Counting Stars in an Empty Sky by Michael Youssef

Author:Michael Youssef
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Living/Spiritual Growth;Abraham (Biblical patriarch);God—Faithfulness;Trust in God;God—Promises;REL012120;REL012040
ISBN: 9781493417629
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2019-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

Good Intentions Are No Substitute for Obedience

Paul argues in Galatians 4 that it is critically important that we are spiritual descendants of Abraham through Sarah and Isaac—not through Hagar and Ishmael:

Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.

These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. . . .

Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. (vv. 21–25, 28–31)

There is a powerful spiritual principle at work in the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar—and profound spiritual symbolism. The spiritual descendants of Abraham, Ishmael, and the slave woman Hagar are slaves to the law of Moses given at Mount Sinai. But we, as spiritual descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and the free woman Sarah, are free indeed through faith in Jesus Christ.

In Genesis 15, Abraham told God that because he had no son, “the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus. . . . A servant in my household will be my heir.” The Lord replied, “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abraham outside and showed him the night sky. “Look up at the sky and count the stars,” the Lord told Abraham. “So shall your offspring be.”

Some people have tried to defend Abraham’s liaison with Hagar by pointing out that God never told Abraham he would have a son by his wife Sarah. God only said that Abraham would have “a son who is your own flesh and blood.” God never told Abraham not to have a son with his wife’s servant girl.

But God didn’t have to be that specific. Abraham had only one wife, and his wife was Sarah. The fact that Abraham’s son would be conceived by Sarah, his wife, was clearly implied by God and clearly understood by Abraham. There is no question that Abraham knew he was doing an end run on God’s will by agreeing to Sarah’s well-intentioned but sinful scheme.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.