Our word for today is used the most in Genesis chapter 17 where we have been for a few days now. מוּל cut off, circumcise. This is the infinitive, it is used 30 times in the Old Testament, 8 times in our chapter alone. מָלַל cut off, let oneself be circumcised. This is the verb, it is used 2 times in the Old Testament, once in our chapter. This is also the first time our word shows up in the Bible. I find it interesting that the agreement or covenant that God makes with Abraham and his people during this time in God’s plan involved something very personal and physical. See our earlier inspiring word for the word covenant. Genesis 17:9-14 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be מוּל circumcised. You shall be מָלַל circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be מוּל circumcised...So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not מוּל circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
At this time no other people were circumcised so God is setting his people apart from everyone else. God would use this word in a figurative way to describe the condition of his people’s hearts towards him. Deuteronomy 10:16 מוּל Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. Deuteronomy 30:6 The Lord your God will מוּל circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. Stephen would later accuse the religious leaders of having uncircumcised hearts Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” Having an uncircumcised heat means that they needed to cut away the evil that was keeping them from connecting to God in their hearts. They were just about outward appearance. Even today we can find ourselves allowing our hearts to be covered up with things that get in the way of our love and relationship with God. We need God’s help to cut away those things that keep our hearts close to His. God reminds us of this in Romans 2:29 Circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
Even though circumcision would become more than just a physical thing God still instructed Abraham to be circumcised physically. And Abraham obeyed God Genesis 17:22-27 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were מוּל circumcised. And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were מוּל circumcised with him. Today ever since God started the church back in Acts chapter two God instructs us to be baptized. Most of us know that baptism is not just a physical thing it has to do with our personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is a matter of the heart. Even so God instructs us to be baptized and connect with Christ also in this physical way. Colossians 2:11-12 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. Notice that it is God who saves us in baptism because when we are baptized, we are simply putting our faith in God who raised Jesus from the dead. We are you could say, acting like the father of our faith, Abraham.
