The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 265

Vor. 21-ch. v. 1.-Allegory of Hagar and Sarah. To them that desired to be wnder the Law he propoees to read a lesson out of the Law. "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the Law, do ye not hear the Law?" He conceives of them as men who could not do without the bondage of the Mosaic Law, and he will read their condemnation out of the Pentateucb, in which that Law is contained. I. HISTORY ON WHIOH THE ALLEGORY IS FOUNDED. "For it is written, that .Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. Howbeit, the son by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the son by the freewoman is born through promise." The two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, had the same father. They differed in two respects. 1. Ishmael was by the handmaid, Hagar ; Isaac was by the freewoman, Sarah. 2. Ishmael was born after the flesh, i.e. according to the ordinary course of nature. That there is not excluded from " flesh" a certain ethical meaning is seen from its being opposed in the twenty-ninth verse to the Spirit, Isaac was born through promise, i.e. through the Divine efficiency present in the promise, surmounting natural obstacles. II. .ALLEGORY. "Which things contain an allegory." By "which things" we are to understand, not merely those which have been mentioned, but the whole class of things pertaining to Hagar and Sarah. .Allegorizing is explaining one thing by another. In this case there is the plain historical meaning to begin with. Upon that there is imposed a second meaning. We are not to understand that the apostle evolved thi~ second meaning out of his own thoughts. But God really meant more than the his- torical meaning. It is true that God thinks through all history; especially does be make known his thoughts through sacred history. More particularly in his dealings with Hagar and Sarah he intended to indicate what his dealings were to be with others, represented by them. "For these women are two covenants." 1. Hagar. (1) She represerited the Sinaitic covenant. "One from Mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar." Hagar was an Egyptian bondwoman in the household of .Abraham. To the mind of God, she represented the Sinaitic covenant. .As Hagar bare children unto bondage, so the Sinaitic covenant bare children unto bondage. A '<'emark is made regarding the locality of Sinai. "Now this [the thing] Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia." Mount Sinai is situated in .Arabia. This country is inhabited by the descendants of Hagar. The .Arabs to this day regard them.selves as the sons of Hagar. It was a country with which Paul had been made familiar during his residence in it for three years after his conversion. Once, in its lightnings, and thunderings, and blackness, and darkness, and tempest, Mount Sinai had been made to body forth the terrors of the Law. .As Paul had felt it in its oppressive blackness and ruggedness, it seemed to body forth sufficiently the despair of the Law. It was a fit locality for bondmen. (2) The Sinaitic covenant answered to the Jewish Church. ".And answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children." The Sinailic covenant answered to the literal Jerusalem that was then standing, i.e. the Jewish Church. What was true regarding the Sinaitic covenant was true also regarding the Jewish Chw-ch, which was its embodiment. The bondwoman represented both. The Jewish nation at that time was a mother whose children were born to pass under the Roman yoke. So viewed ecclesiastically it was a mother whose children were born tu pass uncler a yoke more grievous than the Roman. 2. Sarah. "'l'he other is from Mount Zion, bearing children unto freedom, which is Sarah. Now this Sarah is Mount Zion in the lloly Land, and answereth to the Jerusalem that is above, for she is free with her children." That, we ma,r suppose, is how the allegory would have run if it had been fully drawn out. It has already been stated that Sarah represents the other covenant, i.e. the gospel covenant. .And it may be regarded as implied that, as Sinai breathed the spirit of despair, so Zion breathed the spirit of hope. But all that the apostle does here, is at once to oppose the Christian Church to the Jewish Church. "But the Jerusalem which is above." Opposed to the literal Jerusalem, which was then undestroyed, was the spiritual and indestructible Jerusalem, of which even now we are re,,arded as citizens. (1) The Christian Church regarded as a mother. It has three ma;ks. (a) It is free. "Is free, which is our mother." \Ve are taught to think of the Church as our mother. We are the Church's sons, through the efficiency of Christ in the Church and its services. .All our well-springs are in the Church. It is of Zion that it is said. "This man and that man was born in her." The Church of 232 THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. [orr. IV, 1-31.