21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.
24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,
“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”
28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.
30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.
5 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
Galatians 4:21-5:1
Dear God, I have to admit that I was tracking with Paul until he got to verse 30. I know I’m not supposed to disagree with scripture in this way so I’m not saying I’m right, but I don’t like the idea that Sarah did the right thing when she said, “Get rid of the slave and her son…” It seemed petty and insecure to me when she did this. At the same time, as I sit and think about it, I can imagine that it would have been hard to have a “free” family with this cloud of Hagar and Ishmael hanging around. Maybe the problem was with both the sin of using the slave to have a child in a human attempt to bring about your will (verse 4:23) and then Abraham sending them away in such a ruthless manner.
I think this is a reminder for me to wait on your timing. Last week, I was praying through the Matthias story and being reminded to not force things in my own wisdom and power but wait to wait on you and your timing. Now, I have this reminder of Abraham’s and Sarah’s mistake with Hagar. Now, I am trying to find a new doctor at work, and I am trying to ensure we have good coverage for our patients. My temptation is to glom onto the first lifeboat I see go by and not prayerfully wait for you to act.
Then there’s the freedom aspect of this passage. It reminds me of the book The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. The two lessons I learned from that book are that we ALL pick and choose what we want to follow out of the Bible and that there’s no way to do it and experience freedom and joy. In the end, I think the fruit of following it is the fruit that comes from attaching my branch to your vine.
Father, I have a lot of decisions to make today. Help me to make them well. I love you, Lord. I want to do all of the things in front of me the right way, depending upon you. Help me to do that well.
I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Amen
