Sons of Freedom

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

SONS OF FREEDOM

Gal 4:21-31

21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born in an ordinary way, but his son by the freewoman was born as the result of a promise. 24 These things may be taken figuratively, for 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 is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:

"Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband."  

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born in an ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does the 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."   31 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the freewoman.

NIV

This is rather a lengthy explanation or example of living under the law and living as free under the promise. The law is ordinary, the promise is supernatural. Paul shows this by the example of Hagar and Sarah, of Ishmael and Isaac. It is interesting how there is the whole religion of Islam which claims to be the sons of Ishmael and they are the true sons of Allah, but their god is not the same as God the Father who promised Abraham to be the father of many nations through his seed, who is Jesus. Isaac was born by means of the promise and we are therefore not like Ishmael or his descendants. We could go into a long discussion about how the god of Islam is not the God of the Bible, but the point is we are sons of the promise, of Isaac and therefore the bloodline of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, whose name was changed by God to Israel, which leads directly to Jesus. What Paul is also saying is that the physical Jerusalem stands as the Jews who are living under the law. It is not that the current Jerusalem belongs to Ishmael or his descendants, although it sort of appears they have overtaken the temple mount, which stands directly over Mount Moriah, which is the place where Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac. However, Jerusalem is still the holy city of the Jews. It was the place Solomon built the temple, but they still live under the law. Jerusalem which is from above is the new city that comes down from heaven. It is the final destination of all who believe by faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The Jerusalem which sits on Mount Moriah was built in an ordinary way, but the new city of Jerusalem coming down from heaven has been built in a supernatural way by Jesus. He has told us that he went to prepare a place for us and that because he has prepared a place for us, the New Jerusalem, he would come back to take us to that place. It is certain any son of Ishmael cannot and will not do that. No, we are to get rid of the slave woman, or the law, and live as sons of the free woman, sons of the promise, and thus we will share in the inheritance with Jesus.