Chains Not Easily Shaken
If you’re like me, after reading the first few books in the Old Testament, you may feel a bit surprised at the stories God included. Most of us would likely hide the stories of the “black sheep” in our families if we were writing our stories. And yet, the Bible is filled with imperfect people: real people, with real faith, as broken and imperfect as they were.
One of these stories involves Abraham’s relationship with Hagar in Genesis 16. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation. There were two complications though: Abraham was 75 years old at the time and his wife, Sarah, was unable to have children. These complications made it more difficult for Abraham and Sarah to trust God’s promise.
They waited patiently, however. Genesis 16:3 tells us that Abraham and Sarah had lived in Canaan for ten years after God made His promise to Abraham. Ten years is a very long time to wait, though, especially at their ages. So, they acted hastily. They came up with an idea to ensure God’s promise would be fulfilled: Sarah decided to use Hagar, her servant, to produce a child with Abraham. However, Ishmael birth didn’t fulfill God’s promise. It was fulfilled through the birth of Isaac, born shortly thereafter, to Sarah. Trying to take God’s work into our own hands rarely works out well. In fact, still today the conflict between the descendants of Abraham’s sons is far from being resolved and on many occasions has resulted in much bloodshed between the Arabs and the Jews.
In Galatians 4:21, we see Paul contemplating this story of Abraham. He is concerned about the Christians in Galatia who are being influenced to include Jewish practices into their new freedom in Christ. Paul’s letter urges them to refuse to make following Jesus about rules, rituals, and regulations. Paul compares this to slavery. Those who live according to the law, he equates to slaves born of a slave woman, like the children of Hagar. Those who live in freedom, placing their trust in Jesus, Paul equates to the children of Sarah. It is they who are born according to the promises of God.
Perhaps the Christians in Galatia felt similarly to Abraham and Sarah. Perhaps they weren’t “seeing” the promises of God yet and like Abraham and Sarah, they decided to take God’s work into their own hands by trying to make something happen. Rather than trusting God to do what only He can do in His way and in His time, they decided to “add” to their freedom. They decided to follow the Jewish rituals.
I’m grateful that God included the stories that surprised me; that He didn’t hide the stories of the “black sheep.” From these, the lessons are invaluable. In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Galatia, we learn that jumping ahead of God doesn’t work out well. Like Abraham and Sarah, it seems the Galatians thought they could “help” God along. The result? Slavery; whereas Jesus had given them freedom. Why? All because they were too impatient to wait on God’s promises. The blessings they thought they could facilitate became chains they could not easily shake.
May these stories remind us to wait on God and refrain from taking things into our own hands. He is faithful to fulfill His promises.
21Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will you not listen to the law? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. 23One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise. Galatians 4:21-23
~ Nicole Bryan has been a member of LIFE Fellowship for over 10 years and holds a M.A. in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. She and her husband Callan have three children.