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23 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. 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 same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; 27 and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him. ~ Genesis 17:23-27
Today, we conclude our study of Genesis 17 where we learn about circumcision which was the great God-given object lesson to those of faith in the God of the Bible, given to remind them of God's unconditional love for them. This object lesson was given by God to believers in the nation of Israel to indicate they were to be physically separated unto God and from those of no faith in Him. And, every time they went to relieve themselves, they were reminded of God's unconditional love for them. Circumcision was an object lesson ultimately of what is known as the circumcised life.
In v.23 of today's passage we read, "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."
Previously, Abraham didn’t understand why God couldn’t just confirm His covenant with him through Ishmael. In addition, Abraham didn’t understand why God required circumcision or this painful sign of trust. Abraham did understand the lesson: we do not need to understand God's commands in order to obey Him. So, Abraham obeyed God immediately; in fact, he had everyone in his house circumcised. What was physical and literal was to be a daily reminder to Abraham of something far more deep, that is the circumcision of the heart. The heart is the symbol of our soul which has three parts to it: our mind, our will, and our emotions. The soul is the arena of our faith.
God intended that circumcision would direct the believer to embrace circumcision of the heart which is performed by the Holy Spirit. When the believer experiences circumcision of the heart, he embraces a gratitude that yields in him the decision to go all in with God through our faith in Him. In Philippians 3:3 we read, "We are the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Described in this one verse is the idea that we have abandoned the self life and we are learning to no longer have any reliance upon ourselves. This means that it is our aim to take every thought, every imagination into captivity to Christ. This is what the circumcised life looks like.
In v.24 of today's passage we read, "Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin."
Abraham was 99 years old which means he was born in the year 2009 BC and therefore his circumcision occurred in the year 2108. For Abraham to be circumcised at that age meant that this very painful procedure was proof of his trust in the God of the Bible. Of course, circumcision does not merit or earn God's favor for us, it is just a reminder from God that we have His favor.
In v.25 of today's passage we read, "And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin."
Even though Ishmael was not to be God's choice through whom He would deliver His promise to Abraham, Ishmael was circumcised so that he would be reminded daily of God's favor toward him. For today’s descendants of Ishmael, there is no specific age as to when they circumcise. Some do it at infancy, some at 13 in honor of Ishmael, and some at other ages. However, the covenant between God and His people required it to be done at the age of 8 days old due to the time the blood needed to built up enough potassium in it so that it would coagulate and the newborn would not bleed to death.
In v.26-27 of today's passage we read, "26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; 27 and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him."
On the very same day that Abraham was instructed to be circumcised, he did so. There was no delaying, no contemplating, and no discussion. I find it quite instructive that according to Luke 2:21, the Lord Jesus Christ 1895 years after Abraham was circumcised on the 8th day. The Lord Jesus Christ had to be circumcised to become our savior. The Lord Jesus spoke in synagogues and He taught in the temple courts in Jerusalem. If He had been uncircumcised, He would have been excluded from those activities. He would not have been allowed inside those areas.
Later in His ministry, the Lord Jesus said, "I always do what pleases the Father." He could not have been fully pleasing to God if He had not been circumcised, because disobedience to the law cannot please the Lawgiver. The Lord Jesus came to earth to fulfill the law. He, as a Man, lived in perfect obedience to all God had decreed for humanity. In doing so, His life was without spot or blemish and completely acceptable to God. Only as the perfect sacrifice could He provide atonement for our sin. And, once the law had been fulfilled, it was made possible for us to enter a personal relationship with God and gain from Him a circumcised life.
