The covenant of promise was confirmed by God with the covenant of circumcision. As far as the faithful God is concerned, there was no need for this confirmation. However, as far as Abraham was concerned, the covenant of promise needed to be confirmed again, because he had used his natural strength by his flesh to produce Ishmael. Since this was the cause of the trouble, God confirmed His covenant by having Abraham circumcised to cut off the flesh. God said to Abraham, “You shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised” (Gen. 17:9-10).
In the Bible, the spiritual meaning of circumcision is to put off the flesh. Colossians 2:11 says, “In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ.” The circumcision that is the putting off of the body of the flesh was not made with hands; it was accomplished by the death of Christ. The cross of Christ gets rid of our old man and our self (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20). When we believe and are baptized into Him, we put off the flesh by experiencing the cutting off of the cross of Christ (Col. 2:11), that we may participate in the fullness that is in Him (vv. 9-10) for the fulfilling of God’s purpose.
In the covenant of circumcision which He made with Abraham, God required His people to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth (Gen. 17:12). The eighth day is the first day of the week, the day of Christ’s resurrection (Matt. 28:1, 6). Circumcision on the eighth day signifies the receiving of the dealing of the cross of Christ in resurrection. We were buried together with Christ in baptism for the termination of our flesh; we were also raised together with Him for the germination of our spirit (Col. 2:12). Now, in Christ’s Spirit of resurrection we need to live a crucified life, putting to death our flesh and cutting off our flesh, that the God who has the all-sufficient supply may come into us to be our everything for the accomplishment of His economy.
Abraham’s wife Sarah and his concubine Hagar typify the two covenants which God made with His chosen people concerning their inheriting of the good land. Sarah symbolizes the covenant of God’s promise, and Hagar, the covenant of law. God’s promise is fulfilled not by the energy of man’s flesh but by God’s grace for those who inherit the promise. It is God who promises, and it is also God who fulfills what He has promised. Man’s flesh is of no use at all; it cannot fulfill God’s promise to us. Moreover, only the children of promise are accounted as Abraham’s seed, and only they can inherit the God-promised good land (Christ), in which and by which they live for the accomplishment of God’s purpose.
Since the covenant of law is signified by Hagar, the position of the law is like that of a concubine. As such, the law has no rightful position in God’s economy. Furthermore, those brought forth by the covenant of law are born according to the flesh; they are not accepted as heirs to the inheritance and have no share in God’s promised good land.
God used circumcision as evidence of the covenant to confirm the covenant of promise that He gave to Abraham. Circumcision was the procedure which God’s chosen people had to pass through to inherit God’s promise. It signifies that the New Testament believers must pass through the dealing of the cross to put off the flesh that they may inherit and enjoy all the riches in Christ promised by God. Circumcision was performed on the eighth day, signifying that we must receive the dealing of the cross in resurrection for the cutting off of our flesh, that the God of all-sufficiency and bountiful supply may come into us to be our everything for the accomplishment of His economy.