In this passage, Paul takes the historical approach in defending the true gospel of Christ – the good news that Christ died to redeem us, and we receive salvation by grace and through faith but not at all by works or effort.

The history lesson centers around two women, Hagar and Sarah, and their sons, Ishmael and Isaac. You can read the full, juicy story in Genesis 16 and 21, but here’s a recap:

God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations (the covenant) and that salvation would come through him and his family. Abraham was married to Sarah, but she was unable to have children. Taking matters into his own hands, Abraham bore a son with his servant, Hagar, and named him Ishmael. Fourteen years later, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. And you think your family tree is twisted!

Paul uses this history to remind the Galatians of the sanctity of the gospel.

Hagar and her son, Ishmael, represent the law and the flesh and ultimately show us what happens when we try to write our own stories.

Sarah and her son, Isaac, represent the Covenant and the Spirit and ultimately show us what happens when we trust God’s plan.
Ishmael and Isaac were always fighting. On this side of Heaven, our flesh and our spirit are always fighting.

When we live ‘under the law’ or with a legalistic view of God, we live in a way that tells a negative narrative – a life of limitations and boundaries, with more nos than yeses.

Now remember, the Law God gave Moses was good! It was a gift to the people of Israel, but it also had a very distinct purpose – to reveal mankind’s need for a Savior. As good as it was for setting a standard for holy living, the Law was impossible. And it was impossible by design. So that God could rescue His people with His own Son in the greatest love story ever written.

When we live in the flesh, we:

• Don’t trust God’s plan or timing, and come up with our own solutions to our problems.
• Create divisions in our closest relationships and our spheres of influence.
• Assume the worst about ourselves and others, and ultimately, think the worst of God – that He has forgotten us or that He’s waiting on us to get our lives together.
• Live with an attitude of bitterness, pride, and self… self-focus, self-centered, self-satisfying, selfish, etc.
• Always see what we don’t have rather than enjoy what we do have.
• But when we live in the Spirit of Christ with a holy view of God, we live in the freedoms of Christ! We see all that Christ died to give us, and we live a life worthy of that sacrifice. Our lives reflect the goodness and faithfulness of God – a God who created us to enjoy life and bring Him glory.

We’ll dive deeper into a life of freedom in Christ tomorrow, so allow yourself to sit in the tension of chapter 4 throughout the day.

Reflection:

• Reflect on the result of Abraham’s decisions and ask God to reveal times in your life when you have taken matters into your own hands and then had to live with the consequences.
• Is there a situation currently playing out in your life where you are living out of your flesh? Ask God to reveal those and then embrace the discomfort of that conviction. Trust the Holy Spirit to do its work. Ask for forgiveness from God and the people in your life who may have been hurt in the process.
• In what ways are you displaying envy or jealousy? Do you view your life through the lens of what you don’t have? Ask God to correct your viewpoint and change your heart to see all the ways He has blessed, protected, and provided for you.

Family Content

Read: Galatians 4

Challenge: When we know God or rather are known by God, our lives are changed. We don’t live like we used to. We might think, talk, and act differently than we used to. One way that we live differently is by how we spend our time. One way we can be generous is with our time. Today give someone else your time by making them feel special. You could tell them something nice about them, or help them clean up, or invite them over to play their favorite game.

Prayer: God, You are great. Thank You for knowing me. Help me believe that You know me. God, help me make someone else feel special and help me give them my time. Amen.