Abraham Had Two Sons

It always helps me when someone can "paint a picture" by using an illustration to make the point. Does that help you too? Paul is using everything he can think of to redirect these Galatians back to the freedom they have in Christ. This is obviously no small task. When someone is redirected in the wrong direction, turning the ship around is a little difficult. The illustration Paul uses in Galatians 4:21-31 hits home. His illustration uses everyone's father - father Abraham. It's not just a good example, it is the example of examples when it come to understanding freedom. Abraham had two sons. He was supposed to have one - the promised son Issac. But Abraham and Sarah got impatient. OHHHHH! Patience is truly a virtue! Nothing ever works in our timing when it comes to God's plan, does it? We have obstacles....... like our own stupidity and the devil's snares to contend with. Much less God's time frame. Can you imagine how long it takes for His plans for us to work? Poor God! I often wonder how many of His perfect plans actually work the way He planned! He must be in constant Plan B,C,D.... mode. Anyway, Abraham struggled just like we do. So God will use the mess ups as examples for us to learn from. So, two women had Abraham's babies. Sarah had Issac - the promised child and Hagar had Ishmael. Read the scriptures in Galatians again. One woman, Hagar, was a bondwoman - a slave in the house of Abraham. The other woman was a free woman - Abraham's wife, Sarah. The bondwoman's child was "by the flesh" (referring to the law) and the free woman's child was "by the promise" (referring to the freedom we have in Christ). In allegory, these are like the two covenants. One covenant came from Mt Sinai (the 10 Commandments - the law which brings bondage) and the other covenant is from Jerusalem above - which is free. This is referring to the spiritual Jerusalem. It is a covenant written on our hearts. One covenant brings bondage, the other covenant brings freedom. Thus, the covenant of freedom writes the law on our hearts which causes us to "do the right thing". Our hearts are knit together with God and because we love Him we have a desire to please Him. That happens when a person gets saved. The Galatians (and you, if you are saved) have this freedom. The challenge was (and is) in walking it out. We also are the children of promise (verse 28). Cast out that bondwoman (verse 30). She does not produce promise. The two can't live in the same house! Your house is free! It's FULL of promise. Keep it that way.