Circumcision - Part 1

     For those who are unaware, “circumcision” is cutting off the foreskin of the penis of a man for either of two reasons: (1) hygiene and (2) as a token of obedience, not really for the individual but for the nation, specifically Israel. "Medically it is a treatment option for problematic cases of phimosis, balanoposthitis that does not resolve with other treatments, and chronic urinary tract infections” (Wikipedia; “circumcision).
     Phimosis would make reproduction more painful and difficult, and the directive to "multiply" (Gen 1:28) would be jeopardized. Balanoposthitus is inflammation and that would discourage reproduction. Infections are uncleanness. Phimosis is fairly well a trap for bacteria, and in Mosaic Law, uncleanliness is sinful:

 Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.(Lev 5:3).

     God was somewhat tactful in this precept since a  man’s uncleanness is his unwashed  penis, and a woman’s her vagina in that menstruation is considered unclean, as it is written:

And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. (Lev 15:19).

     Adding to that is sex without coitus or attempts to engage in sex without conception:

The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even. (Lev 15:18)

     Sexual uncleanness is serious business to God or it would not have been made Law! Of course, man is not under the Law, and never was, but God still had his reasons for each edict. The obvious was for the health of the Jewish people so as to multiply with proliference. The less obvious is abstention for birth control. In periods of uncleanness there would be no sex for multiplication, thus a natural form of birth control was available. Since men and women could not abstain due to lack of will-power, then God seemed to have helped them out somewhat! 
     The less obvious but possibly the most important reason was to discourage sex for pleasure, or sexual pleasure without the intention of multiplying. The Garden Paradise, even if it is not the Heavenly Paradise, has the same spiritual "climate." Heaven will be a place without sexual pleasure, as can be seen in the passage:

And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. (Luke 20:34-36).

     Your cry can be heard: "But there was sex in the Garden, was there not?" No there was not! All children were born aided by pleasure. God knew in advance that "multiplication" would occur outside of Paradise because of His foreknowledge. The Garden was never for sexual pleasure for any reason but to serve God, and not themselves! Sexual pleasure would have despoiled Paradise; sex had to be in the world, the place outside of Paradise. 

     Reproduction was serious business for God or He would not have commanded it. Leviticus 15:18  makes it clear that pleasuring without coitius was iniquitous. Some believe that the original sin was that sin. How would eating of forbidden fruit be associated with sexual pleasure? Directly it was surely not; the sin was disobedience, but why did Adam and Eve cover their genitals with an apron of fig leaves (Gen 3:7)? Because they were ashamed what disobedience had led to! 
     There were four rules given to Adam: (1) To have authority over the creation (Gen 1:26)– the animals, and themselves, (2) to multiply (Gen 1:22), (3) to not eat of the Wisdom Tree (Gen 2:17), and (4) to serve and protect the things of the Garden (Gen 2:15). Dominion over the animals included Adam and Eve for a reason - self-control. They were expected, not only to control the animals needs, but their own passions!
     Eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (The Wisdom Tree) provided them with understanding of a moral code; this is good and that is evil. Not knowing evil at that point, they ate, and maybe did something evil. Whatever it was, they understood that what they had done was not good which everything had been up until that time (Gen 1:31). One might think, What evil did they do?  Immediately, there was a clue – their aprons to cover their genitals! Although the genitalia are mere tools for reproduction, since the tree was also a “tree of beauty and pleasure” (Gen 3:6), perhaps the two used their new knowledge for pleasure rather than reproduction!
     That makes sense because immediately after being cast out of the Garden, what did they do? They pleasured themselves immediately. Their motive is not known, but they did pleasure in the conception of Cain (Gen 4:1). Since Cain was sinful, and that was his nature, it may be that his conception was in sin. Jesus validated that when he said, "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one..." (1 John 3:12).
Cain's sin was grievously materialistic and sexual:

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core." (Jude 10:11). 

     We know from Revelation 2:14 that the sin of Balaam, and before him Cain, was food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality. Sacred literature relates that Cain desired to marry his twin sister, Luluwa, whose name means "beautiful" rather than Abel's twin, Aklia/Aklemia ("gift of God"). Envy seem to be the nature of Cain who was always coveting what belonged to others! Cain had lust in his heart, not just jealousy which he is known for!

     Of course, Satan did not spawn Cain but he was apparently conceived due to lust rather than obedience. In other words, right after God forgave them for sinning, the two sinned again as is still the custom, or rather, the nature of the people sub-servient to the flesh.
     Why would that be? We know that David was “shapen in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5) of which he repented. It seems that Cain had the same problem but did not repent! On the other hand, Abel had a righteous nature and was obedient to Adam and God. Perhaps Cain was conceived in pursuit of pleasure and Abel in an effort to please God.
     The point is that mankind’s genitalia are the main source of sin. That is obvious since fornication (sexual immorality) is a sin against the temple of God’s Holy Spirit, and for Christians, that means us! (1 Cor 6:18-20). Likewise, physical fornication is disrespectful to God, and is akin to spiritual fornication with “other gods.” (Jud 2:17). In the case of fornication, those “other gods” are ourselves!
     Whether sex without the intent to reproduce is wrong is not for certain, the preponderance of the evidence is that in the beginning that was not God’s intent. Thankfully, for those who pursue sex for pleasure, the Mosaic Laws no longer apply because as they were too hard to obey anyway. Mankind just did not have dominion even over themselves and only a few of the beasts because Adam and Eve failed God!
     However, the flesh is still mankind’s problem as they cannot please God by the flesh (Rom 8:8). The entire flesh is represented by the genitals in patriarchal times. Fig leaves were not sufficient to cover the entire flesh so God protected them from sexual prowess with coats of skin, undoubtedly from a lamb (Gen 3:21). The implication is that man’s own futile attempt to cover the tool was insufficient on two counts: (1) Man cannot cover his own sin, and (2) the entire creature must be covered. The Word (Jesus) did that with the skin of a lamb in the beginning, and covered all the flesh with his own flesh on Calvary. 
     The intent from the first sin onward was that only God could cover sin by grace and man’s works were ineffectual. By grace, God created Adam, and by grace, God covered Adam’s sin and re-created him (not to be confused with recreation!)
     In the Old Testament’s Abrahamic Covenant, circumcision of the male genitalia was symbolic of cutting off all the flesh. Why just the male? Because Adam was held accountable for sin (Rom 5:12) since God revealed to him alone His Will for mankind. (Eve had not been created when God revealed death to Adam.)
     Face it; people’s genitals are a huge problem for mankind! Early pagan worship provided sexual coitus in their temples. Even to this day, the phallus is a religious symbol for pagans, and the obelisks seen everywhere is the Freudian symbol for male prowess and dominance. The pubic area of women are the “high places” on which pagans worship, and are even called the Venus mons. Appreciate it or not, our genitals need covered for our own sake, and to respect God. Modesty is not an option; that became obvious with Bathsheba’s display of all her flesh to David!
     Circumcision was a partial remedy for the mankind’s pleasure problem but was ineffective because the desire for pleasure remained. Only those truly serious about the Will of God would honor the “seal” of the Abrahamic Covenant. It must have represented something more effective which Abraham understood! That is known because Abraham is in Paradise as he knew the blood which was really effective against the entire flesh.
     Some think of pleasurable things as idols. Not so! Mankind’s “idols” are their flesh and pleasurable things appease their self-gods by pleasuring the flesh. Hence, “the flesh” is not only the skin of the creature but his desires as well. Tomorrow that will be examined.