Ep. 323. Galatians 4 | Two Sons
EPISODE 323
TWO SONS: GALATIANS 4
Paul begins this section of his letter to the Galatians by reminding them that they are no longer slaves but sons. "When we were children, we were enslaved...under the law. So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." To really drive this point home, Paul highlights the difference between Ishmael and Isaac, the two eldest sons of Abraham. Ishmael was born according to the desires of the flesh and the "work" of Abraham, but Isaac was born according to the promise of God. These two sons represent two covenants. Ishmael represents those who are in slavery and still pursuing righteousness through the works of the flesh according to the law of Moses, in this case, specifically through circumcision. But those who are like Isaac, the free son, are not born of works but born instead of faith. They are from the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city.
Again, these two sons, these two Jerusalems, represent two covenants, the Old and the New. Just as Ishmael, who was older than Isaac by 14 years, mocked his younger brother; so also now those who hold to the law for righteousness' sake mock the people who insist righteousness is by faith. This tension between the two camps is not limited to the days of Paul, but is still prevalent even in the twenty-first century. Tell someone that the Law is not a means for righteousness and watch them squirm uncomfortably. Perhaps you are uncomfortable with this idea yourself, but there have always been people who struggled with the simplicity of righteousness by faith. It seems too easy. It seems too light a thing. But those who pursue righteousness, as though it had anything to do with works, will find themselves cast out of the presence of God with no inheritance in his kingdom. Even Ishmael had no share in his father's blessing. But "Brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman."
ADDITIONAL READING: Colossians 2:8,20; Romans 8:16-17; Colossians 1:14-23; Galatians 1:6-8; Genesis 16:21; Exodus 18-20; Isaiah 54:1-5; Genesis 21:9; Genesis 21:10-12; Ephesians 2:8-9
