Galatians is a rough sketch of which romans is the finished picture. When my girls were little, i remember reading them a childrens book by p. The covenant of the law given at mt sinai produced slavery. How does this passage fit in with the overall theme. Galatians 4 two covenants episode 641 this is the episode is part 6 in a study of the book of galatians. The allegory of hagar and sarah hebrew for christians.
Youre listening to the services of the first baptist church in dallas, texas, and this is the pastor bringing the morning message from the fourth chapter of the book of galatians entitled the allegory of hagar and sarah. Galatians chapter four an allegory of hagar and sarah galatians. Although it is a very small section in terms of text, it is most significant and will require a whole lesson for study. For it is written that abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the. When he links the two covenants to hagar and sarah, paul opens up a whole new avenue of thinking, based on the types and shadows of abrahams two wives. Explaining hagar sarah analogy in galatians 4 religion essay. The allegory of hagar and sarah is written to persuade us along with the galatians not.
The apostle paul discusses two important covenants in galatians 4. Hagar was the slave or housemaid of sarah, who gave birth to a boy on sarah s petition in an effort to carry through god s promise, genesis 16. Do you take pride in any ethnic, national, or spiritual ancestor. Two prominent female characters from the book of genesis, sarah and hagar. Pauls reference to sarah and hagar conveyed an amazing reality. We can learn much from sarah formerly called sarai in the book of genesis regarding what walking in faith in the promises of god looks like in real life. Sermons from galatians the allegory of hagar and sarah 4. Hagar s boy mocked isaac after he was wean, this angered sarah who sent hagar and her boy off, observing that her boy would non portion in isaac s the heritage, genesis 21. What effect does that relationship have on the w ay you live your life. These two covenants are depicted by hagar and sarah in the life of abraham, and this is the motive behind pauls discussion of hagar and sarah. Mar 05, 2008 paul in galatians uses the life of abraham to help illustrate his point about how one enters into the covenant relationship with god and the community of believers. The history behind this story is found in the book of genesis. At one point he seems to stray way off the literal interpretation of the text by figuratively comparing one covenant to hagar and another covenant to sarah.
Sarah and hagar in christianhretellings oxford scholarsiponline. An honest reading of the book of galatians shows that paul was not simply. Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says. There is also a new covenant marriage relationship prophesied in the old testament and revealed more fully in the new. It forces us to reconcile sarahs allimportant status of freedom with her faithful example of submission, and in so doing, it brings us face to face with the paradox of christ as a liberating lord. An allegory explained 3rd main section of pauls letter to the. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of jesus christ, even we have believed in jesus christ, that we might be justified by the faith of christ, and not by the works of the law. For it is written that abraham had two sons, one by the. In galatians 4, paul uses the story of sarah and hagar to illustrate the results of two different covenants. One is from mount sinai, bearing children for slavery.
A a contextual study of galatians will help to unravel the letter for both christians and jews. The allegory of hagar and sarah is often cited as representative of the distinction. Barrett, the allegory of abraham, sarah and hagar in the argument of galatians, in essays on paul london. Galatians highlights the gospel of grace that produces righteous living galatians 3. Many times when we learn some new truth, there is a threshold at the door of that truth that we have to learn in order to understand the rest of it. Two chapters part one discuss hagar and sarah in genesis and galatians. His apostleship as being from god, not man ga 12 b.
In the first four chapters of galatians, paul defends. Hagar and sarah sermon by roger griffith, galatians 4. Paul tells us that hagar is a parallel or story about the law. Galatians in a similar manner, we practice certain religious beliefs that we understand. An allegory explained 3rd main section of pauls letter to. The scribes and the pharisees, along with the judaizers of the galatians, had prided themselves on being spiritually superior because they were the sons of abraham.
Galatians 4 is the fourth chapter of the epistle to the galatians in the new testament of the christian bible. Then we will look at the allegory and learn from it how to have freedom. James highlights the righteous living that proves faith. Discuss what we can learn from the various people involved. In this lesson we study the third main section of pauls letter, galatians 4. Why did paul allegorize the stories of hagar and sarah in galatians 4. In this verse the theme of the book is found stated explicitly, albeit in terms which paul has been using in his allegory of hagar and sarah. The allegory of hagar and sarah is written to persuade us along with the galatians not to follow the judaizers into slavery with hagar and ishmael, but to follow sarah and isaac into freedom. Genesis 16 says that animosity arose between sarah and hagar. I went back and looked at the promises made to abraham about having many descendants. Paul in galatians uses the life of abraham to help illustrate his point about how one enters into the covenant relationship with god and the community of believers. Aug 19, 2003 hagar and sarah the mother of legalism and the mother of grace.
