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Lesson 10 Galatians 4:21-31 Sarah or Hagar

Dedication · Senior Member

The first giving of a covenant:

Read Genesis 3:15, the first gospel promise in the Bible. Where in that verse do you see an inkling of the hope that we have in Christ?

"her seed" –the seed of the woman — A future descendant of Eve, would bruise the head of the serpent.

That "seed" is Christ
The serpent is the devil, satan.
"The head" represents the controlling power

Here was the first promise of a Saviour who would stand on the field of battle to contest the power of Satan and prevail against him.

Romans 16:20 "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."

At the cross, even though Satan bruised the body of Christ, He could not touch the "head" -- he could not polute the mind of Christ or take away His authority.

But Christ broke the power of Satan over sinners.
Satan is a defeated foe.
Those in Christ have passed from Satan's dominion to be in Christ's dominion. Adopted children of God!

Christ is the head of the church and in Him we overcome.
The members of his body follow the directions of the Head, just as the members of the human body obey the impulses of the mind.

Rev.12:11 And they overcame him (the dragon, satan) by the blood of the Lamb

Dedication · Senior Member

God's promises are sure.
His covenant offering redemption to sinners was made sure with an awful price -- the cruel death of God's own Son.

And Christ "is able also to save them to the uttermost" (Heb. 7:25)

Yes, God does all the saving, we can earn nothing to merit it. Yet, there are conditions. Why was only Abraham chosen and offered the glorious covenant of salvation?

And why did so many of Abraham's descendants lose out on the covenant promises?
Why was Jacob chosen and not Esau?

What were the conditions?
It was NOT their flawless character, for they were not flawless.

I think Isaiah spells out the condition–

Isaiah 1:18-20 Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient,…
But if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured…

Are we willing to trust and obey?

Esau had despised the blessings of the covenant. The things of this world were more important to him, so he was excluded.

Jacob's desires were for the spiritual — even though he sinned with all his connivings and lying, God saw his heart and its desires for spiritual things. And by God's grace the sinful elements of his character were consumed in God's furnace, the true gold was refined, until faith was brought to full maturity.

The condition is faith — it is to take hold of faith (for even faith is a gift) and start walking with Christ, placing our full dependence upon Him.

Had Abraham remained in Ur, and not stepped out in faith I don't believe we would be reading about him in the Bible, nor about the covenant made with Abraham and his descendants.

Hebrews 11:8-10 tells us it was by faith Abraham obeyed and followed God's call. His focus was on heavenly things rather than earthly things.

And who are the descendants of Abraham who will inherit the promises?

In John 8:33-42 Jesus makes some plain statements that being a physical descendant is not the criteria.

Galatians makes many more plain statements:

Gal. 3:7 You know therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Gal. 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Gal. 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Ephesians 2:12 At one time you (Gentiles) were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who were outside are made near by the blood of Christ.
2:14 For he is our peace, who has made both (Jew and Gentile) one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition

-- Edited by Dedication on Tuesday 29th of November 2011 11:27:51 PM

Dedication · Senior Member

4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

The two covenants pertain to two cities.
Jerusalem which represents the old covenant.
It will never be free.
It will be replaced by the City of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven. Revelation 3:12; 21:1-5.
It is the city for which Abraham sought — the "city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Hebrews 11:10.

Many today look to the present Jerusalem as the focal point of earth's restoration.

For such "to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted." 2 Corinthians 3:14. They can't see that the Covenant to Abraham's desendants are to those who have accepted the promised "SEED" which is Christ, no matter if they be Jew or Gentile. It's not naturally born desendants, but those born again in Christ, that are heirs according to the promise.

They are in reality looking to Mount Sinai and the old covenant for salvation. Complete with a restoration of the temple and all it's rituals!

But it is not to be found there. "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; . . . but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, . . . and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." Hebrews 12:18-24, KJV.

Whoever looks to the present Jerusalem for blessings is looking to the old covenant to Mount Sinai, to slavery. But whoever worships with his face toward the New Jerusalem, seeing Christ in the heavenly temple mediating for them, are looking to the new covenant, to Mount Zion, and to freedom; for "Jerusalem above is free."
That was true in Paul's day and is equally relevant today as the Christian world looks to old Jerusalem for the fulfilment of Christ's kingdom!

