And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old in obedience to what God had commanded him. Isaac was the miraculous child of promise, born to Sarah his lawful free wife in their old age at the set time by God's power after long waiting. Heirship was established in Isaac alone and not in Ishmael, for in Isaac the seed was to be called. Born through faith in God's promise, Isaac represents the children of the covenant of promise who are born anew by God's power and made free in Christ under the new covenant, in contrast to Ishmael born after the flesh who represents bondage, an allegory of the two covenants. The eighth day denotes the child's age and not a day of the week, so it gives no support for Sunday observance, and infant circumcision gives no parallel for Christian baptism which belongs with repentance and personal faith.
Obedience and Historical Setting
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when Isaac was eight days old, in obedience to what God had commanded him. The eighth day denotes the child's age, not a particular day of the week. The verse therefore gives no support for Sunday observance and does not show that the patriarchs kept Sunday as the Sabbath. If circumcision day were taken to be Sunday it would imply that every male child was born on Sunday.
Isaac was born twenty-five years after the promise to Abraham and just after the destruction of Sodom, which occurred just before he was born. He was weaned at about five years old. Isaac had opportunity to converse with Shem for fifty years, and through Shem Abraham and Isaac were instructed in divine truth associated with Noah and Enoch, including Enoch's prophecy and translation, connected with knowledge of Christ's second advent and the resurrection of the just. The patriarchal history around the verse shows Abraham and Isaac accumulating estates, supporting that the right of property and the commandment against theft had force before the law was formally given at Sinai.
Promised Son and Heir
Isaac was the miraculous child of promise, born to Sarah, Abraham's lawful free wife, at the set time God had declared, in their old age after years of waiting and despite her barrenness, by God's power and not by human planning or arrangement. He was duly named Isaac and received with great rejoicing in God as the fulfillment of the promise. His birth through Sarah illustrates that the promised seed comes through God's creative power, and those so born anew are children of promise who receive freedom through Christ under the new covenant, in contrast to Ishmael, born through Hagar by human planning unto bondage.
His circumcision at eight days old marked him as the covenant seed in whom salvation must come in God's way and by His power, not by fleshly schemes. It stands in the account of God's progressive dealings with Abraham, the father of the faithful, continuing the line of the Promised Seed through Isaac rather than Ishmael. It also marks the continuation of Abraham's family and the development of his faith through obedience to God's command.
Heirship was established in Isaac alone and not in Ishmael, for in Isaac shall the seed be called. Although Abraham still felt the fruit of his own doing should share the heirship, Sarah perceived that the son of the bondwoman sharing it would break up the home and pervert God's blessing, and said he shall not be heir with Isaac, and God confirmed her voice. This settling of the heirship perfected Abraham's faith for the trial of offering Isaac in Genesis 22. His birth had already rehearsed the lesson that Abraham must trust God's promise rather than devise his own way to fulfill it, and the offering of Isaac was a further lesson of faith.
Isaac was born twenty-five years after the promise to Abraham and was weaned at about five years old, when the weaning feast was held. At that feast Ishmael the son of the bondwoman mocked Isaac, which mocking is the persecution spoken of by Paul. That mocking marks the beginning of the four hundred years of affliction.
Covenant Allegory and Doctrine
To understand the two covenants the family history to which the circumcision of Isaac belongs must be studied, for Isaac, Sarah's son by the freewoman, represents the children of the covenant of promise. He is the child born through God's promise to Sarah, and he represents those who receive freedom through Christ under the new covenant, in contrast to Ishmael, whose birth through Hagar followed human planning and represented bondage. His birth in Genesis 21:1-7 came through God's power rather than human planning, and it illustrates the new covenant and the truth that those born anew through God's creative power are children of promise. The distinction is between Isaac, born through God's promise, and Ishmael, born after the flesh, for Isaac's birth came through Sarah's faith in God's promise, while Hagar's son represents bondage.
The history of Abraham's two sons, Ishmael born of Hagar the maidservant and Isaac born of Sarah the freewoman, teaches in allegory the two covenants, testaments, or dispensations, the typical and antitypical systems, and the literal Israel and the true Israel, Jews and Gentiles, as representatives of the Lord and His work in two special periods of its development in the earth. Isaac's birth is like Christ's birth in being part of the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, but it is not the promise's final fulfillment. The promise of an everlasting inheritance of righteousness is fulfilled at Christ's coming and the resurrection.
The circumcision of Isaac at eight days old in obedience to God's command does not establish a parallel or type for Christian baptism. Baptism is connected with repentance and personal faith, so it is distinguished from the circumcision of infants. Circumcision was not exclusively for the Jews, for Ishmael was circumcised as well as Isaac, and the same rite was practiced beyond Israel.
