CIRCUMCISION
Once one begins to know and understand the ways of Yahweh, they see that He is very consistent in the way He does things. In other words, He takes a simple truth, or pattern, and repeats it over and over. The truth, or pattern, of coverings, as revealed in Coverings, is just one example of this. Seeing such replication affords us even greater insight into why Yahweh has done certain things. Furthermore, these replicable patterns reassure us that we have come to know Him, and afford us insight into what He has not only done, and even what He is now doing, but also what He will do. Let us examine a testimony that will afford us all three of these benefits.
The question arises in Coverings as to whether Adam and Eve were actually clothed in Yahweh’s light and splendor in the Garden of Eden, or if this was simply true as a governmental matter. Either way, it is the same. The point is that, governmentally, Yahweh was taking full responsibility for Adam and Eve. He was their covering.
In like regard, Yahweh raised up a man with whom He was going to set forth the same testimony. Abraham received the promise that he would be given a son who would be his heir and that his descendants would be countless (Genesis 15:1–6). But upon receiving that promise, like Adam who “listened to the voice of [his] wife” and not to Yahweh’s instruction (Genesis 3:17), Abraham equally “listened to the voice of Sarah” (Genesis 16:2) and thereby brought forth a son by the cursed Egyptian, Hagar—the “wild donkey of a man” (Genesis 16:12), Ishmael.
Was this the son who would afford the blessing to the whole world as promised? No, no more than what Eve offered was of like results. This son was the seed of the cursed flesh. So what was Yahweh to do? He had to governmentally take responsibility for Abraham’s offspring, even as He once took responsibility for Adam and Eve. How would He attest to this? By the covenant of circumcision.
After Ishmael was born, we read in Genesis 17:9–14 where Yahweh then laid out the commandment of circumcision for Abraham, his descendants, and for any servant in his house. Thereby, we read: “Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (Genesis 17:24). Then one year later, Isaac, the son of promise, was born (Genesis 21:5).
So, what made the difference? The first son, Ishmael, who was not acceptable to Yahweh as the son of promise, was born before Abraham’s circumcision. But once he was circumcised, Sarah, though incapable of having a child by then, brought forth Isaac. For twenty-five years Abraham had waited for the fulfillment of the promise of many offspring, first given to him as recorded in Genesis 12:1–4; and that fulfillment finally came following one very significant solitary act—circumcision!
Why? What is so important about circumcision that twenty-five years and four separate promises later, the fulfillment finally came? It all had to do with coverings; in fact, head-covering! And remember, head-covering is just that—it is headship, authority, governmental responsibility!
What we are going to discuss now is sensitive in nature since it has to do with sexuality. To understand what was taking place governmentally, we have to talk more specifically about circumcision of the foreskin of Abraham.
What is circumcision? It is removing the covering of flesh from the head of the male’s reproductive organ. The fact is, the foreskin of Abraham was a head-covering, in the same order as head-coverings addressed in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 and as expounded upon in Coverings. Government is replicable, even as we see here once again. This is the same pattern, just per a more specific area—the very member that effects the birth of offspring.
When Abraham brought forth Ishmael, Abraham’s head-covering was his flesh. With regard to his efforts to bring forth offspring, he was under the headship covering of his own flesh, his own flesh efforts. And it was from that flesh covering that he attempted to bring forth the son of promise and failed, bringing forth instead the unacceptable cursed son. So what was Yahweh to do? In prophetic and governmental testimony, He had to thereby take complete responsibility for this offspring of immense promise. So, to testify of Him taking this responsibility, He had Abraham remove the flesh covering from the part of his body that brought forth the offspring, and thereupon Yahweh became his head-covering. When Yahweh thereby took that responsibility, the miracle birth of Isaac took place; and from thereafter He continued to take that responsibility for his offspring.
We see this same testimony in the man. Before Yahshua, the priest had to wear a headcovering when he went before Yahweh. However, when Yahshua became the head of every man (1 Corinthians 11:3), the man’s head was “circumcised” and, in like manner, Yahshua became the man’s head-covering. Therefore, the man cannot pray with anything on his head.
Let us now take an important look back to Adam and Eve. Why was it that they could have been without clothing and yet not see their nakedness? Because governmentally, they were in fact covered, for their covering was Yahweh. Likewise, even though Abraham no longer had the foreskin to cover his head, legally he was not naked, his head was not uncovered, for Yahweh had become his covering. Before circumcision, his head was legally covered with foreskin, which averted Yahweh’s wrath. And even when he was aroused and his head became uncovered, thus calling for judgment, Sarah, his bride, became his covering until the foreskin head-covering could be replaced.
