Galatians 4:21-31--Example of Hagar and Sarah

 Example of Hagar and Sarah 
21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
    break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
    than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

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For those that remember our study of Genesis together, I made a pretty big deal out of Hagar and Ishmael at the time.  Paul goes back to that imagery now that even these Gentile believers would be familiar with to make the point that God's way isn't the way of our work, but of His work--which isn't done in our time and doesn't make any sense to us, but something that we believe in by faith.

Moreover, Paul extends the idea of "slave" and "free" here to apply to Hagar (and Ishmael) and Sarah (and Isaac).  The son of the slave woman was born according to the flesh--meaning that it was done according to Abraham and Sarah's plan and timeline instead of having faith and waiting on God's perfect plan, but Isaac was born at a time when everyone would have thought impossible when both Abraham and Sarah were old and well beyond their years of natural childbirth.

Paul interrupts (through the Holy Spirit) that these two women represent the two covenants.  Hagar, the covenant received at Mt. Saini--a slave woman whose children were born into slavery, and which corresponds to the present Jerusalem (the Judaisers).  Sarah and Isaac represent a new and better covenant, and while the "mountain" that Paul is talking about in allegory is never named, we assume he is talking about Mt. Calvary (where Jesus died).  The children of this covenant are free and citizens of a New Jerusalem that will come down out of heaven (see Revelation 21 and 22).

The two kingdoms are at war with one another--the kingdom of this world (represented by Ishmael) and the kingdom of God (represented by Isaac).  The first kingdom was cast out and would receive no inheritance from Father Abraham, and in the same way the people that die under the Law without ever coming to their Redeemer by faith in the New Covenant (yes, the New Covenant existed in the Old Testament and those Old Testament saints were saved by grace through faith just like us, not of works of the Law), those who die outside of Christ, will receive no "inheritance" of heaven or eternal life, but will receive their part in the lake of fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels--the kingdom which they have chosen to ally themselves with.  Therefore we are not children of the "slave woman" (the Law), this should not be our identity, and we should not act like that (pay attention to this fact coming up in Galatians 5 as Paul really hits this idea of identity and actions there--your root will determine your fruit).