Ever wonder what the dog would do if it actually caught the car it was chasing? Reminds me of the old saying, “Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it!” King Midas wanted everything he touched to turn to gold. He got his wish and soon regretted it after his food and his daughter turned to gold! We now arrive at the conclusion of the third major section of Galatians in which Paul is passionately explaining the gospel of grace. He is warning the churches of Galatia not to turn away from the gospel by submitting themselves to the Law of Moses. Be careful what you wish for Galatians, because you just might get it. If they turn away from the gospel of grace there is nothing left but eternal damnation for their sin (1:8).
Paul’s Uncertainty
In Galatians 4:8-20, in what may sound surprising, Paul refers to his “motherly” love for the Galatians. Paul is neither a woman nor a mother, but he uses this motherly language to show them how much he loves them and is concerned about them. He wrote, “I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain” (4:11). Like a loving and patient mother, Paul is deeply concerned about his spiritually rebellious children. He wrote, “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you” (4:19-20) Why does he have these doubts? They’re drifting back to old ways, observing “days and months and seasons and years” (4:10)—perhaps echoes of their pagan past or the Judaizers’ push for Jewish rituals (4:9). Paul is concerned about the Galatians and he longs to be with them so that he can shift his tone from doubt to hope (4:20). He fears they’re losing sight of Christ’s sufficiency.
Paul’s Allegory
To illustrate his point, Paul uses an allegory to persuade the Galatians not to follow the Judaizers back to the law. What is an allegory? An allegory is the use of a story to communicate a symbolic meaning. Allegories are very effective in communicating truth. Aesop’s Fables are a popular collection of allegories. One of the most famous is the Boy who Cried ‘Wolf’. If you remember the story, the young boy repeatedly tricks villagers by shouting that a wolf is attacking his flock, only for them to discover it’s a false alarm. He enjoys the panic of the townsfolk until one day a wolf actually appears! When he cries for help, the villagers, tired of his lies, ignore him and he loses his flock. This fable isn’t told to amuse, but to teach a lesson: Liars lose trust; even when they tell the truth!
Like Aesop, Paul is teaching an important lesson. In his allegory, he uses real people (Hagar and Sarah) and the true events described in Genesis to show how they can symbolically prove the principle he is advocating in Galatians. Paul is not claiming that the events surrounding Hagar and Sarah can only be interpreted allegorically, but that they can be interpreted this way. So, why does Paul use this allegory? He makes the point that the law leads to bondage and not freedom. Paul wrote, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?” (4:21). Hear Genesis’ lesson about bondage (law) vs freedom (gospel). Do you want to be justified by the law or by grace?
Hagar’s Slavery
In Paul’s allegory, there are two sons: Isaac from Sarah and Ishmael from Hagar. Hagar represents the Law of Moses. He wrote, “the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar–for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children” (4:24-25). She corresponds to the “present Jerusalem,” trapped in legalism’s chains. Paul isn’t attacking the law itself—it’s holy and good (Rom 7:12), revealing sin, and pointing to Christ (Gal 3:24). But, Paul is clear, relying on the law for righteousness enslaves, as Hagar’s son Ishmael was born into servitude. Hagar represents the Old Covenant which does not bring righteousness.
To make this application even stronger, Paul wrote: “But as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the spirit, even so it is now” (4:29). Consider, foolish Galatians, who is persecuting whom? Is Paul persecuting the Galatians? God forbid! The Galatians know that it is the men from Jerusalem who demand adherence to the law for righteousness that are persecuting. This is just as it was back in Genesis, when Ishmael persecuted and mocked Isaac (Gen 21).
Sarah’s Freedom
In Paul’s allegory, Sarah represents the gospel of grace. He wrote, “but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all” (4:26). Sarah, in this allegory, represents, not earthly Jerusalem, but heavenly Jerusalem. This “Jerusalem above” is our mother and represents the New Covenant which brings everlasting righteousness before God. Paul next quotes Isaiah 54:1, “Rejoice, O barren, You who does not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.” Paul celebrates the fruitfulness of grace, where the once childless (Sarah) is now the mother (symbolically) of countless heirs of God’s promise (4:27). This isn’t about law versus no law, but about where righteousness comes from: human effort or divine gift.
Galatians’ Choice
Lastly, Paul applies this allegory to show that those who are living by faith in Jesus are the true heirs of the promise made to Abraham. Paul wrote, “Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free” (4:30-31). Paul wants the Galatians (and all who read this epistle) to follow Christ. He especially wants those who “desire to be under the law” (4:21) to “hear the law” (4:21). He’s not rejecting the law’s role but its mastery. What does the law ultimately say? The law is good, it exposes sin, it declares everyone to be a sinner, and, most importantly, it points people to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. Let us all decide, do you want to be justified by law or by grace? Those who want to go back to the law are turning away from Christ who fulfilled the law. Like that dog chasing a car, the Galatians risk chasing a burden they can’t bear. Paul’s plea is simple: don’t turn from the freedom you’ve received. The law points to Christ so receive Him by faith. He gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age (1:4).
First Baptist Scott City, MO 
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