9 God said further to Abraham , "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant , you and your descendants after you throughout their generations . 10 " This is My covenant , which you shall keep , between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised . 11 "And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin , and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 "And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations , a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner e , who is not of your descendants . 13 "A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised ; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant . 14 "But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin , that person shall be cut off from his people ; he has broken My covenant ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 17:9-14
Commentary on Genesis 17:7-14
(Read Genesis 17:7-14)
The covenant of grace is from everlasting in the counsels of it, and to everlasting in the consequences of it. The token of the covenant was circumcision. It is here said to be the covenant which Abraham and his seed must keep. Those who will have the Lord to be to them a God, must resolve to be to him a people. Not only Abraham and Isaac, and his posterity by Isaac, were to be circumcised, but also Ishmael and the bond-servants. It sealed not only the covenant of the land of Canaan to Isaac's posterity, but of heaven, through Christ, to the whole church of God. The outward sign is for the visible church; the inward seal of the Spirit is peculiar to those whom God knows to be believers, and he alone can know them. The religious observance of this institution was required, under a very severe penalty. It is dangerous to make light of Divine institutions, and to live in the neglect of them. The covenant in question was one that involved great blessings for the world in all future ages. Even the blessedness of Abraham himself, and all the rewards conferred upon him, were for Christ's sake. Abraham was justified, as we have seen, not by his own righteousness, but by faith in the promised Messiah.