Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What’s the Purpose of Circumcision? | The Life of Joshua | Joshua 5:1-9

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to Tim Minna Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. My name is Patrick Miller. And I'm Keith Simon. Right now, we're going through the Book of Joshua. Also, if you want to connect with us, follow us on Twitter at TMBT podcast. You can also check out our hashtag, hashtag, Ask TMBT, where you can ask us anything, and we'd love to connect with you. Are you confused about circumcision in the Bible? It's a topic that a lot of people are confused about.

Starting point is 00:00:34 So let's talk for a few minutes about circumcision in general, and then we're going to look at a story in Joshua chapter 5 in which circumcision plays a prominent role. So circumcision, it starts all the way back in Genesis chapter 12, where God makes a covenant with Abram and all of his descendants. Now we see that covenant developed in Genesis 15 and Genesis 17. What's a covenant? It's just a binding promise between two parties, a binding agreement between two people. In a covenant, each side is responsible to keep their end of the agreement, to keep their part of the promise.

Starting point is 00:01:10 The covenant God made with Abram had blessings, like God making his descendants numerous, so he would become a mighty nation. And of course, the promised land was part of the covenant. But at the very heart of the covenant is this big promise, that God will be their God, and he will make them his people. covenants come with signs. In our context, think of the covenant of marriage and the sign that accompanies that covenant is the wedding ring. Or think of the covenant God made with Noah. The sign of that covenant is the rainbow. So the sign of the covenant that God made with Abram and his descendants is circumcision. The sign is very important to God. So much so that in Genesis 17 he says that to reject the sign is to. to reject the covenant? Well, if circumcision is a sign, what's it a sign of? Well, circumcision is a sign of God's promises that God is faithful to keep his promise. The sign itself, it's not the big deal. The sign points to something that's a really big deal. Imagine you take a trip to Disney World and you're driving through Orlando when you see a sign that says Disney and then has an arrow pointing you in the right

Starting point is 00:02:28 direction. You don't get excited about the sign. You don't get out and have your picture taken at the sign. You follow the sign to Disney. Disney's the big deal. I have a dog. It's a small little dog. His name is Boog. B-O-O-O-G. My kids named him after a character on the film Open Season, which I've never even watched. But I guess Boog in Open Season is a large bear, and since this is a small dog, they thought it was funny. But if I look at Booge and point to his food, he will stare at my finger. My finger is pointing to the food, which is what he would get excited about. But he can't ever see the food because he keeps staring at my finger. So circumcision is the Disney sign. Circumcision is my finger pointing to the food. The sign, the finger, circumcision, it's all pointing to something bigger, better, deep.

Starting point is 00:03:26 So here's where I think it gets kind of interesting, and maybe this will be new to you. If you're living before Jesus, what does circumcision point you to? If it's a sign, what's it a sign of? And I think it's a sign not only of God's promises, but a sign that we need our heart changed. Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 6. The Lord your God will 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. Did you hear that? God wants to circumcise your heart. So physical circumcision was a sign pointing to a spiritual reality. Listen to how Paul talks about it in Romans 2. A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly.

Starting point is 00:04:23 And circumcision is circumcision of the heart by the spirit, not by the written code. See, what Paul is saying is what Moses said. Circumcision is a physical sign pointing to a spiritual reality that marks people off as belonging to God's family. But each person needs to believe in God's promises. Being circumcised is not a guarantee of a relationship with God. And that's what we're going to see in Joshua, Chapter 5. In Joshua chapter 5, Israel has crossed the Jordan and are now going into the promised land. God tells them to make flint knives and be circumcised.

Starting point is 00:05:04 I don't know what a flint knife is, but the whole thing sounds very painful to me. Joshua 5 verse 4. Now, this is why he did so. In other words, this is why God told Israel they needed to be circumcised. Back to Joshua. All those who came out of Egypt, all the men of men of men, military age, died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not.

Starting point is 00:05:36 See, when the Israelites were living in Egypt, they were circumcised, but then when they came out in the Exodus, they ended up rebelling against God. All the people who had been born in the wilderness hadn't been circumcised, but it turns out a lot of them wanted to obey God. So you see the contradiction, right? Here are people who are circumcised, which means they have the mark of knowing God, but they're rejecting God. Circumcised people not following God is a bit of a warning to church people. It's possible to have all the trappings of religion, but have a heart that's far from God. Jesus said, these people praise me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. It's possible to attend church, love the preaching, sing songs, serve and give, and have a heart that's far from God.

Starting point is 00:06:28 God is concerned with your heart. So in Joshua chapter 5, the whole nation gets circumcised. Well, at least all the men do. And they do this as a sign that they are getting right with God. More on that from Patrick in the next episode. Does circumcision have any religious significance for Christians today? No, you can be circumcised or not circumcised for whatever reason you want, but whichever choice you make, it doesn't carry any Christian significance.

Starting point is 00:06:58 Listen to what the New Testament says, 1 Corinthians 7. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. Or Galatians 5. For in Christ, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. God doesn't command us to be circumcised today. That's no longer the sign that shows that we are part of God's family.

Starting point is 00:07:28 Now that sign is baptism. Baptism is a sign that is not tied to any one nation's history, and it's a sign that can be applied to both men and women. All those who believe in Christ and their children should be, be baptized. Not because it grants them salvation. That only comes through faith in Jesus, but because it marks us out as being a part of God's family. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps others find this podcast more easily. Also ask yourself who you could share this podcast with. Texting an episode to a friend or family

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Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What’s the Purpose of Circumcision? | The Life of Joshua | Joshua 5:1-9

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