Read with Me
Genesis 17:23-27 (HCSB)
Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, just as God had said to him. Abraham was 99 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised, and his son Ishmael was 13 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised. On that same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. And all the men of his household—both slaves born in his house and those purchased with money from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.
Listen with Me
One thing that must be noted about Abraham is that the moment he knew and understood God’s will, he obeyed to the letter everything demanded of him. And that was true of circumcision as well.
Moses does not dwell on how Abraham communicated this requirement to all the men in his household (or to their wives!). It is likely that he simply gathered them together and told them, “This is what God had commanded.” He held all authority in his extended household, so what he commanded was instantly an unquestioningly obeyed.
Twice Moses emphasized that every single male in Abraham’s household was circumcised on that very day. This is a large number of men and boys. Remember that several years earlier Abraham had mustered 318 trained men from his household to go and rescue Lot from the four kings of the north who had taken him and his family captive. Since that time, he had likely amassed even more male servants, who also had male children.
Moses also gives us a chronological marker here. Abraham was 75 when God called him to go from Haran to Canaan (Genesis 12:4). He was 86 when Ishmael was born (Genesis 16:16). He was now 99 years old, and Ishmael was 13. (Sarah herself was 89 years old, ten years younger than Abraham (Genesis 17:17).) But age was no barrier to either obligation or ability to fully obey God’s commandment.
Abraham was very aware that obedience, even to this drastic commandment, wasn’t optional for him or for any male in his vast household. God told him very clearly in verse 14 that any uncircumcised male would be cut off from the people, excluded from the covenant and all his blessings, and judged by God as being in rebellion against Him.
Pray with Me
Father, it definitely seems these days that obedience is given a much lower priority among Your people, Christians. Even though we are not obligated to be circumcised since the vast majority of us don’t are not direct-line descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we are still commanded by Jesus to obey His commandments (John 14:15, 22; 15:14), and there are many. And we are to teach new disciples not just to know Jesus’ commandments, but to obey them (Matthew 28:19). In spite of that, many today teach that obedience is not required of those who claim the name of Jesus, and in fact could be considered legalism. It’s no wonder that we lack the power and spiritual authority of the obedient early Christians. We are not even as faithful and obedient as Abraham was, but we want even greater blessings from Your hand than he received! Forgive us, Lord, for pushing back against Your clear commands rather than obeying them. Help us to turn our faces fully toward You, and to live every day in that orientation of obedience and reverence, so that You are glorified in and through us. Amen.
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