Galatians 4 – Ministry of Grace Church

Category: Galatians 4

Galatians 4:31 – Reborn Free

Posted on January 16, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:31

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

Truth to Learn

We are spiritually born free; therefore, we should live as freeborn sons and not as slaves to the law.

Behind the Words

The word translated “So then” is ara. Technically, this is called an inferential particle. Its basic function is to mark a transition to what naturally follows from the words preceding. We could paraphrase the first part of this verse as, “So, it naturally follows, brethren, that we …”

The word translated “free,” as we have discussed previously, refers to someone who is free to move about wherever he or she wants to go. It refers to someone who is not a slave but is a free man. This word is normally written as a masculine noun; whereas, here it is written as a feminine noun. Hence, this should have been translated as “freewoman.”

Meaning Explained

In chapter three of Galatians, Paul explained to us that the law was given to show man just how sinful he is. Paul pointed out that a person cannot be justified by the law because no one, except Christ Himself, can keep the whole law. But the law served as a guard to keep us aware of just how sinful we are until the Messiah (the Christ) should come. It also served as our tutor to lead us to Christ so that we might eventually become justified by faith in Him. Paul completed the chapter by telling us that through faith we are now sons of Abraham and heirs according to the promise made to him.

In chapter four Paul showed us that when the Son of God came, born of a woman, He perfectly fulfilled the law so that He might redeem us (purchase us and take us out of the marketplace). Then, because we are redeemed, we can receive the adoption as sons of God, and we can call God Abba, Father. And, since we are adopted, we have become heirs of God.

The only weakness of this line of reasoning is that the Jews could have responded that they were already the sons of Abraham by birth through the flesh. These same Jews were teaching the Galatians that they, too, had to become as a Jew to be fully saved. This is why Paul then presented the Allegory of Ishmael and Isaac. The children of Abraham by birth through the flesh (Jews) are like Ishmael who was the result of Abraham and Sarah taking matters into their own hands to produce a son for Abraham.

We, who are adopted sons of God through faith (Christians), are like Isaac, who came from Abraham and Sarah through faith even when they were too old to have children. And, as a result of the mocking of the child of promise (Isaac) by the child of the flesh (Ishmael), the child of the flesh was cast out and declared to not be an heir with the son of promise.

Now, Paul tells us that we cannot be the sons of the bondwoman because we have already been declared as heirs, and it naturally follows that we are not sons of the bondwoman but of the freewoman. Therefore, we are free born.

Application

When we were saved through faith in the blood of Christ, we became born spiritually and adopted into the family of God. Therefore, we should live as freeborn children of God and not as slaves under the bondage of the law.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Galatians 4:30 – Cast Out Legalism

Posted on January 15, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:30

Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”

Truth to Learn

Get rid of your legalistic rules and practices. They have no place alongside a life of faith.

Behind the Words

“What does the Scripture say?” Once again Paul uses a quotation from the Old Testament to make his point. His use of the scriptural passage, however, is not a direct quotation, for he changes a few words to more fully apply to his point. He changes the expression “with my son” to “with the son of the freewoman.” The passage he quotes is:

Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” (Genesis 21:10)

The expression “shall not be heir” is from the Greek ou mē klēronomēsei. The words ou mē express a double negative, which in English is bad grammar. It Greek, however, it is used to express the intensity of the negation. In effect, what Sarah said is, “There is no way whatsoever that the son of this bondwoman will be an heir along with my son!”

Meaning Explained

We learned with the previous verse that at Isaac’s weaning party, Ishmael, the teenage son of Hagar, was seen mocking Isaac. This made Sarah quite angry, and she responded by insisting that Abraham get rid of Hagar and her son. Since Hagar was her servant girl, normally Sarah would have full say in what was done to Hagar, but since her son was also the son of Abraham, she insisted that Abraham be the one to take the action.

Understandably, Abraham was distressed at the thought of abandoning his eldest son and his son’s mother. If you read the passage in Genesis 21:11-21, you will see that God confirmed to Abraham that it was appropriate for him to cast out Hagar and Ishmael.

Paul has been telling the Galatian Christians that their relationship with God is solely dependent on faith without any works of the law. There was not to be any toleration for intermingling legalism with faith. Isaac represented those who are spiritually saved and sustained through faith, and Ishmael represented those who tried to complete salvation through the works of the law. By using this allegory, Paul is clearly teaching that the works of the law were to be cast off from a life of faith. There is no way that works of the law have any place with a life of faith.

