CIRCUMCISION
Wednesday – February 20, 2019, Adar A 15, 5779
Greetings and welcome back to this faith developing, if we choose, study of the wonderful Book of John. Today, I intend to move forward with our study. Sometimes I do not know the exact course of the teaching until I start to write and I see where Holy Spirit wants to go. He knows way better than I what I need and what you need. Our God is so good, compassionate, and merciful. If you are reading this on Facebook please take a moment and hit the “share” button. Please feel free to leave appropriate comments and I will acknowledge them, and perhaps answer them. I do appreciate your comments, and it tells me in part where my audience is in Bible knowledge. Now, let’s turn our attention to our primary Bible text and read it aloud.
John 7:21-25 (KJV)
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
23 If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?
I have taught extensively about the context of this instructive episode in the Ministry of Jesus so I will not review it again but proceed to verse twenty-two (light) and beyond. In so many words Jesus tells them they are hypocrites. They do circumcisions on the Sabbath which is work but they complain that He healed on the Sabbath. If there is one thing, we can say about Jesus it is that He knew who He was, had faith in who He was (in the Father) and acted accordingly. He was an Anointed man, not God in the earth, yet He walked with a boldness we would do well to emulate. Consider the following Scripture.
John 10:37-39 (KJV)
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
Jesus really knew how to rile a group up. In reality He is being merciful and giving them every opportunity to recognize the Truth, believe it, and repent. We must also speak the will of the Father without fear. In the will of the Father, no one can lay a hand on us, period. He keeps calling God, Jehovah, His Father and then He has the audacity to say the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. Oh boy! The following passage includes us.
John 17:20-23 (KJV)
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (Bold added by Dr. Wood)
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Why do we feel insecure and not act with the boldness of Christ Jesus? We don’t believe it! Let’s repent and move forward to do the things Jesus did and the greater things and give no thought to what people will think or want to do. In the perfect will of God, we are perfectly safe. Jesus demonstrated that in this account and others. They could not lay a hand on Him until it was time to go to the Cross. We are not called to lay down our physical life. I know, you’re thinking, He is off track again, be honest was any of that helpful, instructive, or inspiring? I know the religious devils are throwing a fit, just quiet them with the name of Jesus. Now, let’s look at the first mention of circumcision.
Genesis 17:10-12 (KJV)
10 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.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 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.
God (Triune God) makes a Blood Covenant with Abram that day changing his name to Abraham meaning the father of many nations, telling him that kings will come out of him, and the seed is coming from him. Three nations or religions claim Abraham as their father and they are the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims. The kings to come from him are you and me in Christ Jesus. The seed is Christ Jesus. The circumcision is the sign of the Covenant, the distinct identity of the Jewish people (the seeds). Circumcision of the flesh was the sign of that Blood Covenant, now following Calvary when sin and the curse are defeated we have a circumcision of the heart.
Romans 2:29 (KJV)
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it by faith in Jesus name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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