Genesis 17:9–14: Why God Commanded Circumcision
God did not give circumcision as a way to earn the covenant. He gave it as the token that the covenant existed and that the person marked belonged to it, from infants to servants bought with money.
Why God Commanded Circumcision in Genesis 17
God did not ask Abraham to earn the promise with a ritual. He spoke the promise, then gave Abraham a sign to carry in his body. Circumcision marked a household as belonging to the God who had already sworn to bless them.
Why God Commanded Circumcision in Genesis 17
God gave circumcision to Abraham as the visible token of an already-given covenant, a mark carried in the body of every male in the household. Refusing the sign was refusing the covenant itself.