Where is circumcision first mentioned in the bible

Probably not. He didn't slaughter hundreds of kids in order to find that out. This was revelation from the Lord! It made me wonder.

How did a culture that was ignorant of modern medicine know about the eighth day for circumcision? It seemed highly implausible that they could have discovered this for themselves. So what does this mean? Could it be incontrovertible evidence supporting the truth of the Bible? And what about the skeptics out there? Do they even have a plausible explanation? I decided to do a little digging.

My research led me down some interesting trails. I even ended up on an atheist forum where I had a very heated discussion. But before I get onto that, let's begin with the findings. Here is a detailed account of the evidence and arguments supporting the claim that Biblical circumcision supports divine inspiration. The ideal time to circumcise a child is the eighth day because prothrombin is fully developed. In the Old Testament, God gave circumcision as a sign of His original covenant with the father of the Jewish nation, Abraham Gen We read of His instructions to the Jewish people in the book of Leviticus.

Thousands of years later in , Alexander Schmidt was credited for his research with blood clotting. He was the man responsible for naming the enzyme prothrombin. In the 20th century, it was discovered that Vitamin K coupled with prothrombin, causes blood clotting or coagulation.

According to the American Pregnancy Association the Jewish circumcision procedure is "usually performed on or shortly after the 8th day from birth when clotting factors in the babies blood are at their highest levels. The award-winning Giving Birth Naturally also supports the case.

If you choose to circumcise before the 8th day, it is well advised to administer vitamin K to prevent bleeding complications from the surgery. Whatever you conclude about the findings, the fact remains that Chris was absolutely right.

I found this to be a very persuasive point. World famous atheist, Richard Dawkins, accuses the God of the Old Testament of being an ethnic cleanser. Can we really be expected to believe that Israel would endanger their own bloodline by wiping out hundreds, if not thousands of their own children? And for what? To find out how soon they could cut their foreskin off without killing them?

What would be the point of that? Why would they even pursue this if their newborns were constantly bleeding to death? Commentators have suggested various reasons why Israel did not circumcise while wandering in the wilderness.

Ultimately the scriptures do not state directly why the practice was discontinued. The practice, however, was not discontinued forever. After arriving at the promised land and crossing the Jordan, the Lord commanded Joshua to reinstate circumcision among the children of the generation that had come out of Egypt. Why did the Lord call this circumcision the second time? It is certainly not the second time religious circumcision had happened in the Old Testament.

The text of Joshua makes clear that this second circumcision is also not a reference to another cut on the already circumcised but is a first circumcision of those born in the wilderness. These are the children that had been explicitly exempted from the reproach of Egypt because of their young age see Numbers , as well as the children born while wandering.

This episode is an example of collective rededication. It seems that at Gilgal, God not only reaccepted the persons, he reaccepted the people and symbolized this group rededication by reinstating circumcision. The idea of collective rededication is intriguing, and many other examples exist. In modern Church history, the communal rededication and rebaptisms of the Mormon Reformation of —57 have this same flavor. Elder L. The group might commit to each other and to God to more fully create a safe space where individuals can seek to overcome personal problems in a nurturing environment.

The rite of circumcision is refreshed at Gibeath-haaraloth in a place called Gilgal Joshua , 8. If circumcision is referred to as an everlasting covenant, why does the modern Church not practice it religiously today? While this is a question possibly better answered in an essay dedicated to understanding the arguments surrounding circumcision in the New Testament, two Old Testament books, Jeremiah and Deuteronomy, give clues.

Addressing a numerous people who were a living fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, the writer of Deuteronomy uses the concept of circumcision to invite them to internalize their commitment to God. This reference to circumcision of the heart is clearly not a physical act but a symbolic invitation to internalize the commitments associated with circumcision. Later, Jeremiah laments that Israel did not internalize these commitments. Deuteronomy and Jeremiah seem to imply that the physical act of circumcision is wasted when unaccompanied by an internal commitment to God and his covenants.

What can the modern covenant keeper learn from this example? Signs such as Sabbath observance, adherence to the strictures of the Word of Wisdom, or payment of tithes and offerings can be outward signs of religious devotion. History has demonstrated that the nature of these outward signs can be changed by modern prophets. Much can be learned about modern covenants by studying the Old Testament rite of circumcision.

Second, the long history of near-continuous circumcision is a rousing example of what is possible when covenants are taught from generation to generation. And finally, the teachings of symbolic circumcision of the heart can help an individual focus on the personal commitment to God that underlies outward religious acts. Perhaps discussing circumcision in a classroom will always be a bit awkward by the nature of the topic and the customs of current culture.

However, when connected to the concepts of deep commitment, collective redemption, and internal devotion, the concept of circumcision in the Old Testament can become a powerful tool for teaching those in modern times how to better honor their own covenants.

Donl Peterson and Charles D. Tate Jr. Frank F. Judd Jr. Huntsman, and Shon D. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. See also Numbers — This raises the possibility that there may have been a group of men present at the second circumcision who were already circumcised.

Q 8 The whole land of Canaan, R where you now reside as a foreigner, S I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; T and I will be their God. W 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. X 11 You are to undergo circumcision, Y and it will be the sign of the covenant Z between me and you. AC My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.

AD 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised AE in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; AF he has broken my covenant. AI 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. AJ I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; AK kings of peoples will come from her. AN Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?