Circumcised

DEVOTION

EXODUS

CIRCUMCISED

Ex 12:43-51

43 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the regulations for the Passover: "No foreigner is to eat of it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat of it after you have circumcised him, 45 but a temporary resident and a hired worker may not eat of it. 46 "It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. 48 "An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the LORD's Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it. 49 The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you." 50 All the Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.

NIV

Although we modern day Christians do not observe the Passover as the Jewish people do, we celebrate sort of a new type of Passover that we call communion. Why this is we are not exactly sure, except Jesus used the Passover time to establish the eating of bread and the drinking of wine as a sign of remembering what he did for us. The Passover is a sign or an act to remember what God did for the children of Israel. The communion is a sign or an act to remember what Jesus did for those who believe in him. The regulation God established about being circumcised in order to participate in the Passover still applies today in order to participate in communion. The difference is in the member of the body that must be circumcised. There is no question whether a male was circumcised in those days, or for that matter even today. It was and easy to prove that condition of the body. But today we are to circumcise our hearts in order to take of the communion meal. Although Jesus did not serve the communion meal in the sense we do. He used items from a much larger meal, which was prepare to celebrate the Passover. Nevertheless here we are with this somewhat representation of the two items Jesus used when he made that statement to his disciples. He used unleavened bread and wine, we use something that represents the bread and the wine, but in most cases they are nothing like what Jesus used, so are we really in keeping with his sayings? The other issue is of the greatest importance, the condition of our heart. Is our heart circumcised? Paul made that abundantly clear about who is true Israel.

Rom 2:28-29

28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart , by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

NIV

One of the questions which arises from this, is that if we are a Jew because we have had our heart circumcised by the Spirit, then why do we not celebrate the Passover rather than what we call communion? Jesus celebrated the Passover as a Jew and if we want to be like Jesus then shouldn’t we do as he did? But we Christians use the exercise of communion, so that is that. But the fact still remains that in order to partake we say a person must be saved, or born again, or accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, at least in the Evangelical churches and some of the more fundamentalist denominations. Some say that salvation plus the outward evidence through the baptism of water is needed to engage in the taking of communion. Some of the mainline denominations may not require either, but simply being a member of that denomination is sufficient. At one time the Catholic Church required a visit to the confessional before being eligible to take communion, but that has been forgone in recent years. But what church asks, who has had their heart circumcised in order to join in the act of taking communion? How could we prove whether our heart is circumcised? Man looks at the outside, but God sees our heart. Man looked at the physical evidence of circumcision, but God looks at the inward evidence. Let us look at the whole of the new covenant in regards to this communion.

1 Cor 11:23-32

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."  25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."  26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

NIV

This is where we have to examine ourselves, our heart, is it circumcised by the Spirit. Have we stripped away the most sensitive portion of our heart exposing the whole of it to the Lord? Is there anything hidden within it that is unpleasing? Have we kept a portion of it for our own desires? Are we harboring any ill feelings toward another? Are we harboring any jealousy, envy, pride, self-righteousness, greed, lust, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment or some other sin hidden deep within out heart? Do we truly spent that time prior to accepting communion in that self-examination mode, seeking as king David did.

Ps 139:23-24

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

NIV

Let us make sure our heart is circumcised. No one may be able to prove that, except God.