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History Lesson
Learning from history helps us to learn so not to repeat itself or to replicate it so we can have the results they who came before had.
Tonight may we learn from some history, because that is what Paul uses in allegorical form to make his next defense.
Think back to when you children were that, just children, did you ever say “they are a handful?”
Then as they grew and as adults there are a heartful.
You want the best for them, you pray for them, you give them advise, even if they do not take it.
You speak from your heart to theirs.
As children they step on your toes but now as adults they can step on your heart with some of the decisions they make.
Paul loves the churches of Galatia and he wants the best for them and also to correct the trouble makers that came down from Jerusalem.
So far in the book we have seen:
Paul defends his apostleship, being from God not man (Gal1-2)
Paul defends justification by faith vs. law of Moses (Gal3-4)
He used several different arguments along the say
Personal argument (Gal3:1-5)
Scriptural argument (Gal3:6-25)
Practical argument (Gal3:26-4:7)
Sentimental argument (Gal4:8-20)
Tonight, we will see an allegorical argument (Gal4:21-31)
In our passage tonight Paul will take history, something they all would know and uses it in a story form, an allegorical form and not lose the historical content.
Allegory (noun)- A story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to real a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one (i.e.
Pilgrims Progress an allegory of the spiritual journey from hell to heaven).
Paul uses Ancestry and Jewish history to make his point, but maybe I should give some historical and scriptural background to set the stage so we can get more from the allegorical story.
Paul uses Sarah and Hagar; Isaac and Ismael (Gen12:21) but that is way too much to read, so here is a brief timeline:
Age 75: Abram called by God to go; Abram given promise (Gen12:1-9)
Abram told to leave home, his father and go to a promised land, a promise of land, blessings and seed given; would be a father of many nations
Age 85: Waiting on the promise was hard, so turned to the flesh (Gen16:1-3)
Sarah has been waiting, 10 years of waiting, her dead womb is still dead and nothing is happening so she takes matters into her own hands and offers her servant, Hagar to Abram to bear a child for her.
Age 86: Hagar pregnant; Sarah jealous (Gen16:4-16)
Hagar gets pregnant and instead of joy, Sarah gets jealous and throw Hagar out; but the Lord stepped in and brought her back, Ismail is born.
Age 99: God reminds Abraham of the promise (Gen17-18)
God speaks to Abraham again, speaks about the son of promise that is coming and that he is to name him Isaac.
The Lord also speaks to Sarah to confirm and reaffirm the promise.
Age 100: Son of promise, Isaac, born (Gen21:1-7)
Isaac (name means laughter) the son of promise is born.
Ismael is 14 years old and now there is a rivalry that gets started on Ismael heart.
Age 103: Conflict arises between Sarah and Hagar (Gen21:8ff)
The weaning of Isaac happens and the whining of Ismael increases (or may call it mocking) by Ismael.
So, problems started at home.
There was a solution, but a costly one, costly to Abraham, the bond-slave (Hagar) and the son of the flesh must go.
This was not Sarah’s wanting, but God’s direction, look and see.
An allegory, a story behind a story and that is what we have here.
We have family history with its up’s and down’s like any family, but then there is a spiritual story that comes in and Paul uses it to compare the law and justification by faith (or grace if you may say).
Paul again, uses history, the Judiazers own point, to make his point as he defends the gospel, the argument of justification by faith.
Allegory: The Set Up
The set up, the characters that make up the allegory
Paul is getting the attention of the Galatians and any Judiazers.
Who is Paul trying to get the attention of (v.21)?
How does he go about getting their attention (v.22-23)?
Maybe Paul is saying “OK you want to be under the law, OK, let me show you using the law today and a story from history from yesterday.
Our characters
Abraham who had two wives - one a bondwoman the other a freewoman
The bondwoman Hagar; the freewoman Sarah;
God did not intend for Abraham to have two wives it was man working outside of God’s will but God still used it for the good.
Something to consider, ponder: How often do we think we are doing the right thing but get outside of God’s will because of it?
(stop; pause for any answer)
Abraham had two sons - one of the flesh, the other born of the promise
Impatience brought the son of the flesh, because Sarah and Abraham traded the promise for the flesh thinking it would fulfill the promise.
Can we do this?
Start off right and end up wrong?
Do we get impatient with God? Do we take actions before God wants us to act?
Come on now, Abraham and Sarah waiting 10 years, wasn’t that enough?
Allegory: The Story
Paul goes on to make his defense, gives historically and allegorically.
A simple comparison, allegory
back in (vv.22-23)
Paul speaks of two sons, one of the flesh, one of the promise, we have a birth in the flesh and one of the Spirit, one to bring physical life the other to bring eternal life.
wen we look at this passage and match it up with Genesis 21, we can see some great spiritual truths.
Isaac the illustration of the believer
Born of God’s power (Gal4:28)
When we look at (v.28) and at the birth of the believer.
God sealed Sarah’s womb, then opened Sarah’s womb; God did it.
Then God drew you, God saved you through Christ, God’s desire, God’s power gave you birth just as God made Sarah give birth to Isaac.
Brought joy (Lk15:7; Php4:4-8)
Isaac’s name means (Laughter) could you imagine the joy Sarah and Abraham had when the son of promise was born.
What about you, there is joy in heaven when you repent
Then there is your own joy that comes in Him, check out the familiar passage for many about rejoicing in the Lord in Php4:4-8 when you get a chance, it is worth the read.
Grew and was weaned (1Pt2:2; 1Cor13:11)
Our spiritual birth is only the starting point of our spiritual life.
We are born “babe’s in Christ” who then learn to be weaned from the milk to the meat of the Word.
Grow from our childlike ways, putting those things away to grow to the fullness of Christ
Something to consider, ponder: what things is God calling you to put away.
What things are keeping you from enjoying your freedom in Christ?
What form of legalism is keeping you in bondage that you need to let go of?
He was persecuted (Gal5:17; Rom7:14-24; Mt5:10-12)
Isaac was persecuted by his brother Ismael (who represents the flesh in our allegory) just like a Christian today can struggle with our flesh and it can create problems for us.
When we get to Galatians 5 we will deal with this in much more detail, but here is a taste of it.
You can read more about this type of struggle with flesh and with the sin within in Rom7:14-24.
But still Jesus spoke that you are blessed if you are persecuted for His name (Mt5:10-12)
Now there is no record of problems at home with Ishmael until Isaac was born.
When the spirit, the new nature comes in there is conflict with the old nature as noted there in Gal5:17.
The physical conflict within Abraham’s home are the same with can have today within ourselves when we do not put away the things of the flesh, the old ways.
When we try to put law (flesh) and grace (spirit) together, they don’t play well with one another and they cannot co-mingle.
Paul now makes a shift from talking about the old nature (flesh) and the new nature (spirit) to the old way (law) vs. new way (grace).
Hagar was not God’s choice for Abraham, she was the second wife.
Sarah was God’s choice.
Man took things out of God’s hand and put it in their own hand.
God still had grace.
Grace is not just a N.T. thing.
From the beginning there has been grace.
God’s grace; God’s provision
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