Two Women, Two Sons, One Promise

[Read: Galatians 4:21-31]

Now, before you get all bent out of shape from reading this passage let me make a disclaimer. The people Paul was writing this letter to would not have made as big a deal about Abraham having kids from two different women, or the reference to the word slave. These concepts are touchy for us, so it is hard to overlook them, but if we intend to extract the meaning that I believe Paul was trying to get at, we’ll need to look past them.

Here’s how I understand this passage, Hagar and Sarah and their respective sons are being treated metaphorically. Hagar represents Abraham’s disobedience, while Sarah represents God’s sovereignty to fulfill His promises.

The background for Paul’s arguments can be found in Genesis 16 and Genesis 21, but let me give you the abbreviated version here.

o God told Abraham that He was going to make a great nation through Abraham’s children.
o Abraham waited most of his life struggling to have kids with his barren wife, Sarah.
o Abraham got frustrated waiting on God’s plan and he “took matters into his own hands”.
o Abraham and Sarah agreed to have kids through Hagar, Sarah’s servant.
o Later Sarah conceived a child (Isaac) and the promise that God gave to Abraham was fulfilled through him. (Isaac’s son’s name was Jacob. Jacob was later renamed Israel and Jacob’s 12 sons became the namesakes for the 12 tribes of Israel)

Back to Galatians: when Paul says that we are children of the free women, he is saying a lot. By accepting God’s promise of salvation, by placing our faith in Christ, we are participating in the promise of God. On the other hand, by trying to make it on our own, we are “taking matters into our own hands”.

Some of us just don’t like the idea that God is in charge. But guess what, it doesn’t matter what we like, He’s in charge anyway. If He gives us a promise, He will fulfill it, and any short cut we try will ultimately create nothing but heartache and disappointment.

There is only one way, God has already determined the way it will play out and His name is Jesus Christ!