Natt Posted June 14, 2007 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 93 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 470 Content Per Day: 0.07 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/29/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted June 14, 2007 Why did God instruct Jewish boys to be circumcised? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Openly Curious Posted June 14, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 55 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,568 Content Per Day: 0.68 Reputation: 770 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/18/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted June 14, 2007 Why did God instruct Jewish boys to be circumcised? It was a sign of the covenant between His people and God a sign of seperation unto God. OC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natt Posted June 14, 2007 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 93 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 470 Content Per Day: 0.07 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/29/2006 Status: Offline Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 Was there any spiritual significance of it though. I've heard (not sure if it is biblical) that oil signifies the Holy Spirit and so I was wondering if the blood that would have been shed signifies anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natt Posted June 14, 2007 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 93 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 470 Content Per Day: 0.07 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/29/2006 Status: Offline Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 Why did God instruct Jewish boys to be circumcised? It was a sign of the covenant between His people and God a sign of seperation unto God. OC OC, where do you get all this information? I also want to be as clever as you.... Same here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.Genesis 17:7-14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Openly Curious Posted June 14, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 55 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,568 Content Per Day: 0.68 Reputation: 770 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/18/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted June 14, 2007 Was there any spiritual significance of it though. I've heard (not sure if it is biblical) that oil signifies the Holy Spirit and so I was wondering if the blood that would have been shed signifies anything? Yes, there was spiritual significance to this practice as every male child was to be circumcised on the 8th after being born. I know you are not talking about women here but women could not be circumcised like the men so the mother had to take on her own daughters time of seperation for them according to Leviticus 12 but as I said before it was a "sign" of seperation and purification unto God. It was a sign of "cleanness" to all the other gentile nations who were considered unclean as they were not in covenant with God or in a relationship with God. One could become a Jew outwardly and observe the laws of God and get circumcised in the flesh themselves and be in covenant with God that way but if they didn't do this then they were considered unclean. I always like to give these verses in the book of Romans as they apply to us today in what God did for us inwardly when we accepted Him as Lord and Saviour he cut away the foreskins of our hearts Romans 2:28-29 that chapter is also very informative on the subject of circumcision. Circumcision was a token of the covenant that God had made with Abraham as the Jewish people were Abraham seed or descendants who inherited the blessings of the promises God made to Abraham. Genesis 17 (vs 10-14)-"This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin: and it shall be a "token" of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations; he that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger which is not of thy seed . He that is born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money, must meeds be circumcised and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant." Even Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day Luke 2:21-35 (especially read vs. 30-35) You see the nation of Israel which are Abraham's natural descendants came the nation of Israel which started with all of Jacob's children who were the 12 patriachs of the 12 tribes in Israel as the nation of Israel started with Jacob. All of this is found in the book of Genesis and are a very enriching read by the way. God had redeemed the nation of Israel as they are known as the "firstborn" among the nations out of all the nations of the earth at that time. In the book of Exodus when God brought the Hebrew children out of bondage I'm sure you know the story all of the firstborn male children had died when the death angel came but the angel passed over the Hebrews that had the blood on the doorpost and lentels seperating them. And later on the Lord told them to have a passover meal every year so that they could tell the story to future generations and they was to set aside the firstborn of that which openeth up the womb. But to cut this short Jesus was the firstborn son born to Mary and it is through Jesus that we to are redeemed being Gentile or Jew as the Gentile nations and the Jewish nation was all guilty before God even though the Jews had the covenant of circumcision and God was indeed their God because all of us were guilty before God and needed a Saviour because the righteousness that was in keeping the covenant of Moses couldn't bring or make us the righteousness of God as only one could do outward things that showed forth their seperation to God. But Christ being the firstborn has redeemed us and imputed His righteousness in us with the work of His hands as He took away our stony hearts and give us a heart of flesh which is the circumcision of the foreskins of our hearts apostle Paul spoke of in Romans 2 this is an inward work that only God can do and we have no right to boast as God wrote His laws on the tables of our hearts. Hebrews 12:22-24 it is through Jesus that we are the church of the firstborn of the New Covenant promises. Ephesians 2:11-22 both the Jews (the circumcision) and Gentiles (the uncircumcision) are no longer seperated by circumcision of the law as through Christ we both are reconciled to God by one spirit and into one body being the body of Christ the Church and it's the blood of Jesus that brought in a new covenant based on better promises than the Old Covenant. Hebrews 8:6-13 Circumcision was a sign of being in covenant relationship with God as God was literally their God it was an outward sign of being in covenant it was a work of their hands but even circumcision could not make them clean inwardly within as it took the work of God's hands to cut our stony heart away and give us a new one. And it's the blood that seperates us and sanctifies us setting us apart making us sons and daughters of God now as nothing we could do outwardly can make us clean inwardly it took the blood to seperate and make us clean. The token of the new covenant is "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" Hebrews 10:16 It was the cutting away of the foreskin that was signifying the spiritual significance in answer to your question as I tried to surround the scriptures I gave around that thought for you. The blood was significant I think in reference to pointing to the new covenant and what the Lord was going to do within the new covenant promises as Christ blood that was shed was what brought it into effect and now we have better promises as the word teaches us. But the focus should also be on the cutting away of the foreskin itself as that points us to the work of God's own hand within our hearts as Romans 2 had said as God had cut the foreskins of our hearts away that is something only God could do for us as the circimcision in the flesh by the law couldn't make one clean within that is why none of us can boast we all needed Christ Jews and Gentiles alike. Hope this helps and hope I didn't confuse you any. blessings OC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Openly Curious Posted June 14, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 55 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,568 Content Per Day: 0.68 Reputation: 770 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/18/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted June 14, 2007 'Esther Hadassah' OC, where do you get all this information? I also want to be as clever as you.... Natt asked a direct question and I gave an answer based on that I hope you will find the more information I posted to Natt more insightful into where I got all my information from. blessings OC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricH Posted June 14, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 366 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 10,933 Content Per Day: 1.57 Reputation: 212 Days Won: 1 Joined: 04/21/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted June 14, 2007 If I would have been Abraham, and God would have told me that the sign of the covenant was going to be circumcision, my first throught would have been, "How come Noah got a rainbow?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Openly Curious Posted June 14, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 55 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,568 Content Per Day: 0.68 Reputation: 770 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/18/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted June 14, 2007 If I would have been Abraham, and God would have told me that the sign of the covenant was going to be circumcision, my first throught would have been, "How come Noah got a rainbow?" I liked that OC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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