Ep 142 (S8E10) Galatians: Pt 8

References:Quick ReviewGal 4:1-20Being on guard against the elemental principles that reduce us to children of the universe rather than living in the power of the Spirit as children of God.The true powerlessness and poverty that leads us to humbly receive the truthThe travail of childbirth that brings forth new children of promiseWhat’s next?Galatians 4:21-31Vss 21-23Genesis 15 through 18Ch 15 - Abram says a slave will become his heir. God says no, and promises a son. Vs 6 “Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.”Ch 16 - The promised child isn’t coming, so Sarai concocts a plan B and Abram submits to the scheme. Hagar becomes pregnant and gives Abram a son, Ishmael.Ch 17 - circumcision, the sign of the covenant. Renaming.Ch 18 - the promise is renewed. A son will be given through Sarah. She and Abraham laugh. Ch 19 & 20 - other stuffCh 21 - the birth of Isaac (laughter), the promise. Abe is 100 yrs old. Vs 22-26: the allegory - two women, two covenants“These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants.”ἀλληγορέω (al-lay-gor-eh'-o) hapax legomenona story, poem, or piece of art where characters and events act as symbols. It is essentially an extended metaphor designed to reveal a hidden or broader meaning, such as a moral, religious, or political lesson. - Miriam-Webster onlineThe two levels of allegoryThe literal - what’s really happeningThe symbolic - the hidden meaning, abstract idea, or real-world concept those events and actions represent.Plato’s allegory of the caveGeorge Orwell’s “Animal Farm”Hagar - Mt Sinai, Law, Jerusalem in bondageSarah - heavenly Jerusalem, freedomVs 27 - OT Prophetic reflective interludeRelating Sarah to the childless woman who now has many childrenFoot note - Isaiah 54:1Note that this comes abruptly after the suffering servant of Is 53Vss 28-31 - casting off the bondage of the lawChildren of the “promise” - ἐπαγγελία (ep-ang-el-ee'-ah)See Acts 1:4 - the “promise” of the FatherThe Holy SpiritBeing persecuted - διώκω (dee-o'-ko)Used by Jesus 4X in Mt 5 Sermon on the MountPaul used it of himself in Gal 1Gen 21:9 - “But Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of her son, Isaac.”Vs 30 - get rid of the slave and her sonGen 21:10-21A great nation from IshmaelVs 31 - we are not children of the slave woman but of the free womanLearn the lesson of allegorythe limits of allegoryWe don’t want to miss the human lessons of the actual, or literal, story of GenesisThe allegorical reading does not negate the bad behavior of Abraham and SarahHagar in Gen 16 - called God El-roi, the God who sees me.On to Freedom in Christ!