Application

Salvation comes by grace through faith in the Word of God, not by works of the law. And, as James tells us in his epistle, good works are the result of salvation, not the source of salvation. If we are genuinely saved, then we will do deeds that demonstrate to the world that we are truly a child of God. However, doing works or obeying a set of church rules or ordinances has nothing to do with our relationship or our fellowship with God. Period!

That’s what Paul says.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:29 – Jealous Bondage

Posted on January 14, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:29

But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.

Truth to Learn

The bondage of legalism and religious acts of the flesh will not produce freedom or peace, but they may produce jealousy.

Behind the Words

The word translated “persecuted” is diōkō, which means “to pursue, either in a good sense or a bad sense.” When used as it is in this verse it is often translated as “persecute.” Paul most likely makes this point based on what Moses wrote about Isaac and Ishmael in Genesis chapter 21. In this description Moses uses the Hebrew word which is translated “laughing” or “scoffing,” but the Septuagint uses the word paidzō, which means “to make sport of” or “to mock.”

Background

About ten years after God promised Abram that he would have a son, he and Sarai still had no children. So, they decided to take matters into their own hands and have a child by Hagar, Sarai’s servant girl. But when Hagar became pregnant, she made Sarai feel even worse for not being able to bear children.

Thirteen years later, God again promised Abram that he and Sarai would have children. In fact, God promised him that he would be the father of many nations and renamed him. He would no longer be called Abram (exalted father), but Abraham (father of a multitude). Sarai (princess) was also given a new name; she was now called Sarah (nobelwoman). The amazing thing about this is that Abraham was now one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety, yet they believed that God could give them a child together. Their faith had matured.

And, true to God’s promise, a year later Sarah gave birth to a son whom they named Isaac (laughter). At the time of Isaac’s weaning (Ishmael was probably about 15 or 16 years old) they had a celebration. Here’s what Moses wrote about it:

So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. (Genesis 21:8, 9)

It is this scoffing, or mocking, that Paul makes reference to in Galatians 4:29. Since the day of Isaac’s weaning, the descendents of Ishmael (the Arabs) have been mortal enemies of the sons of Isaac (the Israelites).

Meaning Explained

The point that Paul is making in this verse is this: just at Isaac (the son of promise) was persecuted by Ishmael (the son of the flesh), so the Christians (children of promise) of the first century were being persecuted by the Jews (children of the flesh). And, these Jews in the flesh were trying to entrap the Galatian Christians in their bondage of legalism.

Application

Throughout this letter of Paul’s to the Galatian Christians, he has repeatedly shown them that the key to freedom in Christ is living by faith. Without faith, the legalistic works of the flesh will tend to make those who are in bondage jealous of those who are free.

Are you jealous of other Christians who seem to be at peace with God? Are you living by faith?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:28 – Children of Promise

Posted on January 10, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:28

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.

Truth to Learn

We are the children of God through believing what He tells us in the Bible and works of the flesh add nothing to that.

Behind the Words

The New Testament was written in Greek, which was the predominant language of the Roman Empire from about 300 BC to about 300 AD. Since it was the language that was common to nearly all the Roman world, it is referred to as Koine (meaning common) Greek.

Most of the books of the New Testament were originally written and sent as circulating letters called epistles, which were passed from one church to the next. As a church received a letter they would make a copy of it to keep and pass the original on to the next church. Since most of the originals and early copies were written on papyrus, which becomes very fragile over time, all of the originals (referred to as autographs) and early copies have disappeared. Most of the copies that exist today were written on vellum (animal skin) or other more durable material. Today there are more than 4000 copies or fragments of the writings of the New Testament dating from as early as the fourth century AD.

Scribes who made the copies were very meticulous in copying the text exactly as it appeared in the version they were copying. Whether intentional or not, occasionally a single letter or word was changed in the copying process. In some cases entire words were added or left out. As a result, of the copies that exist today, there is a variation in the text of some verses (referred to as variant readings). Though these differences exist, few if any, have any significant effect on the major doctrines of the New Testament.

An example of a variant reading is found in the beginning of Galatians 4:28. In most texts the first word in the Greek for this verse is hēmeis, which means “we,” although a few texts have it as humeis, meaning “you.” As can be seen, the difference between whether Paul was saying “we” or “you” is insignificant, since he was referring to Christians.

Meaning Explained

Paul here makes his first conclusion from the allegory between Ishmael and Isaac. In verse 23 he told us that Ishmael was born according to flesh. He was produced by fleshly acts on the part of Abram and Sarai (through Hagar). Ishmael was the result of them doing things which they judged to be necessary to produce the result they were seeking. Isaac, on the other hand, was born according to the promise. He was produced by faith, faith that God would produce the promised son through Abram and Sarai. He was not the result of them doing, but believing.

