Galatians 4:12-31

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

*September 17, 2009
<http://www.2rbetter.org/>*



   *H. GALATIANS 4:12-20 *

*A PERSONAL APPEAL TO RETURN TO FAITH IN CHRIST*

*a. 4:12a PAUL'S EXHORTATION: FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE - STAY A FREE JEW*

GInes-the h*o*s eG*O*, HOti ka' 'G*O* h*o*s huMEIS,

*I beseech you brethren, become as I;*

a-delPHOI, DEo-mai [1189] huM*O*N.

*for I also am as you.*


 *b. 4:12b-14 REMINDER: THEY RECEIVED HIS TEACHING PREVIOUSLY!*

ouDEN me *e*-diK*E*sa-te [91]:

*You did me no wrong:*

OIda-te de HOti di' asTHEnei-an [769] t*e*s sarKOS [4561]

*13 but you know that because of infirmity of the flesh*

eu-*e*g-ge-liSAm*e*n [2097] huMIN to PROte-ron:

*I preached the gospel to you the former time:*

kai ton pei-rasMON [3906] huM*O*N en t*e* sarKI mou

*14 and the temptation to you in my :flesh*

ouk e-xou-theN*E*sa-te [1848], ouDE e-xepTUsa-te [1609];

*you despised not, nor rejected;*

alLA h*o*s AGge-lon TheOU eDExasTHE me, h*o*s ChrisTON 'I*e*SOUN.

*but you received me as God's angel, as Christ Jesus.*


 *c. 4:15 THE SPIRIT IN WHICH PAUL'S TEACHING PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED*

pou oun ho ma-ka-risMOS [3107] huM*O*N?

*Where then is your :congratulation?*

mar-tuR*O* [3140] gar huMIN, HOti, ei du-naTON,

*for I bear you witness, that, if possible,*

tous oph-thalMOUS huM*O*N e-xoRUxan-tes [1846] eD*O*kaTE [1325] moi.

*you would have plucked out your :eyes and given them to me.*


 *d. 4:16 REVERSAL: REMINDER OF FIRST TRUTH, NOW MAKES THEM ENEMIES?*

H*O*Ste echTHROS [2190] huM*O*N GEgo-na, a-l*e*THEU*o*n [226] huMIN?

*So then am I become your enemy, by telling you truth?*


 *e. 4:17 PURPOSE OF JUDAIZERS: WIN PAUL'S CONVERTS FROM HIM*

z*e*LOUsin [2206] huMAS ou kaL*O*S;

*They are zealous for you in no good way;*

alLA ekKLEIsai [1576] huMAS THElou-sin, HIna auTOUS z*e*LOUte [2206].

*but desire to shut you out, that you be zealous for them.*


 *f. 4:18 PAUL'S DESIRE FOR THEM: ONLY GOOD*

kaLON de z*e*LOUSthai en kaL*O* PANto-te,

*But it is good to be zealously sought in a good matter always,*

kai m*e* MOnon en t*o* paREI-NAI [3918] me pros huMAS.

*and not only when I am present with you.*


 *g. 4:19-20 PAUL'S REACTION: BIRTH PANGS AGAIN FOR CHRIST'S FULLNESS*

TEKna [5040] mou, hous PAlin *o*DIn*o* [5605]

*My little children, of whom I am again in travail*

MEchris mou mor-ph*o*TH*E* [3445] ChrisTOS en huMIN -

*until Christ be formed in you -*

*E*the-lon de paREInai [3918] pros huMAS ARti,

*20 but I could wish to be present with you now,*

kai alLAxai [236] t*e*n ph*o*N*E*N [5456] mou; HOti a-poROUmai [639] en
huMIN.

*and to change my :voice; for I am perplexed about you.*



 *I. 4:21-31 ALLEGORICAL APPEAL: LAW AND FAITH CANNOT CO-EXIST!*

*a. 4:21 IF WE MARRY LAW, WE MUST UNDERSTAND ITS CONDITIONS*

LEgeTE moi, hoi huPO NOmon [3551] THElon-tes EInai,

*Tell me, you that desire to be under law,*

ton NOmon ouk aKOUete?

