Galatians 4:21-31 Hagar and Sarah (Genesis 21:9–21)
“Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born through the promise.
These things serve as illustrations, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written:
“Rejoice, O barren woman,
who bears no children;
break forth and cry aloud,
you who have never travailed;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”
Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time, however, the son born by the flesh persecuted the son born by the Spirit. It is the same now.
But what does the Scripture say? “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.”
Although slavery still exists in many parts of the world, most of us are unfamiliar with the grueling restrictions slavery brings to a culture. Someone else owns a slave; that means the owner controls everything about the slave-what and when they eat, where and when they sleep, what they wear, where they can go, or even whom they will marry. (For those of you historians, yes, this is a limited and sanitized list of restrictions.) In the American South, slaves who traveled away from the plantations to which they belonged had to wear metal discs around their necks indicating that they had their master’s permission to leave the plantation; otherwise, they were considered run-aways and could be captured and returned for a reward.
In Paul’s day, it was likely that slaves would have to get their master’s permission before doing practically anything. Masters dispatching slaves would have given them some token, perhaps a small scroll sealed with the master’s signet, to indicate that they were on legitimate business for their master. Children born to slaves were automatically considered slaves as well.
Here Paul is using the example of Hagar and Sarah to illustrate the difference between those following the Mosaic Law and expecting that will make them holy and those who are free in Christ Jesus. God promised Abraham that he would father a son who would succeed him. Sarah was so sure that God couldn’t possibly help her get pregnant in her old age that she gave her slave maid Hagar to Abraham as a concubine so that Hagar would bear a son, Ishmael, for Abraham. But when God finally fulfilled His promise and Sarah gave birth in her old age, Hagar’s son Ishmael mocked and tormented Isaac. Sarah became furious and demanded that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Genesis 21:9-10 tells us, “But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son, and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”
Paul is using the story of Hagar/Ishmael and Sarah/Isaac to illustrate the differences between following the Mosaic Laws as a means to holiness and being free in Christ Jesus. Paul asserts that those continuing to observe the Mosaic Law in hopes that they will gain holiness are bound for nothing but frustration, being in spiritual slavery to that law. (How can one know when one has followed the rules enough? There is always something more one can do.) But those who have believed in Christ Jesus are like Isaac, being children of the Promise. The Promise referred to here is the Promise that God would send a Messiah, who would deliver His people Israel. As the Messiah, Jesus is the fulfillment of that Promise, and all who believe in Jesus are sons and daughters of that Promise. Jesus has done what the Law could not do; He has given Himself as the ultimate blood sacrifice for the sins of the world. All who believe in Christ Jesus are new creatures, free from the bondage imposed on them by the rules and regulations of the Mosaic Law.
Reading this, you might think, “Well, that was fine in Paul’s day, but I’m not a slave to anything.” Oh yeah? What do you do first thing in the morning and the last thing at night? Do you pray and thank God for another day, or do you check out Facebook? How many times a day do you access social media of some kind? If you are unhappy, do you respond by going on an ice cream binge, stuffing your mouth with fast food, or turning to alcohol or going on a shopping spree? Do you have other rituals/practices that you follow routinely to make yourself feel better? Some people are addicted to pornography.
You may well be enslaved without realizing it. How important is the opinion of other people? Are you struggling to climb a corporate ladder while your family longs for you to spend more time with them? Or are you a minister or a missionary, giving all your time to your work and none to your family? Slavery situations come in all kinds of guises, many of them socially acceptable. But no matter the appearance, you are still enslaved.
One of the main messages of the entire book of Galatians is freedom in Christ Jesus. Once we have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord of our lives, we no longer need to turn to rituals or obsessive forms of behavior to satisfy our cravings. We are no longer enslaved, but free in Christ Jesus. “Hah!” you exclaim. “You don’t understand my situation.” No, you’re quite right; I don’t. But Jesus understands; in fact, Jesus understands you better than you understand yourself. Why not take your problems to Jesus and ask Him for solutions. The answers Jesus will give are far better than anything you can do for yourself. Why not let God’s amazing grace break the chains that still bind you?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are slaves to our appetites, our desires, and our fears. Please help us to yield up those things to which we are clinging so that You can free us to live lives of holiness dedicated to You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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