According to Paul we, like Isaac, are children of promise; that is, our spiritual birth is a result of our believing what God tells us in His Word, not from performing any acts or actions with our body of flesh. Hence, the teaching of the false teachers in the Galatian churches must be wrong, since it indicates that salvation is, at least in part, dependent on keeping the Law of Moses.

Application

If our spiritual birth which makes us the children of God is based solely on faith, why would it be necessary for us to improve on that relationship through works?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:27 – The Whole Bible

Posted on January 9, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:27

For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.”

Truth to Learn

Even in the Old Testament, God indicated that the true church will one day outnumber the Jews by birth.

Behind the Words

The word “barren” is translated from the Greek ou tiktousa, which literally means “the one who is not having children.”

Meaning Explained

This passage is quoted from the Septuagint version (Greek translation of the Old Testament) of Isaiah 54:1 which says:

Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman, says the LORD.

The Isaiah passage was probably intended for the Jews who were captive in Babylon. This is one of the passages in the Old Testament where God is speaking of the Jews as his wife, spiritually speaking, for Isaiah 54:5 says:

For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

Both chapters sixteen and twenty-three of Ezekiel show how God considers the Jews His wife and how he considers their idolatry as harlotry. This spiritual harlotry is the very reason why God judged them with the Babylonian captivity. But in Isaiah he reassures them that there will come a day when they will have far more children than those in whose land they are being held captive.

In the past few verses of Galatians, Paul has allegorized the son of Hagar (Ishmael) and the son of Sarah (Isaac) as a picture of Jews who are children of Abram by birth but who are spiritually dead (sons of Hagar) and Christians who are sons of Abram through faith in the promise (sons of Sarai). He is applying this verse to show that the sons of Sarai will be greater than the sons of Hagar. It was Sarai’s inability to have children that ultimately led to God promising Abram that he would be the father of many nations through her. And it was Abram’s belief in that promise which resulted in his being declared righteous by God.

The point that Paul is making is that through Isaiah, God has promised us (Christians) that the sons of the barren one (Sarai) will one day outnumber the unbelieving Jews (the sons of Hagar). So, why did Paul quote this passage? The false teachers were teaching the Galatians that they had to be Jews to be saved and Paul is using their own Jewish Bible to demonstrate to them that it is not through the observance of rules and laws that we are the children of Abraham but through faith (sons of promise).

Application

Some have falsely tried to claim that the Old Testament is not for Christians, but for Jews. There are many truths in the Old Testament which are directly applicable to Christians today.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:26 – Jerusalem Free

Posted on January 8, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:26

but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Truth to Learn

We can choose freedom through simple faith in Christ or bondage through observance of a set of commands.

Behind the Words

The word translated “above” is ano, which means “up high” or “above.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has been using an allegory comparing Ishmael, the son of Hagar who represents an agreement that is embodied in a set of spiritual rules and regulations, and Isaac, the son of Sarai who represents an agreement based on the promises made by God. He is using this allegory because the Galatian Christians had been taught by false teachers that in order to be completely Christian they had to become sons of Abraham through observance of the Jewish ceremonial laws and rituals, especially that of circumcision.

In the previous verse Paul said that Hagar represents Mount Sinai where the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses were given and that she corresponds to Jerusalem as it existed at the time of the writing of this letter. The significant thing about Jerusalem at that time was the fact that it was under Roman rule. Its inhabitants were not free but were under the yoke of Roman bondage.

He now talks about another Jerusalem, the high up Jerusalem or the above Jerusalem. The word that he uses for Jerusalem is the Hebrew rendering of the name Ierousalēm, rather than the Greek rendering, Ierosoluma. And, according to Marvin R. Vincent in his Word Studies in the New Testament:

The phrase Jerusalem which is above was familiar to the rabbinical teachers, who conceived the heavenly Jerusalem as the archetype of the earthly. On the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom, the heavenly archetype would be let down to earth, and would be the capital of the messianic theocracy.

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John describes the heavenly Jerusalem this way:

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:1, 2)

And John later says of this city:

But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelation 21:27)

This heavenly Jerusalem, according to Paul, is the mother of us all, referring to Christians. The heavenly Jerusalem is free just as God’s promises to us are free to all who will receive them.

