Galatians 4

Galatians 4:3 ESV

In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

John 2:15–17 ESV

And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Pursuing Material Wealth and Possessions:

Obsessing over accumulating wealth, luxury items, and material goods.Finding security and identity in possessions rather than in God.Jesus warned about this in Matthew 6:19-21, urging people to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.

Chasing After Sensual Pleasures:

Seeking gratification through physical pleasures, such as excessive indulgence in food, drink, or sexual activities.Allowing these desires to dominate one's life, leading to sinful behavior.1 John 2:16 refers to "the lust of the flesh" as a worldly desire.

Seeking Power and Status:

Striving for social status, recognition, and power at the expense of others.Valuing human approval and accolades more than God's approval.This is akin to "the pride of life" mentioned in 1 John 2:16.

Engaging in Worldly Ideologies and Values:

Embracing secular ideologies that conflict with biblical teachings.Adopting moral relativism and rejecting absolute truths found in Scripture.Romans 12:2 advises believers not to conform to the pattern of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of their mind.

Neglecting Spiritual Growth and Disciplines:

Prioritizing worldly activities and entertainment over prayer, Bible study, and worship.Allowing busyness and distractions to crowd out time spent with God.Jesus highlighted the danger of this in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:18-19), where the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Living for Immediate Gratification:

Focusing on short-term pleasures and gains rather than long-term spiritual growth and eternal rewards.Eschewing self-discipline and sacrifice in favor of comfort and ease.The Apostle Paul warned against this mindset in Philippians 3:18-19, describing those whose god is their stomach and whose glory is in their shame.

Matthew 5:17 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Genesis 12:3 ESV

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Galatians 4:9 ESV

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Revelation 21:2 ESV

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Genesis 21:1–10 ESV

The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 4:24

First, the apostle pointed to two covenants. One, the Mosaic, had its origin at Mount Sinai. Those under this legal covenant were slaves. As Hagar brought forth a slave, so does the Law. At this point the reader is expected to understand and supply the implicit reference to the Abrahamic Covenant, a gracious system represented by Sarah which through its messianic promise brought forth children who are free.

4:25–26. Next, Paul pointed to two Jerusalems. Hagar also stood for the first-century city of Jerusalem, a city enslaved to Rome and in slavery to the Law. Sarah, on the other hand, corresponded to the Jerusalem … above, the mother of all the children of grace. This heavenly city, which one day will come to earth (cf. Rev. 21:2), is now the “city of the living God” (cf. Heb. 12:22), the home of departed believers of all ages.

4:27. The quotation from Isaiah 54:1 prophesied the changing fortunes of Israel, which Paul applied to Sarah’s history. Israel before her Babylonian Captivity was likened to a woman with a husband. The barren woman was Israel in Captivity. The woman bearing more … children may have pictured Israel restored to the land after the Exile, but more particularly it portrays her millennial blessings. Paul applied this passage (he did not claim it was fulfilled) in this context to Sarah, who though previously barren, was later blessed with a child, and who would ultimately enjoy a greater progeny than Hagar.