10 Weeks in Genesis: Lesson 8
WEEK EIGHT: WATCH EPISODE 9 FROM BIBLE IN A YEAR STUDY
HAGAR AND ISHMAEL/CIRCUMCISION:
It should not come as a surprise that this next section of Scripture is foundational for many of the things we will understand in the New Testament. We will only see their depth and beauty if we view these stories in light of the NT's profound spiritual truths. God promised Abraham a son, and though Abraham believed God, he thought he should help a little. After all, Abraham and Sarah were apparently unable to bear children. So Abraham slept with his wife's servant and bore a son through her. Ishmael was born when Abraham was 86 years old. Ishmael was not the son God promised but was the result of Abraham's work and effort (according to the flesh). Later in the Scripture, Ishmael will be called the "son of flesh." In this context, the "son of flesh" is set as a juxtaposition to the "son of promise" (or the work of God). So then we will see that the "flesh" is analogous to our work, and "promise" is analogous to God's work. This is abundantly clear in Paul's letter to the churches in the region of Galatia.
Consider Galatians chapter 4:21-31
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;[e] 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,[f] 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.
In this text, Paul is comparing the first two sons of Abraham (he would go on to have six more with his second wife in Genesis 25) to the two covenants of God with his people. Ishmael represents the works of the flesh, or works-based righteousness that comes through the Law. When Paul says that Hagar (the mother of Ishmael) corresponds to Mount Sinai, he is saying that Ishmael corresponds to the place where the Law of Moses was handed down to the people. That mountain came with an oath that anyone who drew near to touch the mountain was to be put to death. (If you have the time, I highly encourage you to read Hebrews 12:18-24 as that text corresponds to this one in Galatians) The son of the free woman, ie Isaac and Sarah, represents the Jerusalem that is from above. This means that it is not the earthly city of Jerusalem but the New Jerusalem, the very city of God. (See Revelation 21:1-4) The son of the free woman (Isaac) came not through the will or power or work of man but through the promise of God, just as our salvation does not come through works but through the promise of God by faith in his son.
Just as Ishmael mocked Isaac, so too today, the people who pursue righteousness by works mock the people who are receiving righteousness by faith through the promise of God. But "the slave will not inherit with the free woman's son." In other words, those who pursue righteousness through works will not inherit righteousness. We see in Genesis 22 that God says to Abraham, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac." In Genesis 21, God commanded Abraham to send away Ishmael. God only viewed the son of promise (Isaac) as the Son of Abraham. And as we have already seen, you are only counted as a son or daughter of Abraham through faith. There is so much more here to unpack, but we'd be here all day.
One of the more essential things in this section is the discussion on circumcision. Again, this is prior to the Law of Moses by more than 500 years. God establishes his covenant with Abraham through the sign of circumcision. However, in a similar fashion to what we found, not everyone who descended from Abraham was counted as a child of Abraham, so here we see that being circumcised, in the body only, did not actually make you a member of the covenant of God. Some people argue that what circumcision was in the Old Testament, baptism is in the New. The Scripture never makes such a claim, and furthermore, I think the emphasis is once again put on the physical and tangible rather than the spiritual. Even in the Old Testament, God was less concerned with physical circumcision than he was with spiritual circumcision. When Moses was giving final instructions to the Israelites, he said to them, "Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples as you are this day. Circumcise, therefore, the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn." Or later, "And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring so that you will love the LORD your God will all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live." Jeremiah speaks of God's judgment falling on those who are only circumcised in their bodies. Colossians 2 and Romans 2 and 4 clarify that God has always been interested in the heart. It wasn't ever about the body but about the heart. If circumcision in the OT is analogous to baptism in the NT, it can't be simply the outward practice, for God is clear that he takes no delight in that. True circumcision and true baptism must then be issues of the heart if we are to associate the two practices together. Circumcision, as a sign, is the removal of those things that do not belong to God, and perhaps baptism is the washing away of those things that do not align themselves with the work of Jesus.
Consider Romans 2: 25-29
25 " For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded[b] as circumcision?27 Then he who is physically[c] uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code[d] and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
We see in this text that the point of circumcision for God was never about the physical removal of a piece of bodily flesh but a circumcision of the heart that removes the things that do not align with God. So then, the physical circumcision is meant to be a sign of spiritual change. We Western Christians are usually more enamored with the signs than we are with the life changes the signs are meant to indicate. I hope we will become more intentional readers of the Scripture and find ourselves more captivated by the spiritual work of God in our lives and in the world around us than we are by the physical practices of signs and wonders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Believers are heirs of God, but those who pursue righteousness through works rather than faith are in slavery and not counted as sons/daughters of God.
There are two sons, two types of pursuers of righteousness, one holds to the teachings of the physical Jerusalem and one holds to Spiritual New Jerusalem.
God was NEVER concerned about bodily circumcision as a higher sign than spiritual circumcision. The removal of a piece of flesh pales in comparison to the removal of the old self through Jesus Christ by the Spirit. (Col 2:11)
DISCUSSION:
What, if anything, stood out to you today in the video? What thoughts were new or encouraging to you?
Why do you think so many people still feel compelled to pursue righteousness through works?
How can a right understanding of the Ishmael/Isaac narrative shape our understanding of our faith in God as the provider of salvation?
Why do people tend to be more enamored with signs like circumcision, sacrifices, baptism, etc., rather than the spiritual things those signs represent?
When you consider that physical circumcision is a work people can perform and that spiritual circumcision of the heart is the work of God, how does that relate to Ishmael and Isaac? What are the implications?
What is a key takeaway from today's lesson you hope to hold on to?
PRAYER:
God, we thank you that we are from Mount Zion and not Mount Sinai, that we are from the New Jerusalem and not from the earthly one, that we are free in Christ and not in slavery. Help these truths to take root in our lives this week as we come to know and enjoy you more fully.
