warn the Galatians believers of the spiritual implication of allowing themselves to be put

under law (Gal. 4: 21; 5: 3, 4). Ishmael, born of a bond woman, Hagar, represents the

covenant instituted at Sinai and answers to "Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage

with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free", and Isaac and those who are of

faith are `the children of promise'. At the close of this section the Apostle gives his

clarion call:

Many other valuable lessons can be gathered from a prayerful consideration of

Genesis 12:-22: which Paul did not introduce into Galatians as they did not form part of

his argument. The two sons represent the slavery of sin and death, represented by the law

given through Moses and the mighty deliverance which Christ, the true Isaac, has

accomplished for the believer by His atoning death and glorious resurrection.

We can all sympathetically enter into the trial of Abraham's faith in waiting so long

for God's appointed time in the gift of Isaac, the child of promise. One of the hardest

tests of the believer's pathway is to learn the lesson of waiting, for we are all more or less

impatient. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Psa. 37: 7), but how

difficult we sometimes find this is to put into practice! Abraham was 75 years old when

he departed from Haran (Gen. 12: 4). He had to wait 25 years till he was 100 years old

before the promised son was given, and when he and his wife were physically incapable

of having a child. Meanwhile, in line with the existing laws codified by Khammurabi,

Abraham and his wife resorted to an expedient to help the Lord out of an apparent

difficulty and Ishmael was born. But they had to learn that this was wrong and the hard

lesson of waiting was continued. The effects of this mistake are felt to the present day,

for it is from Ishmael that the Arab nations sprang. Before Isaac was given, the names of

his parents were changed. Abram was altered to Abraham, "father of nations" and this

name given to a man who was old and impotent! Sarai was changed to Sarah, a princess,

and the covenant of circumcision was introduced.

All these things having a spiritual lesson for this aged couple who at last had their

faith rewarded by the God of resurrection, Who quickened their mortal bodies by His

mighty resurrection power and caused His promise of a son to be wonderfully fulfilled to

the letter. Rom. 4: 16-25 and Heb. 11: 11, 12, 17-19 graphically sum up this story, and

in Rom. 9: 6-9 Paul uses the record of the birth of Isaac to teach the truth of the two

seeds and the plan of God which selected the descendants of Isaac and not of Ishmael, to

carry out His purpose of a kingdom of priests, headed by the great King-Priest Himself,

the Lord Jesus Christ through Whom God's kingdom on earth would finally be

The same elective purpose of God is seen in His dealings with the two sons of Isaac--

Jacob and Esau. This is clearly stated in Rom. 9: 10-13: