Galatians 4
1 Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything.
As long as a child is a minor, then he is no better than a slave. He cannot inherit anything as of yet.
2 But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.
The child cannot inherit anything until the father declares him to be of age.
3 So also we, when we were minors, were enslaved under the basic forces of the world.
As long as the Dispensation of the Law existed, all of the Jews were considered minors who were not yet declared mature enough by the Father to claim their inheritance.
4 But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
The appropriate time was at the end of the Dispensation of the Law and the beginning of the Dispensation of Grace. Once Israel became of age, then God sent out his Son, expressing his deity. The Messiah was born of a woman, expressing his humanity. He was born underneath the Mosaic Law, expressing his Jewishness.
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights.
The Greek word for "redeem" is ἐξαγοράζω (exagorazo), an aorist active subjunctive verb, meaning to purchase out of the slave market. The verb is aorist, meaning that this was a one-time completed action of the past. The mood is subjunctive, meaning that there was a strong possibility that the purchase would take place, meaning that not every person was purchased. Christ purchased many of the Jews (who were under the Law) out of Satan's slave market.
Notice the change of pronouns. The "we" includes the Jews and Gentiles directly inside the Galatian church, but indirectly all believers from the universal invisible church. Christ not only purchased every believer out of Satan's slave market, but he adopted all of these slaves into his own family, making them his own sons with full inheritance rights. His adopted sons are to inherit God's kingdom. They are to co-reign with the Messiah on earth.
6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!”
The Greek word for "sent" is ἐξαποστέλλω (exapostello), an aorist active indicative verb, meaning that God sent out the Holy Spirit for a very specific reason. He was sent out on a mission to accomplish a specific task. The Holy Spirit was sent into the heart, or the personality, of every believer. Now, believers have a very different relationship with God. Before they were slaves to Satan and they did not even know God. Now, they are children of God who can call God their own "Daddy".
7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God.
Instead of being a slave to Satan, all believers are now an adopted son who will inherit the Kingdom of God and co-reign with Christ on earth. The believers will not only be the government officials during the Millennial Kingdom, but they will also be princes, or even dual-kings with the Messiah.
Heirs of Promise Are Not to Return to Law
8 Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.
Before Christ purchased the Galatians out of Satan's sin market, they were enslaved to idols, which were actually not even gods, but a demons in disguise as gods.
9 But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?
The Greek word for "know" is γινώσκω (gingko), an aorist passive participle, meaning to know God by experience. God made himself known to the Galatians as a one-time completed action of the past. This experiential knowledge happened at their conversion, when the believer was baptized into Christ.
The Galatians have been purchased out of the slave market and set free. Their eyes have been opened. They no longer had to be enslaved underneath these false gods. They were now adopted sons who will co-reign with Christ during the government of the Millennial Kingdom. Why would they want to go back under the Mosaic Law and be enslaved once again? Why become a slave when you can become a king?
10 You are observing religious days and months and seasons and years.
The Galatians were returning back to the rituals of the Mosaic Law. The days are the Sabbath. The months are the new moon festivals. The years is the Day of Atonement. Each of these rituals sacrificed lambs, which looked forward to Christ. They were foreshadows of Christ's real sacrifice. However, the Lamb of God had come and performed the actual sacrifice, so the foreshadowings were no longer needed. It was time for the Galatians to move on and mature in the Word of God.
11 I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain.
Paul had taught the Galatians all of these lessons, but now he fears that the teaching was not successful.
12 I beg you, brothers and sisters, become like me, because I have become like you. You have done me no wrong!
The Greek word for "beg" is δέομαι (deomai), a present middle indicative verb, meaning that Paul was emphatically and continually making an urgent appeal to the Galatians to become like Paul, meaning not to be free! They were not to follow a ritual, but they were now free to grow and mature in Christ through the study of Bible doctrine.
Personal Appeal of Paul
13 But you know it was because of a physical illness that I first proclaimed the gospel to you,
Paul received a terrible physical illness when he was in Galatia. While recovering from this illness, he proclaimed the gospel to them.
14 and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, as though I were Christ Jesus himself!
The physical illness effected Paul's appearance, but the Galatians overlooked his unpleasing appearance and welcomed Paul, treating him like an angel from God. The Greek word for "angel" is ἄγγελος (angelos), meaning messenger.
15 Where then is your sense of happiness now? For I testify about you that if it were possible, you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me!
After the Judaizers visited the Galatians, the Galatians had changed their attitude towards Paul. They received his message with negative volition. Before the visitation of the Judaizers, the Galatians would have pulled their eyes out and given them to Paul. Apparently, Paul's problem was his eyesight. This could have been his thorn in the flesh that he inherited from his experience by being blinded from the Shechinah Glory of Christ at the Road to Damascus. If this is true, then a little blind man brought down the Roman Empire. After all, the name of Paul given by Christ means "little" or "little one".
