19. The Failure of Legalism: From Contrast of Bondage and Liberty - 4:21-31

The Failure of Legalism: From Contrast of Bondage and Liberty - 4:21-31 “Tell me, ye who are desirous of being under law, do ye not listen to the law?” (4:21) The Judaizing teachers would put the Galatians under the law of Sinai, they had placed themselves under the law, and they were in the process of bringing others there. Now Paul is going to show how inconsistent they were: “Do you not listen to the law?”His argument was, “If you are under the law, you had better listen to the law, but you are not listening to the law at all, you are totally inconsistent! To demonstrate this inconsistency he took two examples, two women. Let us just briefly highlight them, and then we will go over a few details.

“For it is written that Abraham had two sons; one of the maid servant, and one of the free woman. But he that was of the maid servant was born according to flesh, and he that was of the free woman through the promise. Which things have an allegorical sense; for these are two covenants: one from mount Sinai, gendering to bondage, which is Hagar. For Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which is now, for she is in bondage with her children but the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother.” (4:22-26)

There are seven main contrasts in this part of the Epistle. (1) Firstly, two sons; one of them born of a maid servant and one of them born of a free woman. (2) There are two different women, the maid servant and the free woman. (3) Then there are two different systems, the one connected with the flesh, the other connected with promise (v.23). Now Paul builds on that. (4) There are also two covenants, the first connected with God’s promise (ch.3). This promise cannot be annulled by the Mosaic covenant because that came later. This is connected with Mount Sinai, where the law was given. This corresponds to the Jerusalem which is now. (5) Two mothers: the Jerusalem at that time was like Sinai, “For she is in bondage with her children but Jerusalem which is above is free, which is our mother.”The contrast is with Mount Zion, in Scripture connected with God’s grace (Hebrews 12:1-29, for example). (6) Then we have the two Jerusalems, the Jerusalem below as it is now in bondage over against the Jerusalem which is above. (7) Finally we have the seventh contrast, two conditions, a condition of bondage connected with the present Jerusalem and, contrasted with this a condition of liberty, of freedom, which is connected with the Jerusalem above, which is our mother.

I want to add to this that the Jerusalem above here is not to be confused with the new Jerusalem, as we have in Revelation 21:1-27, rather it is to show that we as believers have something in common with the Old Testament believers. Abraham expected the city which had foundations (Hebrews 11:10), by faith called the city to come (Hebrews 13:14). There are three references to this heavenly city in Hebrews 11:1-40; Hebrews 12:1-29; Hebrews 13:1-25. The believers in the Old Testament have a part in this, and so do we, but we have more than this (although this is not indicated here; it is developed elsewhere). We have something in common with Abraham who also knew this liberty. He was also connected with this system of grace and liberty.

“For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break out and cry, thou that travailest not; because the children of the desolate are more numerous than those of her that has a husband.” (4:27)

Paul quotes Isaiah 54:1-17 here in this connection, “Rejoice, thou barren.”The barren here is not Sarah, it is Israel, as the context shows, “who was without husband.”Israel had a husband, God took Israel as His wife (Jeremiah 2:1-37), so when God entered into the covenant relationship with Israel, she became His wife, but then she became unfaithful, and God had to send her away (as we read in Isaiah and other Scriptures). Thus she became desolate, without husband, and so she had no children, “thou that travailest not.”But then, what does Paul say? “The children of the desolate are more numerous than those of her that hath a husband.”Here we see that in the future Israel will come back to God, and then she will see what happened in the meantime: in the two thousand years that she was set aside as a nation, God has brought in this harvest from the Gentiles. The Lord said in John 4:22, “Salvation is from the Jews”and so when Israel will be brought back to God she will see all these children that will be counted to her. She did not give birth to these children, but these children will be counted to her, as it were, because salvation is of the Jews. Again, I repeat, this is not in connection with the heavenly position, the special place we have now in connection with the heavenly Christ, but it is in connection with God’s way for this earth, that He will account all the believers to that earthly vessel (because salvation is from the Jews), which will then be glorified in the millennial reign.

“But ye, brethren, after the pattern of Isaac, are children of promise.” (4:28)

Now at the end of the chapter Paul makes some conclusions. The comparison is now concluded, “Ye brethren, after the pattern of Isaac,”that is, the son of the free woman, “are children of promise,”over against the flesh. Abraham tried to act according to the flesh, but what was the result? He had this son from Hagar. Here we see the result of what the flesh can produce, even with the best intentions. Abraham had good intentions, but the flesh can only produce flesh.

“But as then he that was born according to flesh persecuted him that was born according to Spirit, so also it is now.” (4:29) The one who was born according to the flesh was Ishmael, and he “persecuted him that was born according to the Spirit.”Neither Abraham nor Sarah could have a child but they both trusted God and then He gave them Isaac, the son of the promise. It is connected with faith and freedom according to the Spirit. The conclusion of the matter is that the flesh persecutes that which is after the Spirit and so it is now. As the Galatians had become spiritual sons, the religious flesh was zealous and the false teachers were after them. Satan does not want this position of sonship to function; he does not want us to be true worshippers, so the flesh will always be there to persecute what is after the Spirit.

“But what says the scripture? Cast out the maid servant and her son; for the son of the maid servant shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” (4:30) But what says the Scripture? Previously Paul had written, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God......”(3:18) and “The Scripture has shut up all things under sin”(3:22). So here we see again the importance of the Scriptures. Now here in chapter 4 the Scripture is really quoting what Sarah said, “Cast out the maid servant and her son.”What Sarah said at that time was according to God’s thoughts. It has authority, also for us to draw a lesson from it, as Paul does here, “For the son of the maid servant shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”That was the conclusion. So it was then; so it is now.

“So then, brethren, we are not maid servant’s children, but children of the free woman.” (4:31) This is the final conclusion and the application for us today as well. We are not associated with a system of bondage, “but children of the free woman,”linked with promise. This is what God wants us to enjoy and this leads to practical consequences, we have been set free. There is a vital connection between doctrinal truths and practical truths, that is, the outworking of the truth is practical. But we must have the doctrine before we can work it out practically. True practice flows from true doctrine.