Who Is Your Mother?

Galatians 4: 21-31 

Paul has just said that he was perplexed by these Galatians. Here's why. 

Tell me, you who want to be under Law, do you not listen to the Law? 

He's asking them, Do you even know what the Law says, what you are proposing to saddle yourselves with? Do you realize what you're doing? 

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

The story about Abraham and Sarah and Sarah's Egyptian slave Hagar. You can find it in Genesis chapters 16, 17 and 21.

But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the Promise. 

Sarah had convinced Abraham to have a son by her slave, who would legally be Sarah's child, since Hagar was Sarah's property. So Ishmael was born to the slave because of Sarah and Abraham conniving to bring about God's promise by themselves. 

But Isaac was born by a miracle, of Sarah who was barren and now even in menopause, and Abraham who was 100 years old and hadn't been able to even have relations with his wife for many years. So it had nothing to do with their decisions.  

This is allegorically speaking, 

These people really did live, and these things really did happen to them. It's real history. But these stories also teach us lessons. As an allegory, it's a spiritual lesson learned from the physical people who made these decisions. 

So here's the spiritual lesson:

for these women are two covenants: 

There is the covenant of the promises that Abraham's descendants would be innumerable and that they would inherit the Promised Land. Then there was the covenant of the Law God gave to Moses on Sinai. Two separate contracts.

one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 

Hagar was a slave, the property of Sarah, and had no legal rights. Her children are all in the same bondage she is in. 

Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 

Sinai is where God gave the Law to Moses. And the Jerusalem is the physical city of Jerusalem, in the World. Still in bondage. 

But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 

This is the spiritual Jerusalem, the Holy City to come, that is a reality now in those of us who are born of the Spirit. This is the New Covenant bought by Christ with His Blood.  

For it is written: 

"Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; for more numerous are the children of the desolate than of the one who has a husband" (Isaiah 54: 1).

And you, brethren, like Isaac, are children of Promise. 

Now Paul refers to the Millennial Reign of Christ, when He will rule the World from Jerusalem personally as King. And all we who are born of the Spirit will participate in Jesus' government. 

But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 

This refers to when Ishmael was mocking Isaac at the time of the party given for Isaac's weaning; and Sarah was upset and threw Hagar and her son out (Genesis 21: 1-12).

But what does the Scripture say? 

"Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman" (see Genesis 21: 10).

So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman. 

Both boys had the same father, but the slave and her children are in bondage; we, having been born into God's family, are free, having been born by Promise and grace. 

Paul here concludes his argument in favor of grace and Promise, with this concrete story of the slave woman and the free woman and their children, representing Law and Promise. 

Paul has Hagar represent Sinai, where the Law was given, then Jerusalem, where the Law was being administered by the Jewish leaders, who Ishmael represents. 

He has Sarah represent the Heavenly Jerusalem, the miraculous, the Promise, and we are the Isaac, who was the heir of Abraham. 

So we inherit the Promises because of God's miraculous working in our hearts, not because of any rules or commandments we followed. 

Paul is amazed that these Galatians want to go back to being bound to obey all the stipulations of the body of rules and regulations being imposed upon them by the Judaizers who came from Jerusalem, after experiencing the freedom of the grace of Christ. 

O my Father, please help us to realize the freedom You have given to us as Your Royal children. You have put Your Law into our hearts, and we want to obey Your will because You have Loved us so unconditionally. And in loving You back, we also love who You love, our fellow human beings. So we love our neighbors the way You have loved us, and we are obeying all the rules, and even going beyond the letter, down to the spirit of the Law. 

Please show Your children Your ways, help us to follow You even in the crunch of the moment. Continue to mold and make us into the very image of Your dear Son, that His character would be in us, and our lives will show Christ to all who are in our little worlds. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!