16 So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Immature believers will become angry at mature believers when the truth is told about negative volition to the Word of God. This is why there are so many seeker churches. Immature believers grow angry and find a more comforting church that will tickle their ears.
17 They court you eagerly, but for no good purpose; they want to exclude you, so that you would seek them eagerly.
Paul spelled out the motivation of the Judaizers. The Judaizers were courting the Galatians in order to divide the church and win more converts to the legalistic system of the Judaizers. The Judaizers want the Galatians to seek them instead of the Messiah.
18 However, it is good to be sought eagerly for a good purpose at all times, and not only when I am present with you.
It is good to be sought after, but only if it is for the truth.
19 My children – I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in you!
The Greek word for "children" is τέκνον (teknon), meaning little children who cannot survive without the assistance of their parents. The Apostle John used this title often, but Paul used it here only once in all his letters. Paul was the spiritual father who had led the Galatians to Christ. They were his little children who could not survive in the satanic world system without his instruction.
20 I wish I could be with you now and change my tone of voice, because I am perplexed about you.
There is a Jewish saying that “if one teaches the son of his neighbor the Scriptures, it is reckoned as though he had given birth him.” Paul, not the Judaizers, had led the Galatians to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was the one who nursed them through their new birth. Was Paul going to have to go through this birth process all over again? Was he going to have to nurse them again with the ABC's of basic Bible doctrine?
The Greek word for "perplexed" is ἀπορέω (aporeo), meaning to be completely frustrated, not knowing what to do next. Paul desires to be with them so that he can change his condescending tone. He is completely at a loss of what to do next, because of the actions that the Galatian believers are now taking.
An Appeal from Allegory
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand the law?
Since the Galatians loved the rabbinic exegesis of the rabbi, Paul is going to give them his own rabbinic exegesis. For those Galatians who like to be under the Mosaic Law, let's see if this is really what the Galatians want.
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.
Notice that Paul begins with "it is written". Like Jesus, he is placing emphasis on the written Law, and not the oral law. The written Law is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. The oral law, also called the Mishnah, and later placed in writing and called the Talmud, is what Jesus called "traditions of man". Peter called it "Jewish mythologies". The oral law is simply rabbi myths and superstitions that the rabbi falsely claim is equal and even greater than the written Word of God.
The son of Abraham born under the slave woman Hagar is Ishmael. The other son born of Sarah is Isaac.
23 But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise.
Ishmael was born naturally out of the sin of disbelief. Isaac was born supernaturally after Sarah had reached menopause, because of a promise that God gave to Abraham.
24 These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar.
It is okay for Paul to spiritualize a passage, because he is inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is not okay for modern pastors to spiritualize a passage. They will come up with a human viewpoint interpretation.
The Scriptures should be taken literally. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit uses figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, to teach a literal concept. Here, the Holy Spirit is using a figure of speech called an allegory in order to teach a literal concept.
The two women represent two different covenants. A covenant is a promise from God. Hagar represents the covenant given at Mount Sinai, which is the conditional Mosaic Covenant.
25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
The present Jerusalem was a tribute nation underneath the heel of Rome. Therefore, the present Jerusalem was in slavery.
26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
The New Jerusalem is currently in heaven and it is free.
27 For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children; break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains, because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.”
Sarah was the barren woman. Hagar was the fertile woman. However, the barren woman Sarah gave birth to the Jewish nation, whose descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sands on all of the earth. The seed of Sarah will eventually be much more numerous than the seed of Hagar. During the Millennial Kingdom, not only will the Jewish population explode, but every Jew will be saved.
28 But you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise like Isaac.
The Galatians are blessed by the Abrahamic Covenant through Isaac, not Ishmael. Abraham and Isaac were blessed by faith in the promise of God, not by keeping the Law. In the same way, the Galatians will be blessed by faith, not by keeping the Law.
29 But just as at that time the one born by natural descent persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so it is now.
Ishmael persecuted Isaac when he was being weaned. The Judaizers were persecuting the Galatians while they were being weaned.
30 But what does the scripture say? “Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son” of the free woman.
Hagar was thrown out of Abraham's house. Isaac, not Ishmael, was to share in the inheritance of his father's house. The Judaizers will be thrown out of God's house. The Galatians, not the Judaizers, will inherit the Kingdom of God.
31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.
The Galatians are free, because they are children of the new dispensation of faith. They should not go backwards into the bondage of the old dispensation of the Mosaic Law. They need to grow and mature in Bible doctrine and move forward into their new inheritance.
