Of women, two boys, and war...Galatians 4.21-31
11/24/2009 11:56:48 PM
Galatians #17 in series
Good Day – Well, this is a confusing passage, but gives us most interesting insight, so please hang with me. . . Today, we are looking at Galatians 4.21-31 from the New International Version. Let’s pray that God will increase our understanding as we read His Word~
21Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.
24These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27For it is written: "Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband."
28Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son.” 31Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
Phew---!
The last thing Paul had said before this passage was “I wish I were there with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.” But then. . . he gets an idea—he would tell them a story to illustrate the conflict between law and grace. Paul draws his material from Genesis chapter 16, and Genesis 21, verses one through twenty-one, about Abraham, his two wives, and two sons. You might recall that God had promised Abraham a child, but since Sarah had not bore a child for Abraham, and they were nearing one hundred years of age, he did what was socially acceptable in the day, and he had relations with Sarah’s maid, Hagar. Hagar bore Abraham a son, Ishmael, jumping ahead of what God had promised, and planned to deliver in Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac, born some 13 years later.
Paul lays out the scenario:
On this side, the slave wife, Hagar vs. the free wife, Sarah
-represents those enslaved - represents those who are
to the law free from the law
-those who try to relate to God -those who relate to God by faith,
through works accepting God’s promises
-characterized by striving, legalism -characterized by grace, freedom
Sarah’s jealousy over Ishmael/Hagar convinced Abraham to favor Isaac, and eventually send Hagar and Ishmael away. This was the root of hatred of Ishmael – father of the Arabs; and Isaac – promised son of Abraham, the Jewish patriarch. ‘So all the current conflict and war from then??’ Read on.
Here is a great explanation about the Hatfields and McCoys~from gotanswers.com:
(If you are reading this, and you click on the Scripture references, they are embedded in the text, and you can read them along with the explanation.) Very cool.
‘The Jews are descendants of Abraham’s son Isaac. The Arabs are descendants of Abraham’s son Ishmael. With Ishmael being the son of a slave woman (Genesis 16:1-16) and Isaac being the promised son who would inherit the blessings of Abraham (Genesis 21:1-3), obviously there would be some animosity between the two sons. . . The religion of Islam, to which a majority of Arabs are adherents, has made this hostility more profound. The Qur'an contains somewhat contradictory instructions for Muslims regarding Jews. At one point it instructs Muslims to treat Jews as brothers and at another point commands Muslims to attack Jews who refuse to convert to Islam. The Qur’an also introduces a conflict as to which son of Abraham was truly the son of promise. The Hebrew Scriptures say it was Isaac. The Qur’an says it was Ishmael. The Qur’an teaches that it was Ishmael who Abraham almost sacrificed to the Lord, not Isaac (in contradiction to Genesis chapter 22). This debate over who was the son of promise contributes to the hostility today. However, the ancient root of bitterness between Isaac and Ishmael does not explain all of the hostility between Jews and Arabs today. In fact, for thousands of years of Middle Eastern history, Jews and Arabs lived in relative peace and indifference towards each other. The primary cause of the hostility has a modern origin. After World War II, when the United Nations gave a portion of the land of Israel to the Jewish people, the land was at that time primarily inhabited by Arabs (the Palestinians). Most Arabs protested vehemently against the nation of Israel occupying that land. Arab nations united and attacked Israel in an attempt to drive them out of the land, but they were defeated. Ever since, there has been great hostility between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Israel exists on one tiny piece of land surrounded by much larger Arab nations such as Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt. . . Psalm 122:6 declares, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.”’ [Again – adapted from www.gotanswers.org - a great resource]
This is valuable historical background for current day happenings in the Middle East. Paul’s point in pulling up the story of Abraham, two wives, and two sons, is to draw the contrast again between the law and freedom in Christ. . . powerful.
Be free, loved ones~
Christine