AN ANALOGY FROM HAGAR AND SARAH

Passage: Galatians 4:21-31

Key verse: 4:31

NIV

Hagar and Sarah

21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law,(A) are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman(B) and the other by the free woman.(C) 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,(D) but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.(E)

24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above(F) is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:

“Be glad, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
    you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband.”[a](G)

28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.(H) 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh(I) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.(J) It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”[b](K) 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman,(L) but of the free woman.(M)

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Footnotes
  1. Galatians 4:27 Isaiah 54:1
  2. Galatians 4:30 Gen. 21:10
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Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Example of Hagar and Sarah

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, (A)one by a slave woman and (B)one by a free woman. 23 But (C)the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while (D)the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two (E)covenants. (F)One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;[a] she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But (G)the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

(H)“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
    break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
    than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you,[b] brothers, (I)like Isaac, (J)are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh (K)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, (L)so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? (M)“Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but (N)of the free woman.

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Footnotes
  1. Galatians 4:25 Some manuscripts For Sinai is a mountain in Arabia
  2. Galatians 4:28 Some manuscripts we
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

First, two different covenants (21-26). When Abraham and Sarah resigned themselves to childlessness, Abraham took Hagar, a slave woman, and had a son by her. The boy was born according to the flesh. Later God blessed Sarah to have a son, Isaac. He was born according to God's promise. Paul compares Hagar and Sarah to the covenants of law and grace. As Hagar and her children were slaves, so the law produces slavery to the law. But as Isaac was a child of promise, Christians are also children of God's promise in Jesus Christ. Second, you are children of promise (27-31). The Gentile Christians may have been small in number. But they would flourish if they held on to the gospel. (27) As Ishmael persecuted Isaac, (Ge. 21:9) so the false teachers persecuted the genuine Christians. But Paul encouraged the Galatians to remove them from their fellowship. They were a bad influence. The Galatians were not slaves but the free children of God because of Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making us children of your promise. Help me not to be legalistic and purge legalism from among us.

One Word: We are free children of God