In truth, Sarah was Abraham’s substitutionary covering until the otherwise present covering could be restored. But now that Yahweh had become his covering, even though it appeared that he was uncovered, he was not uncovered. This is again the replicable government whereby a man can pray with his head uncovered and yet still be covered—Yahshua being his head, his covering. Conversely, the woman does not have that governmental order covering her when she directly goes to Yahweh, and must cover her head with “authority” (1 Corinthians 11:10).
Now, let us take this one vital step further. Remember, government is replicable. Here we will discover a truth that affects us today in the most profound way since the original Garden.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost the covering they once had—being clothed in Yahweh’s glory. That covering was replaced with the substitutionary covering of clothing, and they were sent out of the Garden so that they would not eat from the tree of life. But as you will see in Chapter Ten, through the Nazirite vow Yahshua performed a work that made it possible for man to return to the original Garden experience. What does that mean for man? It means that man will return to the place where Yahweh, once again, takes full responsibility for him—no longer being covered by his own failed flesh efforts, his flesh head-covering! Relative to Abraham, it means circumcision of our flesh!
Everything points to the fact that this is where we are today, with the hopeful anticipation that things can now take place that have not been possible for 6,000 years. And once again relative to Abraham, it means the Son of promise can be born—Yahshua’s return!
For 2,000 years, kingdom man has listened to the voice of the weaker element, even within himself, that is easily deceived; and under the covering of his own flesh has thereby brought forth a cursed wild-donkey-of-a-man offspring that is not acceptable to Yahweh. So, what must Yahweh now do? He must take full responsibility for man and for His kingdom. According to the timing and the promise of Jubilee whereby “each of you shall return to his own property” (Leviticus 25:10), to the original Garden experience, that time is now. (Read The Curse of 1920, Appendix 10.)
What we have discussed here is the identical testimony we see evidenced when the sons of Israel crossed the Jordan and entered into the Promised Land west of the Jordan. First, we read that the first thing they did upon crossing was to attest that Yahweh would now be their head-covering and take full responsibility. In Joshua 5:2–7, we read that for the first time since they left Egypt, they were circumcised. Quite significantly, their absence of circumcision during the wilderness wandering thereby means that, clearly, the wilderness period is a time in which Yahweh does not take full responsibility to bring forth the promised and much needed results. This, of course, was evidenced by the fact that they failed to enter into the Promised Land at the wilderness of Paran (Numbers 12:16 through chapter 14), bringing suffering and death upon them for forty years.
As testified by this circumcision wherein they were circumcised “the second time” (Joshua 5:2), Yahweh restored the covenant of Abraham and took full responsibility for them and for their success in the Promised Land. This is the identical testimony when, immediately thereafter, Joshua met the “captain of Yahweh’s host” and was told, “remove the sandals from your feet” (Joshua 5:13–15).
Prophetically, sandals speak of the like responsibility to bring forth the fulfilling offspring. In Deuteronomy 25:5–10, we read that when the brother of a deceased man refused to take his deceased brother’s wife to bring forth offspring in his name, she was to remove his sandal, spit in his face, and declare to him, “Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.” This man was to then be called, “The house of him whose sandal is removed.” This is the same law being carried out in the book of Ruth regarding Ruth and Boaz, her kinsman redeemer.
So, when Joshua was told to remove his sandals, even as Moses was told to do likewise at the burning bush before he was sent into Egypt to deliver the sons of Israel, in both instances it spoke the same message—circumcision; or Yahweh, as our kinsman redeemer, now taking full responsibility. Thus, taking off one’s sandals and circumcision are one and the same in their message. It is Yahweh saying, “I will now take full responsibility; I will be your covering.”
This is where it appears we are today. For 2,000 years, the church has been “the church in the wilderness” (lit. of Acts 7:38). For 2,000 years it has wandered in “the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water …,” where “He fed you manna which your fathers did not know [“manna” means “what is it?”], that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end” (Deuteronomy 8:16–17). At the completion of these 2,000 years, He is now going to do good for us, taking full responsibility for us and for His kingdom.
After 2,000 years of wandering in “the great and terrible wilderness” where kingdom men have all been taken to death and circumcision did not take place—men labored according to their own flesh efforts—He is now going to take full responsibility and be our covering, even so as to bring forth the promised Son. In truth, He is circumcising man. Joshua is taking off his sandals. It is Jubilee, when “each of you shall return to his own property.”
Today, it is time for Yahweh to begin to restore this world to its original state, as it was before the fall. Even as we saw in the original Garden, Yahweh’s glory that once clothed man means that He will take full responsibility for man. And that responsibility will ever increase, even as we read that His glory will ever increase until it covers the earth. Yahweh will ever more extensively take responsibility for man and do good for him and no longer do evil.