, circumcision has been replaced with baptism in the New Testament, but as in circumcision, faith must accompany baptism or you are lost! Mr 16:16 says, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Pray: Lord, I pray especially for those today, who are relying on their baptism alone for salvation. Remind them of the necessary requirement to believe! Help them to receive the gift of repentance and a re-ignited faith.