Covenant of Circumcision (Romans 2:28-29, Genesis 17:1-27)
Rev. William L. Barron, July 22, 2018Part of the Morning Worship at North Greenville Church series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
The word "covenant" appears 13 times in the 27 verses of Genesis 17. To symbolize and reinforce the covenant God has made with Abram, He renames Abram (to Abraham) and his wife Sarai (to Sarah) and establishes the sign of circumcision. In this, God proclaims his sovereignty over Abraham and his offspring. A covenant is an agreement between two parties that is unilateral - one party (in this case, God) sets forth the agreements without negotiations. In our sinful nature, we resist this, and prefer to have more say in our relationship with God. As we saw last week, Abram and Sarai demonstrated this with Hagar, and the Israelites will demonstrate this again by demanding a golden calf at Sinai. God desires a relationship with us to the point that He sacrificed His own Son to overcome our enmity with him. No catastrophe or sin is great enough for God to abandon this relationship He's established with us. In the same way, nothing could cause God to abandon the covenant He established with Abraham. Circumcision is the sign that God established of this covenant - circumcision was not unusual in the ancient near east, but it was also never practiced as early as 8 days after birth. An infant has no opportunity to exercise a decision over their circumcision - this symbolizes God's grace, given unilaterally, in bringing someone into the covenant family. In the age of the church, this sign has been updated to the sign of baptism. Just as circumcision was identification with God's covenant people, baptism is identification with Christ's church.
| Earlier: | Same day: | Later: |
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| « Yahweh Elroi: The God Who Sees | None | Encountering God » |
Romans 2:28–29 (Listen)
28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
(ESV)
Genesis 17 (Listen)
17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
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.”
15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”
22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
(ESV)