Galatians 4:21-5:1

Galatians 4:21-5:1

I.                   Galatians 4:21-23

a.       V. 21

                                                              i.      You who wish to be under the law (commandments), should listen to the law (the broader story as found in the Pentateuch)

b.      V. 22

                                                              i.      Isaac’s name is from the Hebrew word for laughter, cf. Gen. 17:17; 18:10-15; 21:1-7

                                                            ii.      The Genesis text refers to Hagar as a slave-woman, but never describes Sarah as being “free”.  By stating the implied Paul is showing it’s importance for what he is saying

c.       V. 23

                                                              i.      Isaac is the only character actually named, which shows Paul’s argument is more about what the characters themselves represent

                                                            ii.      Saying Ishmael was born “according to the flesh” is not a moral censure, but rather a statement that his birth was accomplished naturally.  Isaac’s was as well, though his natural flesh was the result of God’s promise

II.                Galatians 4:24-27

a.       V. 24

                                                              i.      Paul is taking what would have been readily assumed, and turning it on its head.  In Paul’s allegory, the story does not play out as we would expect

b.      V. 25

                                                              i.      The connection between Mount Sinai being in Arabia and Hagar could be that Ishmael’s descendants are from Arabia, and also that the law literally came from outside the promised land

                                                            ii.      The Hagrites are referred to as an Arab group in I Chronicles 5:10, 19f.; 27:31; Psalm 83:6

                                                          iii.      Mount Siani, Hagar, Ishmael, and Jerusalem are all being tied together in the allegory

c.       V. 26

                                                              i.      The heavenly Jerusalem is tied indirectly to Sarah, and eventually to Christians.  Is this Jerusalem heavenly or eschatological?

                                                            ii.      For Christian tradition of heavenly Jerusalem cf. Heb. 11:10, 14-16; 12:22; 13:14; Rev. 3:12; 21:2)

d.      V. 27

                                                              i.      Cf. Isa. 54:1

                                                            ii.      When Cf. Isa. 54:1, we must also consider Isa. 51:2-3

                                                          iii.      By being law-free and open to Gentiles, the church has more children than Judaism, just as Sarah had more descendants than Hagar

III.             Galatians 4:28-30

a.       V. 28

                                                              i.      Christians are associated with Isaac, and the promise

                                                            ii.      Refer back to Galatians 3:14

b.      V. 29

                                                              i.      Cf. Gen. 21:9

                                                            ii.      Cf. Jdg. 8:24 and Psalm 83:6 for Ishmael’s descendants persecuting Isaac’s

                                                          iii.      Consider Paul’s former role as a persecutor

                                                          iv.      The persecutors were not just Jewish- cf. Acts 13:50; 14:2, 5, 19

c.       V. 30

                                                              i.      Cf. Gen. 21: 10, 12

                                                            ii.      The allegory shows that the religion of works and the religion of promise cannot coexist, just as Ishmael and Isaac could not co-exist

                                                          iii.      Legal bondage and spiritual freedom cannot co-exist

                                                          iv.      Paul’s using of the “cast out” portion of the story could show that those disrupting the Galatians are those within their community, i.e. Jewish Christians, rather than those outside the community, i.e. Jews

                                                            v.      Cf. Galatians 5:9-10 and I Corinthians 5 for other instances of church discipline

IV.             Galatians 4:31-5:1

a.       V. 31

                                                              i.      Refer back to Galatians 3:29

                                                            ii.      There are two ways to be Abraham’s child, via the slave-woman or the free.  Which is better?

b.      V. 1

                                                              i.      An inscription from Delphi: “For Freedom, Apollo the Pythian bought from Sosibus of Amphissa a female slave whose name is Nicaea…The purchase, however, Nicaea has committed unto Apollo for Freedom.”

1.      This references a practice where pagan gods would serve as the legal initiators of emancipation for slaves, with the slaves paying the cost into the temple treasury

                                                            ii.       Cf. Acts 15:10 and I Timothy 6:1 where Paul also refers to the law as a yoke

                                                          iii.      Theology (Christ’s mission) is tied to ethics (how we live our lives)