27 May Vitamin K and Circumcision
Genesis 21:13 – “And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.”
Near the turn of the 20th century, a new prize was first awarded called the Nobel Prizes in the area of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace, as requested by Alfred Nobel in his will. Nobel, who contributed much to science, business, and philanthropic efforts, is credited with inventing dynamite, which is essentially what Abraham unleashed into his family when he decided to sleep with someone other than his wife. But I digress, as we get into the point of today’s devo.
Just over 40 years after the inception of the Nobel Prize, two men named Henrik Dam and Edward Doisy split the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 1943 for their contributions to the discovery of Vitamin K. Dam was credited with the discovery of the vitamin while Doisy’s claim to fame was discovering the chemical nature of the vitamin. The summary can be found here: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1943/summary/.
About this time, you’re probably asking, what does this have to do with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, or Genesis?
Here’s the incredible thing about our God. He’s very specific in His plan for our lives and physical bodies and He, obviously, knew everything about this vitamin before human beings ever discovered it.
You may recall that Isaac was circumcised on his eighth day of life, what became customary for Jewish boys going forward from that time, while Ishmael was circumcised at age 13. Ouch, by the way. Did you ever wonder why it was specifically the eighth day?
Get ready for a short science lesson. I’m thankful to my wife Grace, an incredible mother to our five kids who are now mostly the same height or taller than me, for this information. On the eighth day of a baby’s life is when something called prothrombin, a Vitamin K-dependent protein, is highest in their tiny bodies. This protein is directly involved with blood clotting, which would be super helpful in the case of circumcision.
When we look at stories like this, down to the very nitty gritty details, it’s incredible to see God’s hand very specifically in all things and makes me thankful for a God who is in the details. If He can be this specific in the life of this family, He can be specifically present in your life, and I pray that you see evidence of that as you look back on your family’s history.
Thank God for the incredible way He made our bodies and how His plan for our physical bodies and lives is so incredibly detailed.
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