Archived Daily Manna | Rejoice Fellowship | A mission to release people to rejoice in the world.

Message: Paul’s assertion that those who want to live under the Law should read what it says, has a general meaning we discussed previously. But its primary purpose is narrower: to introduce Paul’s allegory of Ishmael and Isaac. In this sense it can be paraphrased, “Those who want to live under the law, listen to what it says about Abraham’s sons:” Ishmael, being 14 years older than Isaac, would be the natural heir of Abraham under the Law of Moses (and, likely, the customs of the day), even though he was born to a slave woman rather than Abraham’s wife. In 1400 B.C., there were distinctions between wives and non-wives, but the lines were blurred. The Law of Moses did not yet exist. Polygamy, concubinage, and carnal relations with slaves (or bondslaves) were commonplace and had no stigma attached to them. Custom, not law, ruled. And we must not forget that Genesis spans a long period of time, and the customs were apt to change. We cannot assume that Abraham had the same expectations or customs as Moses or David (even aside from the Law, which changed behavior and expectations enormously). And in fact, Genesis reads that “Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife.” (Gen. 16:3) Still, Ishmael was indeed born of a slave (Hagar), while Isaac of a freewoman (Sarah). Paul tells us also that, while Ishmael was conceived “according to the flesh,” Isaac was “born of a promise.” Paul’s use of different prepositions alerts us that there may be more to this distinction than the obvious. When Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham, to bear a child who might be an heir, God had already made His initial covenant with Abraham, promising him that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars (Genesis 15). Thus, when Sarah decided to make Hagar her proxy, she was trying to control her own destiny, trusting in her wits rather than God’s promise. “And Sarai said to Abram, ‘Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.’ And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.”(Genesis 16:2) Eve right Cranach the Elder detail 1528 Does the line, “Abram listened to the voice of Sarai,” bring an earlier couple to mind? Of course — it reminds us of Adam and Eve. The magnitude of Abram and Sarai’s rebellion is not as great; God has not commanded either of them not to have a child by a surrogate mother. But although not outright disobedient, Sarai’s plan and Abram’s assent bespeak a lack of confidence in God to carry out His promise. There is a common saying, “God helps those who help themselves,” but you won’t find it in the Bible. In fact, it runs directly contrary to several basic concepts of Christianity, notably, the very notion of salvation by grace through faith, which requires an acknowledgment that we cannot help ourselves; God and God alone can save us. More directly, however, we see several points in the Old Testament, during the conquest of Canaan, where God punishes the Israelites with defeat when they try to win a battle by their own power (e.g. Numbers 14:36-45), and other points (most notably with Gideon and Midian) where God actually requires them to weaken themselves to the point where they cannot win a battle by their own power, so that their victory will be more clearly attributable to God’s intervention. (Judges 7:2-7) To be continued . . . .