Application

Who would want to be part of a city in bondage when they could be part of a city that is free? Do you want to be in bondage to church rules and man-made regulations or set free to live as God intended through faith in Jesus Christ?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:25 – Jerusalem Bound

Posted on January 7, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:25

for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children—

Truth to Learn

We have been set free from the slavery which is produced by trying to live by the Law, and we want to remain free.

Behind the Words

“This Hagar” is translated from the Greek to hagar. Since Hagar is a feminine name it is normally accompanied with feminine articles when used in reference to Sarai’s handmaid. But the article used here, to, is a neuter article indicating that Paul is not referring to Hagar the person but Hagar the thing. The proper name Hagar in Arabic signifies “wanderer or fugitive” from the Arabic word hadschar. There is a very similar Arabic word, chadschar, which means “a rock or a stone.”

The word translated “corresponds” is the Greek word sustoicheō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and stoicheō, which means “to advance or proceed in order.” It is a military term used in reference to soldiers in the same column or phalanx who must advance together without breaking ranks. Figuratively, however, sustoicheo is used to express when one thing corresponds to or logically parallels another.

Meaning Explained

There has been much discussion over the centuries as to what Paul meant when he said, “this Hagar is Mount Sinai.” He is not saying that Sarai’s handmaid, Hagar, is a great mountain called Sinai. As noted above, he uses a neuter article in reference to Hagar so as to refer to Hagar as a thing, not a person. This grammatical construction is often used when one thing is being used as representing something else. An example of this type of usage is in the familiar communion passage:

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)

In this verse in Luke, “This” is a neuter article whereas “bread” is masculine. Christ was saying “This thing is,” or “This bread represents.” Similarly, in the current verse Paul is saying “this Hagar represents Mount Sinai, that is, the Law.” The point Paul is making is that as Hagar represents the Law, her son (Ishmael) is born of the covenant of the Law and as Sarai represents the promise, her son (Isaac) is born of the covenant of promise.

Also, Paul is going to be making a comparison between the Jerusalem which is now (the city of Jerusalem which currently exists physically) and New Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem which will appear as part of the new heavens and the new earth revealed in Revelation 21:1, 2. By making the comparative reference to Hagar and the Law corresponding to the current Jerusalem, Paul is saying that they are all part of the covenant of bondage, whereas faith in Christ is part of the covenant of freedom.

Application

Freedom and slavery can be looked at from many different angles, both physically and spiritually. Once freed from slavery, however, no one wants to voluntarily return to slavery.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:24 – Covenant of Bondage

Posted on January 6, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:24

which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar—

Truth to Learn

Living your life under a collection of spiritual rules and guidelines produces bondage.

Behind the Words

It was pointed out a few verses back that Paul is using an allegory of the first two sons of Abram, Ishmael and Isaac. Here’s why. The word translated “symbolic” is the Greek word allēgoreō, from which we get our English word allegory. The Greek word is made up of allos, meaning “another” and agoreuō, meaning “to speak in a place of assembly.” This word means “a thing spoken of as emblematic of something else.”

The word translated “covenants” is diathēkē, which means “to set out in order.” It is the word used to describe the setting in order of property before death. Today we call it a will or a testament.

“Gives birth” is translated from gennaō, meaning “to generate,” that is, to produce offspring. In this case Paul is saying that the covenant from Mt. Sinai produces bondage.

In Greek there is a type of conjunction (one or more words that join two ideas) called a correlative conjunction. One type of correlative conjunction is used to say “on the one hand … on the other hand.” This appears in the Greek text as the words men and de. In the current text, men occurs in this verse but de does not occur until verse 28.

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses Paul introduced the two sons of Abraham: Ishmael, the son of flesh, and Isaac, the son of promise. He now tells us that he is going to be using these two as an allegory, that is, the symbolic use of one thing to teach another. Here, he says that these two sons represent the two covenants. The one covenant is that which God made with the Jews at Mt. Sinai. Paul does not specifically say what the other covenant is, but the Greek correlative conjunction men … de tells us that the other covenant is in verse 28, namely, “the promise.”

Mt. Sinai is where God presented Moses with the Ten Commandments and where the remainder of the Law was orally given to him, later to be written down by Moses in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Paul tells us that the covenant given at Mt. Sinai produces bondage (he goes into much more depth regarding the bondage of the Law in Romans, chapters three through eight).

He further points out that the bondage produced by the Law of Moses, represented by Mt. Sinai, is symbolized by Hagar. It is interesting to note that at the time of Paul’s writing of this letter the Arabs referred to Mt. Sinai as Mt. Hagar.

