Fulfillment

This week, we are going to finish Paul’s letter to Jesus followers in what was the Roman province of Galatia. Today, Paul provides a great illustration for his original audience and a great reminder for every audience since then.


Galatians 4
21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise. 24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said, “Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!” 28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit. 30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.


Fulfillment. The word that really stood out to me was “fulfillment”. Paul was using part of Abraham’s story to illustrate his point about faith surpassing the law (if you are new to this part of the story and the point Paul is trying to make, check out Righteous and Rescued); but I was drawn to God’s fulfillment of his promises. For Abraham, God promised to make him the father of a great nation (check out Genesis 12:2) through a son (check out Genesis 15:4-5). When Abraham and his wife (Sarah) didn’t think God was capable of fulfilling his promise or didn’t think God was fulfilling it fast enough; they decided to circumvent God (check out Genesis 16:1-3). It was a decision that would lead to a lot of conflict (check out Genesis 16:4-6 and Genesis 16:11-12); but ultimately, it wouldn’t prevent God from fulfilling his promise through his plan and in his timing (check out Genesis 21:1-3). God even gave Abraham a second chance to demonstrate his faith in God to fulfill his promises (check out Genesis 22:1-18). I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to force God’s hand when it came to his plan for my life. Thank God his fulfillment isn’t based on my trust or my patience; but his grace.