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WHAT DOES CIRCUMCISION MEAN? Take some time to look at Joshua 5 again. Isn’t it amazing that God would command Israel to circumcise themselves after they crossed the Jordan? They were in full view of their enemies only a short distance away. To obey God they would have to put themselves at risk. So why was circumcision so important? We first read about circumcision in Genesis 17. When the Lord came to Abraham to explain the way he was to be blessed and become the father of many nations, He chose circumcision as the physical symbol of the covenant. God had chosen Abraham many years earlier and had seen that Abraham was obedient and fully committed to the Lord. As Abraham walked in faith and obedience, God continued to reveal the full depth and breadth of His plans to bless Abraham and make him a blessing. In Genesis 17, it is as if God explains the full plan to Abraham and then says, “You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and you.” (Genesis 17:11) The physical act of circumcision was a symbol of the faith-filled relationship Abraham and his offspring were called to. But it was not primarily about a physical characteristic, it was about a heart attitude. The physical act symbolized the fact that Abraham had fully dedicated himself to the Lord; he had obeyed God’s call to become a holy man. The apostle Paul picks up that theme many times in his letters and emphasizes that God is after our hearts and that we should be “circumcised in our hearts”. The second chapter of Romans is an example of that theme in Paul’s writing. He stresses that when we claim to follow Christ, we embrace a life of obedience and we become a holy people. To be holy is to be sanctified or set aside for God’s purposes. That calling to holiness has to be renewed again and again in our lives. It is not a once and for all event. Our nature is to drift away from that special life of obedience to Christ. So, during these days of prayer, we want to offer ourselves again as “living sacrifices”, obedient children, holy people who are devoted to obeying Jesus. During this first prayer day, set aside some time to ask the Lord what circumcision means for you as an individual and for you as a YWAM team or community. What does the Lord want to “cut away” from you to make you a holy person and a holy group of His people? When Tom Bloomer spoke to us, he mentioned some of the things he felt the Lord was pointing out for repentance and freedom. He spoke of a few issues that are common in YWAM. They were:
On our first day of monthly prayer, let’s ask for God’s light to shine in our hearts and reveal whether any of these things need to be dealt with in our lives both individually and corporately in our team or community. Then ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything else that He wants to cut away. I would like to know how God has spoken to you during this time so we can get a picture of how the Lord is dealing with us around the world. So do take some time to send us a brief report of the things God speaks to you during the prayer days at our email address: prayerday@ywam.org God commanded Joshua to have all the men of Israel circumcised because holiness was, and is, the priority. God wants to do great works among us, just like He did with Israel, but He wants to work through people who are obedient and who are dedicated—wholly set aside—for God’s purposes. Let us begin this season by renewing our covenant of commitment to obey God in everything he asks of us! |