I think it is not arbitrary but specific for the "crime". What is your opinion of my thoughts above on post #168030?
Otherwise, do you think the foreskin came into being to cause men trouble?
The "crime" - perhaps you can clarify.
Yes - I think the foreskin came into being because of sin, just as thorns did, and a woman's travail in childbirth, and the snake crawling on its belly. By faith in Christ, we are saved from sin. Circumcision was given to be a sign of Abraham's faith. See
{PP 138.1} Genesis 17:11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant between me and you. What is the covenant?
Jeremiah 31:33 But this
shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, said the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
While some may argue some health benefits, I don't believe it was given as a health benefit. Who was the first circumcised and why? Wasn't it because he was trying to achieve righteousness by sex?
No question there are health benefits from circumcision, which would be interesting if the foreskin was original equipment. Where do you read righteousness by sex?
Imagine you were an Israelite, and you had your eye on a Canaanite woman. You know you are not to mix with them, but she so appeals to you anyway. Who go to her, disrobe, and she looks down at you and says, "Ah, I can see you are an Israelite". All you can do is stutter. And question what are you doing there!
To me, it is quite obvious, circumcision was a sign of separation, a mark of God's people, and to remind them of who and where they should be.
What that the purpose of having Abraham circumcised? He had already had righteousness by faith before circumcision. Was he trying to achieve righteousness by sex? I don't think so. True - it was a distinctive mark.
