Circumcision (Lev. 12:3)

9/11/2008 9:40 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Circumcision

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Leviticus 12:3

            Message of the verse:  “3  ‘On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.”

            I want to begin this look and study on circumcision by saying that all of the other times that I have studied about circumcision that it felt to me like I was missing something, but I could not put my finger on what it was that was missing in my study.  As I looked at the verses that Warren Wiersbe put in this section on circumcision the thing was missing in my studies before came out and that was the word “flesh.”  When a male is actually physically circumcised the flesh is cut away and as the different writers in the NT speak of circumcision and what it means to be spiritually circumcised they speak of not putting faith in the flesh, that part of a person that is sometimes called the old nature, or Adam’s nature of which we were all born with, both women and men.  I want to quote one sentence in Warren Wiersbe’s book at this time:  “Because the sinful nature of the believer has been ‘put off,’ he or she can walk in newness of life and does not have to yield to the desires of the flesh.”  This sentence was written in response to verses from Phil. 3:1-3, “1 ¶  Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.  2  Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3  for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,” and Col. 2:10-11, “10  and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11  and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”  Spiritual circumcision is then the removing of the flesh, the old nature, the Adamic nature, actually removing power of it.  When Jesus Christ died on the cross He took care of the world, the flesh, and the Devil.  Now there is still out their the world, the flesh, and the Devil, yet they do not have their power over the true believer in Jesus Christ, and will one day all be completely destroyed and will never exist again. 

            I want to use some more of Paul’s arguments from the book of Romans at this time, “11  and he (Abraham) received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12  and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.”  (Rom. 4:11-12)  You see circumcision was a sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham and all males had to be circumcised on the eight day after their birth in order to be a part of that covenant, but the children of Israel only seemed to look a the physical part of circumcision and not the spiritual part of it, which is what John the Baptist was telling them in his day, “¶  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  8  "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9  and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 10  "The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”  (Matthew 3:7-10)   They were relying totally on being circumcised for their salvation and John was straitening them out. 

            Moses spoke of spiritual circumcision too so there was no excuse for the children of Israel, “5  "Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. 16 “So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.”  (Deu. 10:15-16)   “6 ‘Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.’”  (Deu. 30:6)  Moses is saying that spiritual circumcision was necessary to love the Lord with all of ones heart.  I have one more quote from the prophet Jeremiah “4. ‘Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.’”  (Jer. 4:4)  Jeremiah was writing about the necessity of being spiritually circumcised. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Now what does all this mean to me on a daily basic in the 21^st century in the USA?  Being spiritually circumcised certainly happened to me on the 26^th of January of 1974 when the Holy Spirit made it clear to my heart that I needed to be born from above and He made the Gospel so clear to me that I accepted the forgiveness that Jesus Christ provided for me when He died on the cross for me, and because of that my life has never been the same, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

            While at Moody’s Founders Week one year Steward Bristol spoke on the subject of not being controlled by the “flesh,” and illustrated it by telling a story of when he was in the military while living in his native England.  The day that he had got out of the military he saw his old Sargent Major walking towards him and he immediately came to attention making sure that his uniform was all proper making himself kind of stiff out of fear of him, and then he began to realize that the man who had complete control over him while he was in the military had no control over him since his discharge so he turned his pockets inside out and slumped down and began to walk in a way that he could never have while under the control of this man just moments before.  This story perfectly illustrates a person who has been spiritually circumcised, for the flesh has been spiritually cut away and has no more control over them again, but as in Bristol’s case it has to be recognized and understood.  I need to recognize this truth every day of my life in order to walk in fellowship and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. Recognize the truth of being spiritually circumcised.
2. Give myself to the Lord for service and worship.
3. Put on my spiritual armor in order to stand.
4. Trust the Lord to guide my path.
5. Trust the Lord to teach me, and for me to learn contentment in all things that He brings my way.

Memory verses for the week:                                  Exodus 20:7-10

7.  You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
8. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10.  but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your sojourner who stays with you.

9/11/2008 11:06 AM