Tyndale Open Study NotesGalatians 4

A child who inherits an estate might get a large fortune. However, before reaching adulthood, the child must follow the rules of guardians and trustees until the time the father decides. In the same way, before Jesus came, God's people were under the guidance of the law of Moses (see 3:23–24).

Paul argues that the purpose of the law of Moses for God's children was fulfilled when Jesus came, so we are no longer bound by it.

• Before Christ came, God's people were like young heirs to a large estate (4:1–2). They would inherit a great fortune (see 4:5), but they were still under their guardian's care (3:23–25).

• The basic spiritual principles of this world likely refer to the laws that govern the world without Jesus. These principles were fully expressed in the law of Moses (3:23–24; compare 4:5).

• God chose the perfect time in history for Jesus to come (see Luke 4:18–19; Ephesians 4:8–10).

• Jesus was fully human, born of a woman, and required to follow the law of Moses. Jesus fulfilled the law (see Matthew 3:13–15; 5:17) so that God's children now have freedom and are no longer enslaved by it.

• to redeem those: By fulfilling the law and taking on its curse, Jesus freed us from its demands (Galatians 3:13; see also Romans 3:24; Colossians 1:13–14).

• that we might receive our adoption as sons: See also Romans 8:15–17.

• The Holy Spirit works in our hearts to give us confidence that we are God's children (see Romans 8:16; Ephesians 1:13–14).

• Those with the Spirit of God's Son can call God "Father," just like Jesus did (Mark 14:36; compare Matthew 6:9).

Paul reminds the Galatians of their past pagan beliefs. He argues that following circumcision and the law is like returning to the same kind of slavery they experienced before they knew God.

Before they became Christians, the non-Jewish Galatians worshiped false gods. They worshiped natural things like the sun, moon, and seasons (see Romans 1:25). They lived like slaves to these false gods, constantly afraid they would make them angry (1 Corinthians 8:5–6).

• Now that you know God: Christians have a relationship with God like a child with a parent, not like a slave with a master (4:5–7).

• how is it that you are turning back? Paul was confused that Christians would want to return to their old life of spiritual slavery (4:19–20).

• are known by God: God is the one who saves and has taken the initiative in understanding their souls and forgiving them freely (Psalm 139:1–6, 23–24; Luke 2:34–35; Hebrews 4:12).

• By turning back to circumcision (as a way of being accepted by God), the Galatians would be returning to the same useless spiritual principles they knew when they worshiped false gods. Both ways of living required people to work hard to please a demanding master who was never satisfied.

Circumcision was just one way the Galatians tried to follow the law of Moses. They also started celebrating Jewish festivals. They believed this would make them more acceptable to God. To Paul, this showed they misunderstood or rejected the good news of God's grace through Jesus Christ.

I fear for you: The Galatians were in danger of turning away from Christ by depending on the law. If they did, Paul's efforts would have been wasted. The good news would not benefit them (compare Hebrews 6:4–6; 2 Peter 2:20–22). See Acts 13:44–14:24 for a description of Paul's work for the Christians in that region.

After explaining what the Bible teaches, Paul takes a more personal approach. He reminds the Galatians of their close relationship with him.

• become like me: Paul was a devoted Jew. He stopped trying to earn righteousness and accepted God's free grace in Jesus Christ. Now, Paul asks these Gentiles to follow his example instead of adopting the Jewish practices he left behind. Paul's advice throughout the rest of the letter (4:12–6:10) comes from this single command.

• You have done me no wrong: Similarly, the Galatians should not mistreat Paul now but should continue to warmly accept his ministry and message.

• because of an illness: Paul might have had a long-term health issue, but we do not know what it was (see 2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul's condition was serious and seemed to cause problems or even upset the new church in Galatia. People often saw physical problems as a sign of God's judgment (see John 9:1–2; Acts 28:4). The Galatians looked beyond Paul's physical state and accepted him as God's messenger (literally angel; Greek angelos).

• as if I were Christ Jesus Himself: See Luke 10:16.

• The Galatians were happy and thankful when Paul shared the good news about Jesus with them.

• you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me: Some think this means Paul had eye problems, but he might have used eyes as a symbol for something valuable (see Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8; Matthew 18:9). The Galatians were thankful for Pual's message of good news. So, the Galatians would have given Paul their most valuable possession.

At first, the Galatians gladly accepted Paul and his message when they became Christians. But now they were unsure about Paul and possibly even rejected him.

• Those people are zealous for you: The Greek word here can mean have a positive meaning, like "eagerness," or a negative meaning, like "jealousy" and "envy."

• they want to isolate you from us: The Judaizers (Jewish Christians insisting on following Jewish laws) might have been so eager because they envied the Galatians’ devotion to Paul and instead wanted the Galatians to be devoted to them (compare 2 Corinthians; see also Luke 11:46–52). Another possibility is that the Judaizers wanted the Galatians to depend on them as interpreters of the law of Moses.

It was good for the Galatians to continue eagerly embracing Paul and his message, even when he was not there with them.

Some English Bibles translate like this: If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you (New Living Translation). In this case, Paul might be saying that it was okay for others to seek the Galatians' loyalty, but those teachers were not truly trying to help them.

