Daily Devotions
Genesis
"Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy." Psalm 33:18
Text: Genesis 17:1-27
FULL OBEDIENCE
Abraham had faltered a number of times in the past. He stumbled when he faced famine in Canaan. Instead of trusting the Lord, he went down to Egypt. There he jeopardized everything because of a powerful fear that gripped his heart. He faltered again when he took up Sarah’s advice to have a second wife, in the hope that there would be an heir! God graciously forgave and continued to extend His mercies to Abraham. But would he want to continue in this way? On the one hand, strong and courageous, as seen at the time when he went to war against a coalition of wicked powers, in order to rescue Lot. On the other hand, weak and stumbling, uncertain as to what to do next!
There was only one way to go, and Abraham knew what that path was! Faith in God must demand full obedience from him.
“So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born
in his house and all who were bought with his money,
every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and
circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day,
as God had said to him.”GENESIS 17:23
God had given clear instructions to Abraham concerning the matter of circumcision. To this new set of instructions, Abraham paid full attention. There was full obedience now! To add integrity to obedience was the fact that Abraham obeyed “that very same day”!
SETTING A GREAT PERSONAL EXAMPLE
Abraham did not order all the males in his tribe to be circumcised. He himself set the example.
“Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised
in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years
old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That
very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;
and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought
with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.”GENESIS 17:24-27
Surgery in the ancient days was anything but refined. The practice of circumcision was not widely practised in those days! You would have to exercise a lot of faith to teach by example. Bravely, Abraham led his whole tribe towards a deeper level of faith on that day!
What caused Abraham to obey God with reference to the rite of circumcision? There is really just one reason as far as Abraham was concerned! His faith in the Lord had somehow grown so much deeper than when he first started out! His faith led him to set the example of what it meant to obey the Lord Most High!