Galatians 4:21-31 = February 28

The Allegory Of Abraham’s Two Sons,                        4:21-31

Synopsis:         Do you desire to be under the Law?  Abraham had two sons. One son by the handmaid, Hagar. The other son by the free woman, Sarah.  One son was born after the flesh. The other son was born by promise.  These two sons represent the two covenants, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The son of Hagar represented the law of Moses, which was bondage.  The son of Sarah represented the New Covenant, which was freedom.  The slave woman and her son were to be cast out.  Christians are not of the slave woman. Christians are of the free woman.

21         Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

To those who wanted to be under the law, Paul asked, do you not hear the law?  Paul used an allegory to explain the meaning to them. He gave the spiritual meaning to a familiar Old Testament story (Genesis 16:1-4; 21:1-12).  The law taught it brings one into bondage. Paul taught freedom in Christ.

22         For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the free woman.

Abraham had two sons.  Ishmael was the son of the slave, Hagar. Isaac was the son of the free woman, Sarah.

23         Howbeit the son by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the son by the free woman is born through promise.

Ishmael was born in the natural way.  The union between Abraham and Hagar produced Ishmael.  Isaac was born as a result of the promise God made to Abraham and the faith Abraham had in God even after he had lost the power to have children (Romans 4:19; Hebrews 11:11-12).

24         Which things contain an allegory: for these women are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar.

The story of the two women and their sons was an allegory. The two women represented two covenants.  The covenant made to Abraham (4:18; 3:8, 16-18).  And the covenant made at mount Sinai with the children of Israel (Galatians 3:19, 24).  It was the law of Moses versus the New Covenant.  Hagar represented the law of Moses.  She was a slave and her children were in bondage.

25         Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children.

Hagar stood for the law given at mount Sinai, which is in Arabia. In this allegory, the physical Jerusalem represented the law of Moses and the Judaizing teachers.  Hagar and her children were in bondage.  The Jews were in bondage as well as the Judaizing teachers.

26         But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.

In verses 25 and 26, Paul mixed metaphors.  The contrast was first between the present Jerusalem and the future Jerusalem.  The second contrast was between Jerusalem below and Jerusalem above.  The Jerusalem below represented the law of Moses and its bondage.  The Jerusalem which was above represented the new covenant and its freedom.  The new Jerusalem was the mother of Christians.

27         For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not; For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband.

Paul quoted Isaiah 54:1.  The context was about the Babylonian captivity when Jerusalem was barren of her children.  The promise was that later she would have more children.  It was applied to Sarah and Hagar.  Sarah was barren at first.  The application was to the church.  Already there were more Gentile Christians than Jewish Christians.  The day would come when there would be more Christians than physical Jews.

28         Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.

Christians are children of promise like Isaac.  The true spiritual children of Abraham are those who believe in Jesus Christ and obey the gospel (Galatians 3:6-7). In this allegory the Jews were children of Hagar and Christians are children of Sarah and Isaac.

29         But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, so also it is now.

When Isaac was weaned, Ishmael was found mocking Isaac (Genesis 21:8-9).  Ishmael was the one born after the flesh.  Isaac was the one born after the Spirit.  Paul taught it was the same today.  The descendants of Ishmael (the Jews and Judaizing teachers) were persecuting the descendants of Isaac (Christians).

30         Howbeit what saith the scripture?  Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.

Sarah demanded Hagar and Ishmael be cast out of the home (Genesis 21:10).  God supported this (Genesis 21:12).  Ishmael could not inherit along with Isaac. The Jews could not inherit along with Christians. Jews could be children of promise; however, the Jews could not be children of promise by the law of Moses.  The Jews must believe in Jesus Christ and obey the gospel just as the Gentiles. The law had been "nailed" to the cross and was no longer binding.

31         Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman.

Paul summed up his argument by stating Christians were not children of Hagar, the slave woman.  Christians were children of Sarah, the free woman.  Christians were no longer in bondage under the law. Christians were spiritual sons of Abraham in Jesus Christ by obedience to the gospel.