The Mosaic Law: Illustration, Expostulation and Allegory (7): The Children of the Bondwoman (Galatians 4:21-25) by Rev. Angus Stewart
I. The Resurfacing Question
II. The Powerful Application
III. The Allegorical Method
Psalm singing: 65:1-5; 54:1-7; 83:1-8; 143:1-7a
Scripture reading: Galatians 4:8-31
We were only able to stream the audio. For the video of the sermon, see www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt_pR5HD72E

John Brown on Galatians 4:21-31: “[The apostle Paul] seems plainly to have meant to bring forward the general truth, ‘That no man who sought for salvation by obedience to the Mosaic law could possibly obtain an interest in the blessings of the Christian salvation.’ Whether he rejected Christianity altogether, or whether he endeavoured to connect an acknowledgment of the Messiahship of Jesus Christ along with obedience to the Mosaic law, as the ground of his hopes of acceptance with God, he equally shut himself out from participating in the blessings of Christ’s salvation, by refusing to receive it in the only form in which it is offered—‘The gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ The leading law of the spiritual church in all ages is, ‘the man who is just by faith shall live’.”
Herman Hanko on Galatians 4:25: “Hagar is analogous to Mount Sinai, and it is, in turn, analogous to ‘Jerusalem which now is.’ The Jerusalem ‘which now is’ is the old city (not yet destroyed by Titus and the Roman armies), which still has its temple and priests and Levites solemnly going about their business, is still the home of Pharisees and Sadducees, is still intent on all the rituals of the law, still seeks salvation by the works of the law, and still boasts that its citizens are the true seed of Abraham and the special people of God because of their natural descent ... This is then the analogy: Hagar’s begetting a slave is like Mount Sinai begetting slaves, and Mount Sinai’s begetting slaves is like the Jerusalem and her children present in Paul’s day, which crucified Christ. The Judaizers belong to Hagar, mount Sinai, and the earthly Jerusalem.”

Psalm 65:1-5
1 PRAISE waits for thee in Sion, Lord:
to thee vows paid shall be.
2 0 thou that hearer art of pray’r,
all flesh shall come to thee.
3 Iniquities, I must confess,
prevail against me do:
But as for our transgressions,
them purge away shalt thou.
4 Bless’d is the man whom thou dost chuse,
and mak’st approach to thee,
That he within thy courts, 0 Lord,
may still a dweller be:
We surely shall be satisfy’d
with thy abundant grace,
And with the goodness of thy house,
ev’n of thy holy place.
5 0 God of our salvation,
thou, in thy righteousness,
By fearful works unto our pray’rs
thine answer dost express :
Therefore the ends of all the earth,
and those afar that be
Upon the sea, their confidence,
0 Lord, will place in thee.

Psalm 54:1-7
1 SAVE me, O God, by thy great name,
and judge me by thy strength :
2 My prayer hear, O God; give ear
unto my words at length.
3 For they that strangers are to me
do up against me rise;
Oppressors seek my soul, and God
set not before their eyes.
4 The Lord my God my helper is,
lo, therefore I am bold :
He taketh part with ev’ry one
that doth my soul uphold.
5 Unto mine enemies he shall
mischief and ill repay:
O for thy truth’s sake cut them off,
and sweep them clean away.
6 I will a sacrifice to thee
give with free willingness;
Thy name, O Lord, because ’tis good,
with praise I will confess.
7 For he hath me delivered
from all adversities;
And his desire mine eye hath seen
upon mine enemies.

Psalm 83:1-8
1 KEEP not, 0 God, we thee entreat,
0 keep not silence now :
Do thou not hold thy peace, O God,
and still no more be thou.
2 For, lo, thine enemies a noise
tumultuously have made;
And they that haters are of thee
have lifted up the head.
3 Against thy chosen people they
do crafty counsel take;
And they against thy hidden ones
do consultations make.
4 Come, let us cut them off, said they,
from being a nation,
That of the name of Isr’el may
no more be mention.
5 For with joint heart they plot, in league
against thee they combine.
6 The tents of Edom, Ishm’elites,
Moab’s and Hagar’s line;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, Amalek,
Philistines, those of Tyre ;
8 And Assur join’d with them, to help
Lot’s children they conspire.

Psalm 143:1-7a
1 LORD, hear my pray’r, attend my suits;
and in thy faithfulness
Give thou an answer unto me,
and in thy righteousness.
2 Thy servant also bring thou not
in judgment to be try’d :
Because no living man can be
in thy sight justify’d.
3 For th’ en’my hath pursu’d my soul,
my life to ground down tread :
In darkness he hath made me dwell,
as who have long been dead.
4 My sp’rit is therefore overwhelm’d
in me perplexedly;
Within me is my very heart
amazed wondrously.
5 I call to mind the days of old,
to meditate I use
On all thy works; upon the deeds
I of thy hands do muse.
6 My hands to thee I stretch; my soul
thirsts, as dry land, for thee.
7 Haste, Lord, to hear, my spirit fails:
hide not thy face from me