Sarah had to wait until she was in her nineties to give birth to her son, isaac. Sarah into the example of wifely obedience 1 peter 3. Hagar, sarah, and the two covenants the compass magazine. Hagar was the egyptian servant of sarah, abrahams wife.
It is about a little bird which hatches from an egg while his mother is out getting food. The case of galatians 3 35 min discussion 25 min sbl2335 pauline epistles. Sinai mountain was where god gave these rules to the children of. Historically, the book of galatians has been widely misunderstood, due largely to the technical discussions of biblical topics ranging from circumcision, to the torah, to freedom in christ. The allegory of hagar and sarah is often cited as representative of the distinction between law and grace in the writings of paul gal. Read the passage about abraham and sarah, hagar and ishmael. It is authored by paul the apostle for the churches in galatia, written between 4958 ce. Pauls description of hagar and sarah in the book of galatians.
His gospel of justification by faith in christ, not by the law of moses ga 34 2. After an examination of the higher level semantic unity of galatians, it became readily apparent that the structure of the book hinged around one verse, 5. Hagar the covenant of the law and sarah the covenant of grace. Galatians is likely the first new testament book to be written, composed sometime soon after ad 49. In this episode, paul talks about the two different covenants, old testament and new testament and uses hagar and sarah as a model for how these cant coexist. Galatians 4, new international version niv the bible app. In pauls analogy, believers in christ are like the child born of sarahfree, the result of gods promise. Why does paul choose these two covenants, represented by two women in scripture, hagar and sarah, and what does he mean by this. Galatians finishes what paul will begin in 2 corinthians concerning his apostleship, and begins what paul will finish in romans concerning justification by faith. My commentary on the book of galatians in regards to the two covenants spoken about by paul. Then there is freedom, represented by sarah and isaac. In galatians 4, she and hagar are used as an allegory of the old and new covenants. Hagar s boy mocked isaac after he was wean, this angered sarah who sent hagar and her boy off, observing that her. Paul continues the narrative account of his apostolic authority by speaking directly of his role as teacher to the galatians.
Those who belong to christ are children of abraham through the promise, while those who insist. The holy epistle to the galatians, book first fruits of zion. Hagar and sarah are explained as part of pauls allegory in chapter 4 about the difference between the children born of the flesh hagar and the children born of the spirit sarah, and that those who are born of the spirit will be the inheritors of gods promise rather than those born of the flesh, as hagar and her child were cast away because they. The context of galatians 4 casts the instruction of 1 peter 3 in a new light. Jan 02, 2020 in galatians 4, paul uses the story of sarah and hagar to illustrate the results of two different covenants. Paul uses yet another way to tell the galatians that the law cant save them and reminds them of their freedom. When paul prioritizes grace or faith in relation to the law, he is following jesus in his affirmation that the. We now come to the core of pauls dispute with the judaizers. James, too, emphasizes the new birth through the gospel james 1. Sep 27, 2019 this is where paul could be getting at. The gospel, gods new covenant, is the full revelation of the promise given to abraham. Galatians 4 continues with themes that we have seen in in the first three chapters. Sadly, many traditional christian commentators have used this allegory as a means of rejecting the importance of torah study for the christian. Three chapters part two trace the story of hagar and sarah in the jewish, christian and muslim traditions.
Isnt it clear that the harassment you are now experiencing from the jerusalem heretics follows that old pattern. In defending the gospel of justification by faith in. He expands on his understanding of the law as a mark of the old age. The epistle to the galatians the allegory of hagar and sarah 4. So i want to begin with a definition of freedom that i think is implied here. Hagar entered the picture because of decisions made by sarah and abraham. Hagar and sarah tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says. Hagar and sarah are explained as part of pauls allegory in chapter 4 about the difference between the children born of the flesh hagar and the children born of the spirit sarah, and that those who are born of the spirit will be the inheritors of gods promise rather than those born of the flesh. For it is written that abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. Sarah had been barren for a long time and sought a way to fulfill gods promise to abraham that abraham would be father of many nations, especially since they were getting older, so she offered hagar to abraham as a second wife. Taking liberties with traditional jewish understandings of. The story of hagar and sarah is symbolic and has a deeper meaning than first appears.