Shalom all,
Reuel I disagree with many of your interpretations. I just don't see the scriptures that back up what your saying. Not only that but according to your standard niether Avraham nor the Children of Israel could call themselves
Observant nor observe passover.
I'll explain with the scriptures: First summarize your points:
1. not being circumcised is a sin.
2. unless you keep all the commandments you can't be called
observant.
3. after 3years or going through the whole
reading schedule your to be keeping everything and must be circumcised
4. Judiasm didn't only required them to be circumcised because it's a commandment.
Let's start where the commandment was given. To Avraham. He must have been an exceptionally righteous man as he is the one God chose to make this covenant with.
Let's look at his circumcision timeline:
Gen 15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
Gen 15:18
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
here we have the covenant made with Uncircumcised Avraham.
Gen 16:1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
Gen 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Gen 16:3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian,
after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
Avraham still uncircumcised
Gen 16:16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
86 years old when he had Ishmael
Gen 17:24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Gen 17:25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Uncircumcised Avraham now 99 a minimum of 13 years since the covenant was made with him Ishmael was 13 years old, which is why the Muslims circumcise at age 13. The Father says it is a token or sign of the covenant. It is not a commandment I think your confusing the two. the token between two people of an oath is different than a commandment becuase it is part of the covenant. you aren't responsible for it before your enter into the agreement. it is part of the terms. there fore it is different than a sin like murder. Whether you are part of the covenant of avraham or not you sin when you murder. but his covenant is different then his commandments. Avraham had made the covenant with YHWH 13 years prior and was uncircumcised in the flesh at least. how then could it have been made?
Next is Yisrael:
Jos 5:1 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
Jos 5:2 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
Jos 5:3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
Jos 5:4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.
Jos 5:5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.
Jos 5:6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Jos 5:7 And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.
for 40 years the 20 and under which would then be well into adulthood were keeping Pesach with the tabernacle and were not cut off they were actually the righteous of the group. All uncircumcised. THey didn't have to get circumcised until they were going into the promised land. They were both righteous and
observant, and allowed to keep Passover and were under the covenant of Avraham.
Act 7:7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth,
and serve me in this place.
Act 7:8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.
here again circumcision is tied into going into the promised land
finally lets look at why this very way of thinking was causing argument in Yahshuah's time and What is said about it.
Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Act 10:35 But in
every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Rom 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Rom 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
Rom 2:27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
here circumcision is tied to being a Jew because if they were born into it it was not their righteousness by being circumcised but that of their parents. THis is the burden that neither they nor their fathers bore. Because it was Avraham who as a stranger circumcised himself to join to God. These were claiming the gentiles not born with it needed to be circumcised and the reply was no don't lay a burden on them you yourself have not done, but was done to you.he didn't say lets wait 3 years, or they are sinning by not doing it, nor can they call themselves
observant, or any other thing. As a matter of scripture they teach the opposite.
Rom 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
Rom 3:2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Rom 3:29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
Rom 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
meditate on these verses and the ones above and we see in many places when this argument comes up that the Jews say they must be circumcised and the scripture contend with that thinking.
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
why would God praise him if he were sinning by not being circumcised? Study and meditate on this and hopefully the scriptures will show circumcision is an event not a commandment.
Point 1. I don't agree it's a sin not to be circumcised. Nor was Avraham and Israel Sinning during thier 13 yr and 40 year non circumcision.
point 2. non of us keeps all the commandmnents so no one can say they are
observant according to your definition.
Point 3. 20 years of
cycles and 40 after that and Israel was not circumcised. Still God's people.
Point 4. Judiasm has prescribed and tried to prescribe circumcision as part of the first things because they were in the land and to dwell with them they tried to make people get circumcised. but this is clearly said to be wrong in acts 15. to say they were saying no for now but in three years you must would be quite a stretch to torture out of the scriptures.
I beleive we must not look on the circumcision of other men as it has no profit but Encourage
and examine our uncircumcision of the heart in doing so.
Shalom
based faith in Yeshua The Messiah.
