Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) and circumcised them on that very same day, just as God had told him to do.
Into the Text
Circumcision is a physical sign of the covenant between God and His people, Israel. It was a permanent reminder on their bodies. The physical sign could have been somewhere else on their bodies, but it wasn’t. It was on the most private part of a man where he would be reminded daily of the covenant.
When God commanded Abraham to circumcise every male in his household, I’m sure there was shock and fear. But Abraham obeyed “just as God had told him to do.” Abraham didn’t protest or delay, he circumcised them all “on that very same day.”
Do you receive the commands of God with such resolve to obey that you do them immediately? For Christians, God wants our hearts fully surrendered to Him. Laying our lives down to the obedience of Christ is difficult. It cuts to our core. It is a circumcision not of the flesh but of the heart.
So often, we want to follow God out of our own strength, but we fall short. He is the one who is able to do the work in our hearts that we are not able to do ourselves. The term “circumcision of the heart” is the act of God, through the Holy Spirit, working in our hearts to produce spiritual change, like removing stubbornness and pride, and making us able and willing to obey Him (Colossians 2:11-15; Ezekiel 36:26-27).
As God did a physical work in the lives of the men of Israel to remind them of His faithfulness and their obedience, God is doing a work in our hearts to remind us of the same.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I want to be marked by faithfulness and obedience. Help me to daily surrender to you, and may you be at work in my heart making me more into the image of your Son. Amen.