Circumcision
Theme: A Journey with Abraham
Theme Verse: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Hebrews 11:8 NIV
Readings: Genesis 17:9-14, 23-27
Optional Readings: Deuteronomy 10:12-22, 30:6; Romans 2:28-29
Memory Verse: "No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart" (Romans 2:29) "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants" (Deuteronomy 30:6)
After saying what he will do, God says to Abraham, "as for you, you shall keep my covenant...this is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your descendents after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised...and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you...throughout your generations...So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant." It would be forever a visible, daily reminder of God's promises and commandments.
In Genesis 15 God had bound himself by a blood covenant to Abraham. Now it is Abraham's turn to mark on his own body a sign of God's covenant which he promised to keep for all generations. Abraham obeyed "that very day"! Like the disciples in Matthew 4:20, 22 who "immediately" left everything to follow Jesus, Abraham did not delay his obedience. God wants us to make keeping his covenant a top priority and a constant remembrance.
It is interesting to notice that Isaac, the promised child, was not conceived and born till after Abraham entered the covenant of circumcision. A word received: Isaac is the child of the covenant; he is conceived and born after Abraham is circumcised into the covenant relationship with me.
Circumcision was an outward sign of inward consecration to the LORD. Like the sacrament of baptism it was an "outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace". We too have blood of the covenant--the blood Jesus shed to cleanse us from our sins when we accept it. The implication of the shedding of blood was that if you broke the covenant you would be cut off by the shedding of blood. "Uncircumcised" is used as negative metaphor in the Old Testament. In Exodus 6:12, 13 Moses calls himself a man of "uncircumcised lips", a man who couldn't speak well. Jeremiah 6:10 talks about uncircumcised ears--ears that are closed, that cannot listen to God. Deuteronomy 10:16 talks about circumcision of the heart so they would no longer be stubborn and disobedient. Another way to talk of a circumcised heart is a surrendered heart.
It is easy and a constant human tendency to emphasize externals and forget the inner meaning--how it affects the heart. Joel 2:13 in calling the people to repentance tells them to "rend your hearts and not your garments". When Samuel went to Bethlehem to anoint the next king he was impressed with the outward appearance of David's brothers but God told him, "for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD (the I Am) looks on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
In the Old Testament as in the New the call is for "circumcision of the heart"--not merely an external ritual. Read both of the Memory Verses again.
Read Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1 to see what is involved in circumcision of the heart (what does it look like?)--fearing, loving, serving God with all your heart and soul, keeping his commandments, helping the poor and helpless and the foreigner. Recognize that everything belongs to God, yet he chose you and your ancesters and set his love on them. The appropriate response to God's mercy and love is gratitude and obedience and love. God always takes the initiative. God's saving action, grace, always comes before. the response of love, gratitude and obedience that God asks for. This is true of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt before the Ten Commandments were given as it is true of us. "While we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Our obedience and faith are a response of love and gratitude--not legalism. In 1 Corinthians 7:17-19 Paul tells his non-Jewish converts why neither circumcision or non-circumcision counts for anything in the new covenant in Jesus--only obeying God. What God wants is circumcision of the heart. Look at the Memory Verse from Romans again. It is a spiritual not literal change.
Circumcision of the heart is something that God does and wants to do in us. In Deuteronomy 30:6 Moses tells the people that after they have sinned, fallen away from God and been punished, repented and turned back to the LORD he would circumcise their hearts and the hearts of their descendents SO THAT they will live. It is a matter of life and death!
At the day of Pentecost many people who heard Peter preach were "cut to the heart" and were ready to respond to Jesus. That is what God can do and desires for all of us. In Ezekiel the prophet points to the future day when God will do this. (See Ezekiel 36:24-29) He will cleanse and forgive them and give them a NEW HEART and a NEW Spirit--"I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes." "You shall be my people and I will be your God."
"Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer." (Deuteronomy 10:16) A word received: I want your hearts to be circumcised as well. Look at the day of Pentecost, they were cut to the heart; that is what I want for you.
Look again at Deuteronomy 10:13-11:1, especially verse 21, "He is your praise; he is your God who has done for you these great and terrible things which your eyes have seen." Compare this with Romans 2:29, 'real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual not literal. His praise is not from man but from God.'
We are saved by grace so that no one can boast about himself but only boast about what God has done. (Ephesians 2:8-13) A word received: That is the choice: where will you look for praise--from me or from man? Where will you hear praise--with the outer ear of flesh or the inner ear of my Spirit? Listen for my praise and my direction, and then you will have a circumcised heart. We are called to purposefully respond to God's invitation to see God's praise and purposes in our lives.
Teaching Ideas for Lesson 12
Please read the Study Guide first.
Go over Memory Verse to make sure the children understand it and then if they have memorized it.
Remind them their parents need to sign a report slip monthly if they have read the lessons, so they will get credit at the end of the year.
Make sure they know what happened in the story. Get them to tell you.
Basic points of the lesson for little ones.
1. God wants to have a covenant with us.
2. A covenant is a very serious promise that is made between 2 people (or between God and His people or between 2 groups.)
3. God wants us to give Him our hearts because He has given us His only Son.
4. The way we can show Him our covenant with Him is to ACT it out in our love for God and others.
Ask the children if they have given their hearts to Jesus. If they say, "Yes," tell them just as we tell people we love over and over, that we love them, so we need to renew the gift of our hearts to Jesus again and again and ask Jesus to help us love Him and others. Tell them if they gave their hearts to Jesus already, they were entering into a covenant with Jesus. If they say, "No," ask them if they would like to do that now and if they agree, lead the class in it.
Today is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Start the Advent Wreaths. Check for candles and matches for the class. Explain briefly about Advent season and the symbolism of the wreath. Advent means coming. We are preparing to celebrate the first coming of Jesus and looking forward to his coming again. We light a candle each Sunday because Jesus is the Light of the World. Remind the children to listen carefully when it is done in church.
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