From what is it free? It offers us freedom from sin; and since it is our "mother," it begets us anew — born again, to newness of life in Christ.
Free from the law? Yes, certainly, for the law has no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

But scripture plainly tells us to let no one deceive you, by telling you that you may now trample underfoot and disregard that law which God Himself proclaimed in such awful majesty from Sinai.

Coming to Mount Zion, to Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary, the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, we find forgiveness and through His grace become free from the dominion of sin which is the transgression of the law.

The basis of God's throne in "Zion" is His law, and no matter how one defines it — that law includes those ten commandments. From the throne proceed the same lightnings and thunderings and voices (Revelation 4:5; 8:5; 11:19) as from Sinai, because the selfsame law is there. But remember it is also "the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16), the precious blood of the Lamb on the mercy seat enables us to come to it boldly, assured that from God we shall obtain mercy.

God's grace is there to help in time of need, and in the hour of temptation to sin, for out of the midst of the throne, from the slain Lamb (Revelation 5:6), flows the river of water of life bringing to us from the heart of Christ "the law of the Spirit of life." Romans 8:2.

The covenant of grace brings life to all who by faith take hold on it and look to Christ with their thoughts turned to heavenly things.

(Some of the thoughts above came from Waggonner's "Glad Tidings".)

Dedication · Senior Member

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Gen. 17:7. {FLB 77.1}

As the Bible presents two laws, one changeless and eternal, the other provisional and temporary, so there are two covenants. The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden, when after the Fall, there was given a divine promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. To all men this covenant offered pardon, and the assisting grace of God for future obedience through faith in Christ. It also promised them eternal life on condition of fidelity to God's law. Thus the patriarchs received the hope of salvation. {FLB 77.2}

This same covenant was renewed to Abraham in the promise, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Gen. 22:18. This promise pointed to Christ. So Abraham understood it, and he trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It was this faith that was accounted unto him for righteousness. The covenant with Abraham also maintained the authority of God's law. The Lord appeared unto Abraham, and said, "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." The testimony of God concerning His faithful servant was, "Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." Gen. 17:1; 26:5. . . . {FLB 77.3}

The Abrahamic covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ, and it is called the "second," or "new," covenant, because the blood by which it was sealed was shed after the blood of the first covenant. {FLB 77.4}
The covenant of grace is not a new truth, for it existed in the mind of God from all eternity. This is why it is called the everlasting covenant. {FLB 77.5}

There is hope for us only as we come under the Abrahamic covenant, which is the covenant of grace by faith in Christ Jesus. The gospel preached to Abraham, through which he had hope, was the same gospel that is preached to us today. . . . Abraham looked unto Jesus, who is also the author and the finisher of our faith.

Dedication · Senior Member

Whydoes Paul have such a disparaging view of the incident with Hagar? Gal. 4:21–31, Genesis 16. What crucial point about salvation is Paul making through his use of this Old Testament story?

How does one become a child of God?

A child was promised to Abraham and Sarah.
Physically it was impossible, especially as Sarah passed the child-bearing age.

We have the promise of becoming sons and daughters of God
Physically that is impossible for we are all sinners, unsuitable as heavenly citizens.

Abraham and Sarah took things into their own hands and used "beggarly" methods, which their culture looked upon as the way to do it, but which by God's righteous standard was sin. The result was a son, but it was a son born to slavery, because the mother was a slave.

When we use "beggarly" methods which culture looks upon as the way to do it, in order to gain favor with God, the result is that we are still a child enslaved -- enslaved to sin.

When we cling to God's promises and walk in faith with Christ we become children of God, cleansed from sin and free to serve Christ in righteousness!

Abraham's experience with Hagar/Ishmael represents people who base their religious experience on what they can do for themselves without divine intervention from God, while the Sarah/Isaac experience represents people who trust in what God has done and is doing in their lives. They depend on God's promises and Christ's saving grace to do what is physically impossible for mankind to do for themselves and they are led by God's Spirit.

The Jerusalem of Paul's day was in slavery with her children (Galatians 4:25) because they were making the same mistake that Abraham made with Hagar. Looking to earthly means rather than walking in faith. They believed that they were God's children because of all the rituals and ceremonies they had or were taking part in. They didn't recognize their need for Divine intervention for the promise to be fulfilled. It wasn't a faith relationship based on God's grace and promises for restoration from the slavery of sin. Self dependance leads to self righteousness which replaced Christ's righteousness.

Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

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Two Covenants