The Everlasting Covenant - 7.1 Circumcision References

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7.1 Circumcision References

by Hubert F. Sturges, www.everlastingcovenant.com, February 15,  2010
References and Notes:
1. The Chosen People
2. The Sabbath a Sign
3. Circumcision
4. Circumcision of the Heart
5. Baptism the Sign of the Church
6. A Token, not THE Covenant
7. Who Divided the Bible into Chapters and Verses?
8. Joseph
9. The Covenant of Circumcision with Abraham

1. The Chosen People

Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
1 Chronicles 16:12,13 O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; the people whom he hath chosen
Psalms 89:3,4  I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.
Psalms 105:5 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
Psalms 135:4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
Ephesians 1:4,5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
1 Peter 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;
Revelation 17:14 they that are with him (the Lamb, Lord of Lords) are called, and chosen, and faithful.
2. The Sabbath a sign.  Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12, 20

3. Circumcision:  Ronald L. Eisenberg: The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions. The Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia. 2004:7-13
See also: Genesis 17:10-13, 23;  SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 322, 323
Non-Jews accepted if circumcised. Genesis 17:13; 34:14-17;  Exodus 12:43-48

4. Circumcision of the Heart.  Acts 15:5-29; Galatians 2:3-5; 5:26; Romans 2:28, 29; 1 Corinthians 7:19.

5. Baptism the sign of the Church.  Genesis 17:11; Colossians 2:11, 12; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21

6. A TOKEN of the covenant, NOT the covenant!

   “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” (Genesis 17:10).
   “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” (Genesis 17:13).
Verse ten apparently says that circumcision IS the covenant. The problem is that the covenant given to Abraham is the everlasting covenant, and in the New Testament circumcision was discontinued as unnecessary for Christians  (Acts 15:5-29; Galatians 2:3-5; 5:26; Romans 2:28, 29). Let us look at verse ten carefully:

“This is my covenant” refers to the everlasting covenant that had just been given to Abraham in the preceding verses (Genesis 17:1-9). This was the covenant of God formulated before creation of this earth. Circumcision was a “token of the covenant” (Gen 17:11).  There are times where the sign of a covenant becomes so closely associated with the covenant that the sign is called “the covenant.” This is a possibility.

In ancient times the Bible was written without punctuation or divisions between words OR verses! All these were added later, using the best knowledge of the language available. Genesis 17:10 might best be read with the first phrase being the conclusion of the discussion of the everlasting covenant in verses one to nine.

    10 “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you, and thy seed after thee;”

The second half of this verse begins a new subject, “Every man child among you shall be circumcised.” This second half naturally fits with the three verses that follow.

But there is more: The last part of Genesis 17:13, “and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant” offers more problems.  “My covenant” is a term used in the Bible 51 times but never referring to circumcision.  It is reasonable to see this referring again to the everlasting covenant of Genesis 17:1-9. “Shall be in your flesh” is a direct reference to circumcision. It would be more than a mental concept. It would be a physical personal reminder of a man’s covenant relationship with God.

“Everlasting covenant” is repeated in the Bible 16 times but never refers to circumcision. It is here reasonable to see circumcision as a “token” of the everlasting covenant. As some have said, circumcision is the sign of the everlasting covenant, but NOT the everlasting sign of the covenant!

7. Who divided the Bible into chapters and verses? Why and when was it done?
http://www.gotquestions.org/divided-Bible-chapters-verses.html

When the books of the Bible were originally written, they did not contain chapter or verse references. Rather late in history, beginning in a.d. 1227, an Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langdon, divided the Bible into chapters to help us find Scriptures more quickly and easily. In a few places, chapter breaks are poorly placed and as a result divide content that should flow together. Overall, though, the chapter and verse divisions are very helpful.

The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since then nearly all Bibles have followed these divisions.

The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses in a.d.1448 by Nathan, a Jewish rabbi. Robert Estienne, known as Stephanus, divided the New Testament into numbered verses in 1555. Stephanus, however, used Nathan's verse divisions for the Old Testament. Since then the Geneva Bible and later translations have used the chapter and verse divisions used by Stephanus.

8. Joseph

Joseph was a very important player in the history of Israel. The following is included here just for interest. Joseph was the son of Jacob. It was through him that Israel moved into Egypt. To Joseph the covenant was not given by God but it became the central reference point in his life and in the lives of the tribe.

Joseph was sold to Potiphar in Egypt as a slave. Because of his qualities, he soon became overseer of all Potiphar’s household and estate. The record says, “the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake” (Genesis 39:5; see also Gen 39:2). When he was put into prison, he was soon put in charge of the prison (Genesis 39:21-23). After he interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, he was promoted to high office next to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:41-45). In the famine prophesied by Pharaoh’s dreams, Jacob and his family eventually had to move to Egypt to avoid starvation.

In these events can be seen an echo of the promise given to Abraham, “.. I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: ... and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:2,3).

Jacob himself passed on the covenant promise to Joseph: “... God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers” (Genesis 48:21). Joseph, in turn passed on to his people, “... God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Genesis 50:24). The covenant and its promises continued to be a focus in their lives.

9. The Covenant of Circumcision with Abraham (Genesis 17),
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
http://www.jesuswalk.com/abraham/6_circumcision.htm
This is an excellent article that covers all the important aspects of Circumcision.