Circumcision is an uncomfortable Bible topic that we truly need to know and understand...perhaps not the specifics but we do need to understand the profound reason for it. When we don't understand the spiritual principles that are interwoven into this ancient ritual, we'll miss how it truly demonstrates a parent's faith in God's covenant, even as they gave their son a constant reminder to be in covenant with God himself. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. Read through Genesis 17 and circle every occurrence of the word "you." What does this tell us about whose faith is being demonstrated in this chapter? 2. Read through Genesis 17 and underline the verses that you think are the keys to this chapter. Why do you think those verses are central to understanding this chapter? 3. When the Lord called Abram to be blameless in Genesis 17:1, what did that mean? What would Abraham's blamelessness indicate about his faith? 4. What is the significance of the fact the Lord said Abram would be the "father of a multitude of nations" in verse 4? 5. What did God change Abram's name to in verse 5? Why did He make this change? What did Abram's new name mean? What did this new name teach him about his role in this world? 6. Regarding circumcision, according to the study, originally who was supposed to circumcise the baby boy? What did the act of circumcision show about the father's faith? 7. What does circumcision mean for the baby who is being circumcised? Did that boy still have to enter into covenant with the Lord? How? 8. What did the study suggest for why females were not circumcised? Do you agree? Why or why not? 9. According to verse 14, if a man refused to circumcise his son, or if a man refused to be circumcised himself, what happened to his covenant with God? 10. How did Abraham respond to this instruction? What did his response indicate about his covenant with the Lord? 11. What do you think the conversation would have been like as Abraham told his family and male servants about God's command to circumcise all the males in the home? 12. What is the true circumcision we are still to undergo today? Have you undergone this spiritual "circumcision of the heart"? If so, what does it look like in your life? Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.