(I speak of spiritual relationships within the body of Christ.) These lessons are hard to learn, and relationships suffer as jealousy, impatience and one's own lack of fruitfulness cause upset. Upon the persecution of her son, Isaac, Sarah requires that the bondwomen should be 'cast out' which perplexes Abraham until God instructs him to do as Sarah desires.īut God intended no harm to either woman or child and both were sustained, angelically, for the angel of the Lord had already promised to 'multiply her seed exceedingly' when she had, previously, run away from Sarah's harsh treatment, no doubt due to Sarah's jealousy of her fruitfulness against her own barenness. Paul says that 'he that was born after the flesh' (that is to say Ishmael) persecuted him that was born after the Spirit' that is to say Isaac, who was born, in a figure, after the Spirit, he being born of one 'as good as dead' and of one who had 'ceased' after the manner of women, thus his birth being impossible by nature but granted in supernatural providence to establish a figure and to express spiritual truth. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. Paul makes clear the spiritual allusion in Galatians 4:24,25 referring both to Mount Sinai and to Hagar herself and to Jerusalem which 'now is' and is in bondage with her children. The Hebrew word hamah is translated handmaid, maid-servant or bond-woman and refers to one 'in service' as the traditional expression has it. The presence of Hagar in the household of Abraham and Sarah is evidently a matter of the Providence of God as we see unfold the figure that she represents, that of bondage under a legal covenant.
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