*do you not hear the law?*


 *b. 4:22 ABRAHAM'S TWO SONS*

GEgrap-tai gar, HOti A-braAM DUo huiOUS ESchen,

*For it is written, that Abraham had two sons,*

HEna ek t*e*s paiDISk*e*s [3814], kai HEna ek t*e*s e-leuTHEras [1658].

*one by the maid, and one by the freewoman.*


 *c. 4:23 CHILD OF FLESH VERSUS CHILD OF PROMISE*

all' ho men ek t*e*s paiDISk*e*s kaTA SARka geGENn*e*-tai;

*But he of the maid is born after the flesh;*

ho de ek t*e*s e-leuTHEras [1658], di' e-pag-geLIas [1860].

*and he of the freewoman, through promise.*


 *d. 4:24 ALLEGORY OF TWO COVENANTS*

HAtiNA es-tin al-l*e*-goROUme-na [238]:

*Which things contain an allegory:*

HAUtai gar ei-sin DUo di-aTH*E*kai [1242]: MIa men aPO Orous SiNA,

*for these are two covenants: the one from mount Sinai,*

eis douLEIan [1397] genN*O*sa, H*E*tis esTIN HAgar.

*bearing unto bondage, which is Hagar.*


 *e. 4:25 HAGAR AND EARTHLY JERUSALEM: MOTHERS OF BONDAGE*

to de, HAgar, SiNA Oros esTIN t*e* A-raBIa,

*Now this, Hagar, is mount Sinai in :Arabia,*

sun-stoiCHEI [4960] de t*e* nun 'Ie-rou-saL*E*M:

*and answers to the Jerusalem that now is:*

douLEUei [1398] gar meTA t*o*n TEKn*o*n auT*E*S.

*for she is in bondage with her :children.*


 *f. 4:26-27 HEAVENLY JERUSALEM ALONE BEARS SPIRITUAL CHILDREN*

h*e* de An*o* 'Ie-rou-saL*E*M e-leuTHEra [1658] EStin, H*E*tis esTIN M*E*t*e
*r [3384] h*e*M*O*N,

*But the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother,*

GEgrap-tai gar,

*27 For it is written,*

EuPHRANth*e*-ti [2165], STEIra [4723] h*e* ou TIKtou-sa [5088];

*Rejoice, you barren that does not bear;*

'R*E*xon [4486] kai BO*e*-son [994], h*e* ouk *o*DInou-sa [5605]:

*Break forth and cry, you that do not travail:*

HOti polLA ta TEKna t*e*s eR*E*mou [2048] MALlon

*For more are the children of the desolate*

*e* t*e*s eCHOUs*e*s ton ANdra.

*than of her that has the husband.*


 *g. 4:28 CHRISTIANS ARE CHILDREN OF PROMISE*

h*e*MEIS de, a-delPHOI, kaTA I-saAK e-pag-geLIas TEKna esMEN.

*Now we, brethren, are as Isaac children of promise.*


 *h. 4:29 CHILDREN OF FLESH PERSECUTE CHILDREN OF PROMISE*

all' H*O*Sper TOte ho kaTA SARka gen-n*e*THEIS

*But just as then who was born after the flesh*

eDI*o*-ke ton kaTA PNEUma, HOUt*o*s kai nun.

*persecuted the one after the Spirit, so also now.*


 *i. 4:30a TESTIMONY OF SCRIPTURE*

alLA ti LEgei h*e* graPH*E*?

*But what says the scripture?*


 *j. 4:30b CAST OUT BONDWOMAN AND SON FROM INHERITANCE*

EKba-le [1544] t*e*n paiDISk*e*n [3814] kai ton huiON auT*E*S:

*Cast out the maid and her :son: *

ou gar m*e* kl*e*-ro-noM*E*sei [2818]

*for the son of the maid*

ho huiOS t*e*s paiDISk*e*s meTA tou huiOU t*e*s e-leuTHEras [1668].

*shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman.*


 *k. 4:31 CONCLUSION: CHRISTIANS ARE BORN FREE!*

di' HO, a-delPHOI, ouk esMEN paiDISk*e*s [3814] TEKna [5043],

*Wherefore, brethren, we are not a maid's children,*

alLA t*e*s e-leuTHEras [1658].

*but the freewoman's.*



 *NOTE*: In 2005 my wife Marie and I attended a 2 week conference on Mount
Carmel, Israel. Out of the 4 times we've been there, this in our estimation
was the most fruitful and challenging. One of the teachers laid a foundation
for understanding the present tension in the Middle East between Isaac and
Ishmael, between the Jews and Arabs. It all goes back to the problem Abraham
created by listening to his wife. God told Abraham that his heir would come
through Sarah. He waited 13 years, and by that time both Sarah and he were
past the age of child-bearing. It would take a triple miracle to fulfill
God's promise to Abraham: barrenness reversed for both him and his wife, and
a boy - not a girl. (It is interesting to note that there are but 8 people
in the Bible named prior to birth. Ishmael was the first; Isaac the second;
John the Baptist and Jesus the 7th and 8th.)


 Sarah gave up in the interval, and invited her husband to take her Egyptian
maid Hagar to fulfill the promise. But God said, “No, not Ishmael through
Hagar, but Isaac through Sarah.” Ishmael started persecuting his brother
Isaac when the latter was weaned at 2. Sarah responded by telling Abraham to
get rid of Hagar and Ishmael, which he reluctantly did, for he loved
Ishmael, his firstborn.


 The persecution that commenced way back then (4000 years ago), continues
yet today between the descendants: Israel and the Muslims.


 But Paul then takes this account and makes it into an allegory, to set
forth the enmity between the worldly people, and those born of the Spirit
into God's Kingdom. Just as the non-believer in Jesus' day hated Him and
persecuted Him, so all those of us in Christ, who have been born of the New
Jerusalem above, suffer persecution. The Judaizers are represented by Hagar
and Ishmael. The “One New Man” - Jew and Gentile born into God's Kingdom
through Jesus - are persecuted by those on the other side. Paul's letter to
the Galatians opens up many vistas, not just one.


 But in 4:12-20, Paul is showing the danger Gentile believers were facing in
his day because of the Judaizers. Those becoming first interested in their
position, were now beginning to turn on Paul - the one God used to bring
them initially into His Kingdom. And let us remember, the Gospel, the Good
News, is the “Good News of the Kingdom of God” from Heaven! Some 100 times
“the Kingdom” is mentioned in the NT, and always as “Good News”. It is “Good
News” to confess with your mouth Jesus as your Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, following His great act of working
out perfect redemption for us through His blood.


 Is this “Good News” to Modernistic and unbelieving preachers? They
*hate*it; and they likewise hate those of us who embrace it.


 So - our Bible recounts a battlefield between God and Satan; believer and
unbeliever; those in the Kingdom of God, and those yet in the world.


 Look at the nation of America - the US today. We too are in a battlefield.
Many want to take from us the foundations in God laid by our Founding
Fathers! Islam would like to replace Christianity as the world's religion.
If we cannot see this conflict, it is most likely that we are not yet in
God's Kingdom - have not been born from above; have not confessed and made
Jesus as Lord!


 What an opportunity through this letter to the Galatians and reading, to
rectify such a situation, and *choose* to go God's way according to the
Bible, not some esoteric false road. There *is* a way that seems right unto
a man (New Age, bloodless cults, man-concocted religions) - but the *end* of
them is *death*! I know. For 20 years I lived in such a church, never
hearing the Gospel of God's Kingdom till God took hold of my life in answer
to the prayers of others, and into a situation where He could reveal Himself
to me through His Son, Jesus Christ! - J.A.W.



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