• The Galatians were like Paul's spiritual children (see 1 Corinthians 4:14–15; Philemon 1:10). Bringing them to Christ was like giving birth to children and experiencing labor pains. It was difficult but rewarding. Now, Paul felt his work was not finished.

• until Christ is formed in you: Paul uses the picture of giving birth to explain something important. If the Galatians continued to trust in Christ as Paul had taught them, Christ's image would grow in them (they would become more and more like Jesus in how they lived and acted). But if they chose to follow the law instead, this new life would die before it could develop. Paul says he must keep working hard, like a midwife who helps with childbirth, to make sure this does not happen.

If Paul had been there in person, he could have understood his listeners better and adjusted his message to fit their spiritual and emotional needs. From a distance, he was not sure if his tone would be effective.

• Paul now returns to using Scripture to support his argument. He tells the story of two of Abraham's wives, Hagar and Sarah, and their children. He uses this story to show the difference between two types of people: those who are like slaves because they try to follow all the laws, and those who are free because they belong to Christ.

• Paul uses a special way of explaining Bible stories (called allegory) that Jewish teachers used in those days (see study note on 4:24). Paul was trained as a rabbi (see Acts 22:3) and could effectively debate the Judaizers using their own methods.

Do you not understand what the law actually says?: The Galatians tried to achieve righteousness through the law, but they did not truly understand its meaning (see Luke 24:25–27; 1 Timothy 1:7).

Ishmael was the son of the slave woman, Hagar. She was Sarah's servant (see Genesis 16:15). Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham, trying to get the heir God promised through human efforts (see Genesis 16:1–4). Isaac, Sarah's son, was born to the free woman (see Genesis 21:2–3). God did something miraculous to help Sarah have this baby. This fulfilled God's promise (see Genesis 17:15–21).

Paul connects Abraham's effort to fulfill God's promises with the attempts in Galatia and other places to achieve salvation by following the law (4:23). Hagar, as a slave woman, represents Israel's bondage under the law. This contrasts with the freedom of those who have faith in Jesus Christ (4:26–27).

• serve as illustrations (literally are being allegorized): In allegorical writing, every character and event symbolizes a deeper meaning. Allegorical interpretations often ignore the text's historical meaning and create imaginative meanings. Here, however, Paul understood the story in its historical context and saw it as history. But he interpreted the story's characters as symbols of the current situation. Paul's opponents were also using allegorical methods, so Paul countered their flawed allegory with true allegory (see 1 Corinthians 9:22).

• two covenants: The old covenant (God's special agreement with his people) was formed through Moses. The new covenant came through Jesus Christ.

• Mount Sinai… This is Hagar: Just as Hagar was a slave woman symbolizing human effort, Mount Sinai brought slavery to following the law.

• Both Hagar and Mount Sinai were symbols of Jerusalem. They represented Judaism during Paul's time. Judaism continued to trust in the law and in being Abraham's descendants for their status before God (see John 8:31–59). They rejected Jesus as Messiah and remained bound to the law (Galatians 3:23–24; 4:1–3).

• Mount Sinai in Arabia: Traditionally, Mount Sinai is located in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. However, some suggest that in Arabia means Mount Sinai was in Midian, where Moses once lived (see Exodus 3:1).

• Hagar represents slavery to human effort based on Mount Sinai (4:24–25). In contrast, Sarah represents freedom in the heavenly Jerusalem, God's ideal city. Abraham’s true children by faith now live under God's rule in Jesus Christ (3:29).

• she is our mother: Sarah’s son, Isaac, was freely given all of God's promises apart from the law of Moses. Similarly, Jews and Gentiles who live by faith in Jesus are Sarah’s true children. They receive God's promises to Abraham freely apart from the law (3:26–29; 4:4–7).

The quoted passage, Isaiah 54:1, promised Israel they would thrive after the exile to Babylon. Those who have faith in Jesus Christ are Sarah’s children (Galatians 4:26). This fulfills the promise that Sarah, who was childless, would have more children than Hagar, the slave woman. To the Judaizers (those who insisted on following Jewish law), people not following the law might seem desolate (spiritually barren or unfruitful), but through faith, they become abundantly fruitful as the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:31–33).

Paul uses the story of Hagar and Sarah in 4:21–27 to explain the situation in Galatia. Isaac represents those born through God's promise (see 3:8) by the Spirit's power (3:2–5; see also Ephesians 1:13–14). These people trust in God for salvation through Christ by faith. Ishmael represents those who think following the law of Moses will make them acceptable to God (Galatians 3:10–11). This idea would have surprised the Judaizers, who believed they were Abraham's true children because they followed the law of Moses.

Isaac was the promised child. During his weaning celebration, Ishmael treated Isaac badly (see Genesis 21:9). Similarly, in Galatia, people who insisted on following the law were treating badly those who trusted in God's promise, the message of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone (compare Acts 13:50–51; 14:1–7).

Sarah's demand about Ishmael in Genesis 21:10 becomes a guideline (see Genesis 21:12) for dealing with the current son of the slave woman (anyone who refuses to abandon slavery to the law). God does not let those who try to be righteous through their own efforts share in his inheritance (see Romans 9:30–33). Those who come to God through Jesus Christ alone, by faith and not by following the law, are children of the free woman who inherit God's blessings.