Galatians 4:2
2but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.
Truth to Learn
The Law of Moses served as a guardian and as a decision maker for all who were under the law until the coming of the Messiah who freed all from the confines of the law.
Behind the Words
The word translated “guardians” is “epitropous” which is made up of “epi” meaning over or upon and “trepo” meaning to turn. This is a person to whom a person turns over control or responsibility of another. It is used in the domestic sense as a guardian.
“stewards” is translated from “oikonomous,” another compound word. This one is made up of “oikos” meaning house or dwelling and a form of “nemo” which means to deal out or to distribute. This person was usually a slave who was put in charge of distributing food to all the other slaves of the household. In civic affairs this word referred to the treasurer of a city.
The word translated “time appointed” is “prothesmias” which is a legal term that was applied to the term limited for bringing actions or prosecutions. Today we would refer to this as a statute of limitations.
Meaning Explained
Paul began this thought in the previous verse where he told us that a child who is still a minor is no different from a slave because he has no legal rights or responsibilities. He may be the future lord of the manor but as long as he is a child he is placed under guardians and stewards.
The guardian is responsible for watching out for the safety of the child. This person has complete control over the child’s person until the child grows up. The steward, who typically reports to the guardian, is responsible for watching out for the child’s financial matters. If something were to happen to the father the steward would manage the child’s finances until he reached the age of majority.
In a very real sense, even though this child will one day inherit all that the father leaves to him, currently he is under the ever watchful eye of the guardian and totally dependent on the decisions of the steward. These conditions remain in effect until the time determined by the father of the child. This might be at the age of majority (thirteen years and one day for a Jewish boy) if the father was deceased, or it might not be until later in life when the father determined to distribute his property to his sons.
This is precisely the relationship that the Jews had with regard to the Law of Moses. While they were immature they were under the law as their guardian, watching over them and constantly reminding them of their sinfulness, and as their steward, making all their decisions for them. But when the time appointed by their father came, the Messiah was revealed and they no longer needed guardians and stewards.
Application
The Christians in
Why would anyone want to do that?
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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