Portion To Read : Gal 4
Galatians 4:21-31 - Hagar and Sarah
Ref: Genesis 15:17-16:10, Genesis 21:1-13, and Galatians 4:21-31.
In this part of Galatians, Paul uses the story of Hagar and Sarah as a picture of the relationship between God and man. The Jews traced their lineage through Abraham’s legitimate son, Isaac, the son of Sarah, and regarded Ishmael, the son of Hagar, as an outcast. Here, Paul tells them that Hagar represents the covenant given on Mt. Sinai, which is the law that the Jews in Jerusalem pride themselves on keeping. He goes on to quote from Genesis—“the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son”—and encourages the Galatians to claim the promise made to their ancestor, Isaac, by shaking off the bonds of slavery imposed by the law.
1. What makes this such a powerful message for the Galatians? How do you think this message made them feel?
The story of Hagar and Sarah is symbolic and has a deeper meaning than first appears. The two women represent two covenants: Hagar the covenant of the law and Sarah the covenant of grace. The covenant of the law given at Mt Sinai produced slavery; thus Hagar, a slave girl, fitted that covenant. Hagar represents Jerusalem (vs 25), the center for unsaved Israelites who were still seeking to obtain righteousness by keeping the law. For Paul to link unbelieving Israelites with Hagar rather than with Sarah was a stinging characterization. True believers are born of God and faith in Jesus (vs 28) but they will often be persecuted and mocked by those born of the flesh, just as Ishmael mocked Isaac (vs 29). Paul goes on to encourage the Galatians to listen to the verdict of scripture (vs 30) that it is impossible to inherit God's blessings on the basis of human merit or effort; furthermore, those who trust in Christ have no connection with the law as a means of obtaining divine favor. They (and we) are the children of Sarah, the free woman.
Activity For The Day - Hide And Seek
