9
¶ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the
Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out
this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir
with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the
thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be
grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all
that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy
seed be called. 13 And also of the son
of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
I mentioned the rabbinic opinion that the four hundred
years of bondage began with this mocking back in Genesis 15:12-16. Sarah does
not want Ishmael, who is not her offspring, to share the inheritance with
Isaac. Sarah, to Abraham’s dismay, wants him to send Hagar and his son,
Ishmael, away. God confirms that Isaac will be the vehicle through which He
performs the covenant. He tells Abraham to listen to Sarah and God will make a
nation out of Ishmael because he, too, is Abraham’s son. It is just that he is
the son of Abraham and Sarah’s presumption, not the son of God’s promise.
Paul uses this in his argument in regard to comparing
the Law to Grace. He likens those under Grace to be like Isaac, son of a free
woman, while those under the Law to be like Ishmael, son of a slave. The Law is
bondage, Grace is freedom.
Galatians
4:21 ¶ Tell me, ye that desire to be
under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the
other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was
of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by
promise. 24 Which things are an
allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which
gendereth to bondage, which is Agar [Hagar] . 25
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which
now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou
barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the
desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the
children of promise. 29 But as then he
that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit,
even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what
saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the
bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the
bondwoman, but of the free.
So, why do so many fundamentalist preachers keep
trying to put their congregations back under the Law?
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