A man and his wife are told to travel to a land they have never seen – told to leave their family and everything they knew, all for a promise. The husband and wife have some servants, and God tells them they’ll have a son. Years go by, and the wife gets scared and impatient. The husband, no doubt, is feeling the pressure and can probably sense his wife’s disappointment. Reminded of life back home, the wife told her husband to sleep with her servant so they could have a kid. Sound familiar? It’s the story of Abraham and Sarah. Her servant, Hagar, had a son named Ishmael. Yet, he was not the son of promise. Fourteen years passed, and the promised son came.

The Bondwoman and the Freewoman

Paul tells the church in Galatia many things, but in chapter 5, he gives them a history lesson. Galatians 5:21-31 brings this out and shows a powerful picture full of grace. The name of Ishmael means God will hear. Issac means laughter. Through the letter to Galatia, we see the beauty of this passage in correlation with the accounts in Genesis. Symbolically, the law is Ishmael, while the new covenant is Isaac. The old covenant asks God to look at our works. It requires us to command God, “Look at what I’ve done, look what I deserve now.” Hence, God will hear. However, fourteen years later, the new covenant comes through Isaac. It brings joy and laughter. Something else worth mentioning is the timing of these two children and their upbringing.

When Isaac was born, Hagar mocked the child. Abraham sent them away, and the Lord protected them while Ishmael grew in the wilderness and married an Egyptian. The highlight of this event is its spiritual significance. Ishmael, symbolically the law, was sent away and could not live in the same house as Isaac, symbolically the new covenant. Isaac was still a child, and yet he was the son of promise – the son of joy. Derision and strife cannot exist alongside joy and laughter. Hagar was scorning the newborn, yet she was sent away.

Do not let the spirit of the law ridicule the spirit of Joy within you. Run to Mount Zion, forsake Mount Sinai.