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.
