Day 9

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God”. — 2 Corinthians 1:20

Why did God choose to mark the covenant He made with Abraham by the circumcision of every Jewish male? Why not a pierced ear or a tattooed finger, which would be visible and allow people to know they were carrying the mark of the covenant?

God set Abraham apart to father a nation from which would come the promised ‘Seed’, the Messiah, who would bless the world. He purposefully marked the sex organ of every Jewish male as a sign that through the act of procreation, He would send a descendent to the line of Abraham through whom He would bless the world. Procreation was necessary to the covenant, though at the end of the line to the Messiah, God showed again that He alone would be responsible for His coming into the world. By a supernatural act of His Holy Spirit, Mary conceived as a virgin.

Circumcision became redundant after Christ because the promised Seed for which the whole nation had been waiting had now come. Many of the earlier believers were slow to recognize that, both in their failure to recognize Christ, and the failure of many who did recognize Him, to understand God’s purpose in circumcision. Therefore, the issue of whether a Christian needed to be circumcised became a divisive issue which almost split the church in Jerusalem. So called ‘Judaisers’ followed Paul around on his first missionary journey, trying to persuade new converts of their need to be circumcised.

This particular issue represents a general principle of biblical study and understanding. All roads in Scripture lead to Christ. Paul wrote, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” Jesus said “I am the truth” (John 14.6). He didn’t just preach the truth, He IS the Truth, and what He has promised will come to fruition through Him.

When reading the Bible, it is important to follow all the trails of truths and promises as they ultimately lead to Christ and have fulfillment in Him. If we find them leading elsewhere, we have misunderstood them. The Old Covenant leads to Christ and the New Covenant comes from Christ. Christ is central to the whole of Scripture. What then is our goal in reading Scripture? That we get to know Him better.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you that all of Scripture is supremely a revelation of Christ. thank you that He is the truth and that we have your Holy Word. When reading the Bible, may I always be looking for Him and my soul be fed, enlightened and nourished by Him.

To reflect upon: I will look for how “the Word becomes flesh” in my reading of the Bible to see how its revelation is fleshed out in Jesus Christ, and not overlook that this Jesus actually lives in me now.