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old in obedience to what God had commanded him. Isaac was the miraculous child of promise, born to Sarah his lawful free wife in their old age at the set time by God's power after long waiting. Heirship was established in Isaac alone and not in Ishmael, for in Isaac the seed was to be called. Born through faith in God's promise, Isaac represents the children of the covenant of promise who are born anew by God's power and made free in Christ under the new covenant, in contrast to Ishmael born after the flesh who represents bondage, an allegory of the two covenants. The eighth day denotes the child's age and not a day of the week, so it gives no support for Sunday observance, and infant circumcision gives no parallel for Christian baptism which belongs with repentance and personal faith.
Obedience and Historical Setting
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when Isaac was eight days old, in obedience to what God had commanded him. The eighth day denotes the child's age, not a particular day of the week. The verse therefore gives no support for Sunday observance and does not show that the patriarchs kept Sunday as the Sabbath. If circumcision day were taken to be Sunday it would imply that every male child was born on Sunday.
Isaac was born twenty-five years after the promise to Abraham and just after the destruction of Sodom, which occurred just before he was born. He was weaned at about five years old. Isaac had opportunity to converse with Shem for fifty years, and through Shem Abraham and Isaac were instructed in divine truth associated with Noah and Enoch, including Enoch's prophecy and translation, connected with knowledge of Christ's second advent and the resurrection of the just. The patriarchal history around the verse shows Abraham and Isaac accumulating estates, supporting that the right of property and the commandment against theft had force before the law was formally given at Sinai.
Promised Son and Heir
Isaac was the miraculous child of promise, born to Sarah, Abraham's lawful free wife, at the set time God had declared, in their old age after years of waiting and despite her barrenness, by God's power and not by human planning or arrangement. He was duly named Isaac and received with great rejoicing in God as the fulfillment of the promise. His birth through Sarah illustrates that the promised seed comes through God's creative power, and those so born anew are children of promise who receive freedom through Christ under the new covenant, in contrast to Ishmael, born through Hagar by human planning unto bondage.
His circumcision at eight days old marked him as the covenant seed in whom salvation must come in God's way and by His power, not by fleshly schemes. It stands in the account of God's progressive dealings with Abraham, the father of the faithful, continuing the line of the Promised Seed through Isaac rather than Ishmael. It also marks the continuation of Abraham's family and the development of his faith through obedience to God's command.
Heirship was established in Isaac alone and not in Ishmael, for in Isaac shall the seed be called. Although Abraham still felt the fruit of his own doing should share the heirship, Sarah perceived that the son of the bondwoman sharing it would break up the home and pervert God's blessing, and said he shall not be heir with Isaac, and God confirmed her voice. This settling of the heirship perfected Abraham's faith for the trial of offering Isaac in Genesis 22. His birth had already rehearsed the lesson that Abraham must trust God's promise rather than devise his own way to fulfill it, and the offering of Isaac was a further lesson of faith.
Isaac was born twenty-five years after the promise to Abraham and was weaned at about five years old, when the weaning feast was held. At that feast Ishmael the son of the bondwoman mocked Isaac, which mocking is the persecution spoken of by Paul. That mocking marks the beginning of the four hundred years of affliction.
Covenant Allegory and Doctrine
To understand the two covenants the family history to which the circumcision of Isaac belongs must be studied, for Isaac, Sarah's son by the freewoman, represents the children of the covenant of promise. He is the child born through God's promise to Sarah, and he represents those who receive freedom through Christ under the new covenant, in contrast to Ishmael, whose birth through Hagar followed human planning and represented bondage. His birth in Genesis 21:1-7 came through God's power rather than human planning, and it illustrates the new covenant and the truth that those born anew through God's creative power are children of promise. The distinction is between Isaac, born through God's promise, and Ishmael, born after the flesh, for Isaac's birth came through Sarah's faith in God's promise, while Hagar's son represents bondage.
The history of Abraham's two sons, Ishmael born of Hagar the maidservant and Isaac born of Sarah the freewoman, teaches in allegory the two covenants, testaments, or dispensations, the typical and antitypical systems, and the literal Israel and the true Israel, Jews and Gentiles, as representatives of the Lord and His work in two special periods of its development in the earth. Isaac's birth is like Christ's birth in being part of the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, but it is not the promise's final fulfillment. The promise of an everlasting inheritance of righteousness is fulfilled at Christ's coming and the resurrection.
The circumcision of Isaac at eight days old in obedience to God's command does not establish a parallel or type for Christian baptism. Baptism is connected with repentance and personal faith, so it is distinguished from the circumcision of infants. Circumcision was not exclusively for the Jews, for Ishmael was circumcised as well as Isaac, and the same rite was practiced beyond Israel.