#DailyDevotion Christians Are Children Of Sarah, The Freewoman
Galatians 4:21–31
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the Law, will you not listen to what the Law says? 22It is written that Abraham had two sons; one was the son of the slave and the other the son of the free woman. 23Now, the son of the slave’ was born like other children, but the son of the free woman by being promised. 24This has figurative meaning. The women are two covenants. The children of the covenant given on Mount Sinai are born to be slaves; this is Hagar. 25“Hagar” in Arabia means Mount Sinai. She is like Jerusalem today, because she and her children are slaves. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free; and she is our mother.
There was contention in the Galatian congregation. Apparently some Jews who didn’t understand the Gospel of Jesus were trying to get this Gentile congregation to adopt the Law, the Torah of Moses to truly be Christians. Well Paul was having none of that. He knew the whole Torah was fulfilled and thus abrogated completely by Jesus and a new covenant was established by Jesus setting aside the old Mosaic covenant. But it is enticing to want to follow the Mosaic covenant with all its rules and regulations. But it is a cohesive whole. If there are no more sacrifices because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, then none of it can be appealed to in the covenant as something we have to do to be God’s chosen people.
Paul makes a comparison using Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael was the child of the slave woman. Isaac was the child of the free woman and the child of the promise. Now the Israelites under the Mosaic Torah Paul says are the children of the slave woman. They are slaves to the covenant of Moses until they turn to their Messiah, Jesus Christ and enter into his covenant, where God forgives us our sins, remembers them no more, we know him and he places in Torah (the Holy Spirit) into our hearts so we know what God’s will is.
The Gentile Galatians having only known Jesus and his new covenant were already children of the promise. They had only known the gospel of Jesus Christ. True, before they were slaves of sin and the fear of death but they had been freed by Jesus Christ who sets us free. Now they were being tempted to take on the slavery of the Torah, the Mosaic covenant. They are like many preachers and some sects today who say we must observed the Sabbath regulation including worship on Saturday. They say we must follow the dietary guidelines of the Torah. I find it interesting, they like the unbelieving Jesus who don’t follow Jesus end up not taking the New Covenant, the LORD’s Supper as truly being the body and blood of Jesus Christ, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins.
Jerusalem above, the New Jerusalem, the Church is our mother when we are given faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ of God. We are not slaves to the old Mosaic covenant. We live in the New Covenant established by Jesus at his supper and sealed with his blood on the cross. Let us learn our lessons from the Old Covenant as it points us to Jesus and give him thanks.
Heavenly Father, you have through the Gospel of Jesus made us your children and the children of your Church. Give us grace to live as your free sons and not return again to the slavery of the old covenant. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.