Sarah V.S. Hagar (Galatians 4:21-26)

“Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.” (Galatians 4:21-26, English Standard Version)

Paul closes the doctrinal section of the book of Galatians with one final argument to show the superiority of grace over law, of faith over works. Remember our theme verse for Galatians: “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (2:16). The argument Paul presents is an allegorical argument. He is going to extract a spiritual principle from a factual story.

I want to emphasize “factual story.” Many liberal Christian theologians want to assert that the Old Testament historical books (Genesis through Esther) are nothing more than fables; and that their only purpose is to impart practical life lessons. Think of them as the Jewish version of Aesop’s fables or Grimm’s fairy tales. Without getting too detailed, I want to assert that the Old Testament historical books are just that—historical books. The events they describe actually happened. However, First Corinthians 10:11 says the things written down in the Old Testament were written for our instruction (“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”), so there is nothing wrong with drawing spiritual lessons from them. Secondly, I want to caution against another fallacy, and that is looking for a deeper, spiritual meaning in every single Old Testament story. Paul was inspired and we’re not! Much bad teaching has come from over-spiritualizing the Old Testament stories. Sometimes a story is just meant to be taken at face value.

Without further ado, let’s examine the text. I want to draw three points from this passage: 1) The historical backdrop; 2) The moral of the historical story; and 3) The allegory drawn from the historical story.

1. The Historical Backdrop (“Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman”). Paul opens this passage with the phrase, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?” He is prefacing his argument with a warning. Back in chapter 3, he made a similar statement, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse” (3:10). He is reminding them of the consequences of trying to live by the Mosaic Law. This is a common failing among religious legalists. They want everyone else to abide by their moral standards, yet they themselves fail to do so.

Paul next introduces the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar (told in Genesis 16). Abraham was promised a natural son by God (cf. Genesis 15:4), but by the time Abraham was 85 years old, he still had no children. Sarah devises a plan for Abraham to sleep with her servant, Hagar (disregarding the obvious sin involved with this). Abraham does so, and Hagar gives birth to a son named Ishmael. Thirteen years later, God makes good on his promise to Abraham, and Sarah gives birth to Isaac, the child of promise (cf. Genesis 21). From that moment on, there was friction between the two boys—the child of promise and the child of the flesh.

2. The Moral of the Historical Story (“But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise”). There are two words I want to focus on in this verse: “Flesh” and “promise.” The word “flesh” has two main meanings in the New Testament. One meaning is simply “flesh.” It refers to our physical bodies (i.e., when the Bible says that Jesus died in the flesh, it means he died physically). The other meaning refers to the principle of sin that lies within us all and is directly opposed to the workings of the Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 8:1-8). Paul is using the second meaning here. The other word, “promise,” refers to that which is of faith. Abraham believed the promises of God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (cf. Genesis 15:6); his faith in God and his promises put him right standing with God.

The moral of the story is quite clear. When we do things God’s way—i.e., when we act according to our faith—we are blessed. When we do things our way—i.e., when we act according to our flesh—God doesn’t bless that. And as we shall see later, we will always reap the consequences of our actions.

3. The Allegory Drawn from the Historical Story (“Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother”). Paul now draws the spiritual application from the story. Hagar, the servant woman of Sarah, represents the old covenant—the law given from Mount Sinai. People who pursue works righteousness (an “I can do it” attitude) are the spiritual children of Hagar along with Ishmael. They are fellow slaves with Hagar. Sarah, the free woman, represents the new covenant of faith and promise. People who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have thrown off the bonds of the Law and the curse that it brings. They are the spiritual children of Sarah along with Isaac—children of faith and promise.

Application Time. When Abraham followed Sarah’s advice and conceived a child through Hagar, he tried to accomplish in the flesh what God had promised to provide miraculously. What was the result? Abraham’s first son, Ishmael, was the progenitor of the Arab people who have been bitter enemies with God’s people to this very day!

God has made us many promises, and if we have faith in God and in his righteous character, then we should wait for God to fulfill his promises in his time. Whenever we lose patience (and believe me, I can relate to this) and attempt to fulfill in our flesh what God has promised to fulfill by faith, the results can be unpredictable at best and disastrous at worst. God is pleased when we live our lives by faith because it shows the watching world that God works in the life of a Christian.

Bottom Line. I close with some wisdom from Solomon: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Have a blessed day!

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