Paul will continue with his allegorical treatment of Ishmael and Isaac in the following verses.

Application

The Law of Moses is a covenant of slavery, whereas faith in Christ is a covenant of freedom. Which covenant do you want as a testament of your life?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:23 – Flesh or Promise?

Posted on January 3, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:23

But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise,

Truth to Learn

Works of the flesh, like obeying man made spiritual laws and rules, do not please God. What He wants is faith.

Behind the Words

The word translated “flesh” is sarx, which refers to “the flesh of a living creature.”

The word translated “according to” is kata, which primarily means “down” but it has many functions within the Greek language. Among those uses is a metaphorical one which refers to “a state or condition in which anything is or is done.” In this sense it is often translated as “according to.” This is how it is used in the current verse. The meaning here is that the one born of the bondwoman was conceived through an act of the flesh.

The word translated “promise” is a noun form of the verb epangello. This is made up of epi, which is used here as an intensifier and angello meaning “to proclaim or announce.” Hence, the verb epangello means “to make a promise by proclamation.”

Finally, the word translated “through” is dia, which can refer to motion as in “through the land” or agency as in “through the power of the Holy Spirit.” In this case it refers to agency.

Meaning Explained

As was discussed in the previous verse, Ishmael was born as a result of Sarai giving her handmaid, Hagar, to Abram for the purpose of having a child. In the customs of the time, it was accepted that if a woman could not bear children then she could offer her servant girl to her husband for the purpose of having a child. Since the servant girl was the property of the wife, the child born to the servant was considered to have come from the wife.

Paul’s point in this verse is to show that Abram and Sarai were taking matters into their own hands instead of trusting in God. The Lord had already told Abram that he would have an heir who would come from his own body. In fact, God told Abram that his descendents would be as numerous as the stars of heaven.

And behold, the word of the LORD came to [Abram], saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” (Genesis 15:4, 5)

The next verse even tells us that Abram believed God and, as a result, God declared him righteous. But Abram’s faith was weak, so he and Sarai took matters into their own hands. What God wanted was to bless them with a miracle and all Abram and Sarai had to do was believe Him. Paul is using this allegory to show the Galatian Christians that performing works of the flesh is taking matters into their own hands instead of simply having faith in God.

Application

There is nothing that you can do to please God except to believe what He tells you in His Word. His blessing on your life can’t be earned, it can only be accepted by faith.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:22 – Works or Faith?

Posted on January 3, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:22

For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.

Truth to Learn

Obedience comes from faith, which results in God’s blessing. Neither faith nor blessing comes from our own actions, even when we think they are the right thing to do.

Behind the Words

The word translated “bondwoman” is paidiskēs. This is the feminine diminutive of the word for “boy” (pais) and, therefore, means “a young girl.” Since slaves and children were considered generally equal in first century Roman society, this is also the word which was used for a female slave, sometimes referred to as a bondwoman or a handmaid.

“Freewoman,” on the other hand, is translated from the Greek word eleutheros. This is probably derived from the alternate form of erchomai, which means “to come or go.” Therefore, eleutheros literally refers to “one who is capable of movement.” Since, in Roman society, one who was a slave was only allowed to go where his or her master designated, someone who could go where they pleased was referred to as eleutheros. The use of this word in the current verse is in the feminine form, therefore, it is translated as freewoman.

Meaning Explained

In order to fully understand the allegory that Paul is using we need to understand a little bit about the book of Genesis. In Genesis 11:29, 30 we learn that Abram took a wife by the name of Sarai. Then, in Genesis 12:1, 2 God told Abram,

Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation;

Abram was obedient to God and left Ur of the Chaldeans and went to the land of Canaan. However, even after 10 years, Abram and Sarai were not able to have children so Sarai made a suggestion to Abram:

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. (Genesis 16:1, 2)

This may sound bizarre to those of us who have been raised in a Western society but it was not uncommon in the days of Abram. He listened to his wife, Sarai, and ended up having a son by Hagar who he named Ishmael. This son grew up and became the father of the Arab people.

But this was not the son whom God had promised to Abram (later named Abraham), so about 15 years later Abraham and Sarai (later renamed Sarah) finally had their own son and named him Isaac. It was through this son of the promise that God fulfilled His promise to make of Abraham a great nation.

Application

Abraham was weak in his faith when he listened to Sarai and had a son by Hagar, doing what he thought was right. Later he believed God’s promise that he would have a son by Sarah and because he believed God he was declared righteous; and Isaac, the son of the promise, was born.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –