See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. (Galatians 6:11-18 ESV)

This is an interesting section of scripture from Paul to the Galatians. Here he writes with his own hand… and it is bigger than the rest of the text. Why? Some scholars think he had a problem with his sight and therefore needed to write big to see it. This could be the thorn in his side that he is talking about. There are other things that could be the thorn, but I digress…  This to me is not the most impressive thing in this text.

Paul tells the Galatians “For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.” Those who are the religious leaders and the ones pushing for you to mutilate yourself do not do what they are suppose to do. So what will mutilating yourself help? Will being circumcised help you in any way? Why do they want you to get circumcised when it obviously has not helped them in any way shape of form to be the people that God has asked for them to be? Basically they want us all to be circumcised so that they can say look at the numbers we have. Look at all of those who belong to us.  It is a numbers thing.

When have you seen a group of people try to get others to go along with them because they want to look like a bigger group than they are?  Or they think that being bigger is what needs to happen? Or they judge the success of somethign by the number of people that join after the mission, or are affected by the ministry being done. Does God ever ask us to look at the numbers? He gives us great examples of what can be done when you are focused on Him and doing His work. Acts 2 has 3000 being added to their number, but not by the group gathering, these are added by God because of the people truly seeking after Him and gathering for the reason to praise and worship Him. He never asks them to count the numbers though.  Jesus feeds 5000 and 4000 but this is to show us the magnitude of God’s plan and mission.

So why are we so hung up on numbers and getting more people to belong to our collective?

There was another place that did this. Assyria:

Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and forest shade, and of towering height, its top among the clouds. The waters nourished it; the deep made it grow tall, making its rivers flow around the place of its planting, sending forth its streams to all the trees of the field. So it towered high above all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches long from abundant water in its shoots. All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth to their young, and under its shadow lived all great nations. It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its roots went down to abundant waters. The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor the fir trees equal its boughs; neither were the plane trees like its branches; no tree in the garden of God was its equal in beauty. I made it beautiful in the mass of its branches, and all the trees of Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God.

“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height, I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out. Foreigners, the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land, and all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it. (Ezekiel 31:3-12 ESV)

You see God made low the one who puffed himself up.

Do not boast in your greatness, but humble yourself in the eyes of the Lord and He will lift you up and do great things through you. Not because you add to your collective and make others like you, but because you follow Him and love as He does.