God’s Expectations - You Will

Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.” Genesis 17:9-14 

Israeli Orphan - sent to the corner.

Forgive me...I tried to obey.

Obedience. That is what God expects. It’s like that for most parents—they expect the kids to OBEY. If children are told or shown what to do…what is expected of them…it makes it easier than punishing them for bad behavior after it happens. How did they know what was expected of them? That is a basic parenting skill. Train up the child in what they should do. Some kids learn by just listening—others are more visual than auditory and others are kinesthetic learners. Find the right way to “train” a child and life becomes much easier. God just told Abraham what to do. Circumcisim was a ritual that was already practiced by other people, so Abraham was not ignorant of the process.  

This outward sign of obedience that God expected of the males in Abraham’s household, circumcism, seems like kind of a brutal thing to do to an eight day old baby boy…or a ninety-nine year old man. If God didn’t want that piece of foreskin there, why did He create it? Well—so it could be cut off in obedience to Him—a sacrifice. A proof of faith…and of compliance to God’s covenant—His command.  

Circumcism can be of the heart, also. The prophet Jeremiah wrote about that when predicting judgment to Israel and Judah. He was telling them that they needed to purify themselves.

"O Israel," says the LORD, "if you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more. Then when you swear by my name, saying, 'As surely as the LORD lives,' you could do so with truth, justice, and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people would come and praise my name." This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: "Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns. O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the LORD (Hebrew: Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart), or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins." Jeremiah 4:1-4.

Have you ever considered that you may need to “circumcise your heart”…to purify it before the Lord?  

Prayer ~ Lord…How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Psalm 19:12.May You find my thoughts, words and actions pleasing and acceptable in Your sight.

Bible Reading: January 31 – Exodus 4-6

© 2017 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

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