The women represent two covenants.
Summary: Paul begins to explain what he said would be figurative.
If Paul had not pointed out the connection between the two women and the two covenants, few people would have known there was a connection. It is not obvious that Sarah and Hagar “represent two covenants.”
In the English language, the word “covenant” has a contractual meaning. Often, it means an agreement between two persons or parties. When we read this passage, it is easy to assume that the “covenants” Paul refers to represent an agreement of sorts between God and man. That meaning would suggest that mankind is capable and worthy of making an agreement with the Almighty. Considering our nature (Luke 18:19), it doesn’t seem likely that God would bind himself to a contract with us.
The Greek word that Paul used is diathḗkē. According to Strong’s Concordance (Strong’s G 1242), diathḗkē refers to an inheritance that is promised. Once a will is written, the inheritance is assured, provided that the heir meets the terms of the will.
When God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, he created a covenant, but not one where Abraham had to do anything. It was the promise of an inheritance for Abraham’s heirs. We know that a great deal flowed out of this covenant including the Mosaic laws, but the covenant itself originated with this promise of an inheritance of land.
Before bringing the descendants of Abraham into the promised land, God created a codicil to the will he had set up for Abraham. It said Abraham’s descendants could stay in the land as long as they honored God. If they turned away from God and did evil things, God promised to temporarily evict them from the land as punishment.
God’s second promise, or covenant, had to do with inheriting eternal life. Keep in mind that God defines spiritual “life” as having a relationship with the source of life, God. “Death,” on the other hand, is separation from God.
When Jesus came and allowed himself to be crucified he demonstrated his power over death and his power to redeem his creation (John 3:16). Those of us who trust in Jesus become part of his family (Matthew 12: 48-50). As part of our Lord’s family, we inherit eternal life along with him.
It will be interesting to see how Paul ties all of this together!
Application: Praise God that we are invited to share in Christ’s inheritance.
Food for Thought: What else do you see in these two covenants? What makes each one unique?
The passage that keeps resonating in my mind this morning as I read the meditation is this:
John 14:1-7 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
The parts of the passage that keep resonating this morning are the “prepare a place” and “knowing the Father.”
Didn’t Adam and Eve have that in the Garden of Eden? God prepared a place for them where He could walk with them and they could know Him? Seems to me, through the Abrahamic Covenant, God was redeeming a place where He could reside with mankind and they could know Him. In both cases the problem wasn’t with God’s design, the problem was in the hearts of mankind. They took for granted what God had given them, and allowed sin to separate them from God. Christ came and defeated sin, His self-less sacrifice provided a way that God again could prepare a place, in our hearts, and ultimately, with Him in Heaven. A place where He could walk with us in life, and we could live with Him in eternity.
Under the Old Covenant, sin had to be continually atoned for. But even then, one could physically offer a sacrifice and their heart still not be right with God. Under the New Covenant, sin has already been atoned for. This is a part of the freedom that Christ offers us, to be justified by faith, and to allow Christ to bring us to place where we truly recognize our sin and ask forgiveness.
Nicely said, Chris!
As you point out the condition of our heart is important to the covenant. Jesus solves this by giving us a new heart! 🙂
Thanks Jeff and CH. Great thoughts CH.
The context, of course, tells us a lot about what Paul was thinking. He goes on to refer to one covenant as earthly while the other has spiritual and eternal implications. One covenant, represented by Hagar, deals with the law. The other covenant, represented by Sarah, deals with grace. We need grace because we did not keep the law.
Amen, Rich. Amen!
Nor can we keep the law.
It is as if the law were a pair of lines on the ground that run parallel to each other. Keeping the law is staying between the lines every moment of the day. Unfortunately, the farther we go, the closer the lines converge until they are almost touching one another. The purity of the law is such that “self” entirely disappears. Only when we give ourselves to Jesus can we be saved from the law.