Galatians 4:21-31
Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
"Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband."
28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.
Abraham and Sarah returned to what they knew and tried to have a son the old fashioned way by turning to Hagar. The son that was born, Ishmael, was born by works of the flesh. Faithless retreat to the familiar. God rejected Abraham's plan. Abraham was called by grace through faith and he was now returning to old ways of doing things - the tried and true way of doing things without God. But Isaac was the son of promise. He was conceived by God's grace and born by God's work. He is the son the Spirit produced. God kept His promise to Abraham even though he was tempted to return to the bondage of trying to make a go of it without God. We who have faith in Jesus are adopted into the family of God (as per Galatians 3:27-4:7) and are welcomed in by promise. And we stay in by clinging to the Promiser. Safety is not a place, it's a Person. Safety is not a circumstance, it is the Son of God who never changes
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever
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