How to Avoid Being Dragged Off Like a Slave
“Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, don’t you listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman. However, the son by the servant was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” (Galatians 4:21-26 WEB)
Hi dear patron,
Hagar was Sarah’s maidservant. The name “Hagar” has three probable meanings based on its etymology: 1) To flee, 2) To be dragged off, 3) To be forced into service.
None of the three meanings have positive connotations.
The Apostle Paul revealed in his epistle to the Galatians that Hagar is a picture of the Law of Moses, whereas Sarah represents Grace.
When God gave Abraham and Sarah the promise of a son, they tried to ‘help’ God to fulfill that promise according to their own understanding.
Sarah was barren, so she gave Hagar to Abraham for her (Sarah) to obtain a son through Hagar.
This decision which was born of the flesh led to lots of domestic strife between Sarah and Hagar, as well as eventually between Israel and Ishmael.
Whenever you introduce the Law of Moses into your mind and in your actions, you’re subjecting yourself to the three meanings of the name “Hagar”.
Fleeing implies fear. Instead of faith, you’ll be living under fear.
When you try to live by the Law, you’re being dragged off from being established in righteousness by faith.
Lastly, you are forced into service like a slave, because the curse of the Law is upon whoever tries to put themselves under the Law. You have effectively taken the position of a slave instead of a son.
Can you see why the devil wants to deceive people into legalism and religiosity?
If he can trick you into trying performance-based justification, you’ll be fearful, unprofitable and living as one who is accursed.
The Law of Moses is holy, righteous and true, but man is unable to become righteous through it.
If man tries to keep the Law and fails, the Law confers its curse without any mercy. Can you see how the devil has wielded the Law to become his ultimate cloaked weapon?
Man thinks he’s doing the right thing by trying to keep the Law, but actually he is just subjecting himself to death and the curse!
If Hagar never came into the picture, and Abraham just waited for God to fulfill His promise at the right time by His power, there would be no suffering.
God wants us to rest in His promises, have faith in Him and just wait for Him to cause the breakthrough to happen at His appointed time.
Don’t let yourself be dragged off from the Gospel which is righteousness by faith in Christ Jesus. Stand firm in the gift of righteousness and rely on God’s abundant grace which is constantly being supplied to you!
Just like Abraham and Sarah, we need to learn how to flow with God’s system of times and seasons by which He does everything under Heaven. This will break the cycle of disappointment and acting by the flesh. Understand this important revelation from “God’s Appointed Time: Being Fruitful in Every Season of Life”:
https://bit.ly/god-appointed-time
hagar and ishmael 在 Milton Goh Blog and Sermon Notes Facebook 的最佳解答
Joy in God’s Timing versus Sorrow in Man’s Timing
“God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name will be Sarah. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?” Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” God said, “No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”” (Genesis 17:15-21 WEB)
Both Abraham and Sarah laughed when they heard about God’s promise of a child that would come from their own body.
Isaac means “laugh”.
They laughed at how ridiculous the idea sounded in the natural, and yet God wanted them to laugh with joy from having a child of their own—a fulfillment of their greatest desire.
If 100 year old Abraham and 90 year old Sarah could have a son, then there’s no such things as ‘too late’ for you.
Our God is the one who even raises the dead back to life.
The everlasting covenant is made with the son of the promise and not the son of the flesh.
Sarah is a picture of Grace, while Hagar is a picture of the Law.
God wants our fruits to come as a result of receiving His Grace, not by the works of the Law.
Ishmael was a product of the flesh—to put it bluntly, he was the result of Abraham and Sarah’s bad decision.
His existence would be a stumbling block for the descendants of Isaac.
However, because Abraham cried out for Ishmael to be blessed, God graciously blessed Ishmael and his descendants too, but without an eternal covenant.
There was a “set time” for Isaac’s birth. If Abraham and Sarah had just prayed and waited for Yahweh’s clear instruction about the promised child, all the unnecessary drama about Hagar and Ishmael wouldn’t have happened.
We must trust in God’s appointed time and resist the urge to act by the flesh. The works of the flesh is about man’s timing, but faith in God is trusting in His perfect timing.
“When he finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money; every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the same day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the same day both Abraham and Ishmael, his son, were circumcised. All the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.” (Genesis 17:22-27 WEB)
Abraham was prompt in obeying Yahweh God’s instruction. He circumcised every male in his household “in the same day”.
When God gives us clear instructions, there’s no time to procrastinate.
When He shares something unclear to you, wait until He reveals more in a clearer way. This will prevent Ishmael kind of fleshly mistakes.
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hagar and ishmael 在 Milton Goh Blog and Sermon Notes Facebook 的最讚貼文
Just a Little Longer
“Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel, “My way is hidden from Yahweh, and the justice due me is disregarded by my God?” Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint. He isn’t weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might. Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:27-31 WEB)
Waiting can be so difficult.
There was once when my wife and I were separated overseas in an airport. I had misplaced my blazer, so I told her that I was going back to the plane to search for it.
In about two hours time was our next flight back to Singapore.
Unexpectedly, we were parted in a way that we couldn’t find each other and we didn’t have any means of contacting each other (we had no mobile data or wifi there on our phones).
After being sent on an hour long wild goose chase by the airport staff, searching different places and filling in forms, I still didn’t manage to retrieve my blazer.
Finally as the plane heading for Singapore was announcing its final boarding call, I showed up at the gate and saw Amilee there waiting anxiously.
She told me she was seriously contemplating whether she should board the plane or miss it if I didn’t show up—the waiting was agonizing because of the worry.
Dear beloved of the Lord, you may be in a situation where you’re waiting. It’s so much easier to do something than to do nothing and wait for Jesus.
In moments of desperation when the need is so urgent and great, it is easy to cave in to the flesh’s desires to work and make it happen by self-effort.
Abraham and Sarah were anxious to have a child of their own and they knew they were way past the usually childbearing age.
They caved in to their fleshly impatience and limited understanding—Sarah gave her maid Hagar to Abraham so that God’s promise of a child would come to pass.
The result was Ishmael, a child who was never supposed to exist—a product of self-effort and unbelief.
Ishmael and Isaac’s descendants are still at loggerheads with each other until today.
Self-efforts apart from God’s purpose will always produce negative consequences.
Your flesh may say, “If I don’t do anything, then nothing’s going to happen right? How can I just let it continue like that?”
No, Jesus is currently at work behind the scenes, turning things around for your good.
It may seem like your challenge is so great and imposing like the thick walls of Jericho, but even those walls fell with God’s intervention.
When the time comes, the Holy Spirit will lead you to do what needs to be done so you can escape.
You will not miss that door of deliverance.
Your dry and dark season has an appointed time to end—it shall surely happen swiftly when the time arrives.
You’ll step into a broad, abundant place of rest with a totally different climate—instead of worry and fear, you will enjoy great restoration blessings for all the suffering you’ve been through.
“Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.” (PSALMS 23:4 AMP)
When you eventually exit from the sunless valley of the shadow of death, the sunlight that was blocked by the ridges will caress your skin—you will experience God’s warm presence again and see His goodness.
Just rekindle your faith in Jesus. Even if you’re tired, trust Him again.
You were disappointed because you didn’t understand that deliverance comes at His timing, not yours.
God’s answer to your cries for help is “Yes and Amen”, but trust that He will do it in His own time and way.
Don’t board that plane by yourself. Wait just a little longer and Jesus will surely show up to rescue you from all your troubles!
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