|
|
|
|
Wednesday, July 7 2010
Hagar was an Egyptian woman who became a surrogate mother for Sarah, before the LORD (see 'Before Abraham Was, I AM') miraculously made it possible for Sarah herself to have a child. Hagar was the mother of Abraham's son Ishmael, while Sarah was the mother of Abraham's son Isaac.
"16:1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai." (Genesis 16:1-2 KJV)"16:15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael." (Genesis 16:15 KJV)
"They which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God"
One of the most lame excuses for Christian-professing people to declare themselves lawless (i.e. they claim salvation from Christ's sacrifice while, in effect, proclaiming they can do whatever they please to disobey His Word - see Grace Into Licentiousness) is the blatant mis-reading of what is written in Galatians about Hagar (the King James uses "Agar" for her name in the New Testament).
"4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." (Galatians 4:21-31 KJV)
What was the context of Paul's statement about Hagar? Was he just talking about Hagar, or did he use Hagar as an example of something else that he was talking about? The answer was that Hagar was referred to merely as an explanation of what Paul was talking about - circumcision, and all other rituals that were merely intended as temporary physical signs of obedience before the coming of the Holy Spirit i.e. "I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing."
"5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." (Galatians 5:1-6 KJV)
Circumcision today is neither good nor bad in God's eyes i.e. "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision" (quoted above). The "slavery" that Paul was talking about were the things that were and are merely symbols of obedience e.g. a lamb at Passover rather than The Lamb of God. He was telling them to do away with the symbols and actually obey the LORD (unlike those even today, such as Jews who are physically circumcised but who reject the Messiah, or Christian-professing people who arrogantly refuse to obey what Christ actually commanded).
"5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." (Galatians 5:2-4 KJV)
Continuing on, did Paul then say that doing away with the symbols of righteousness gave people the right to do away with the actual Laws of Righteousness i.e. The Ten Commandments? Certainly not. In Paul's own words, "that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
"5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21 KJV)
Fact Finder: What was the purpose of circumcision?
See Circumcision
| Daily Bible Study Library - Thousands of Online Studies! | ||
 |
Jesus Christ Bible History Prophecy Christian Living Encouragement |
Eternal Life By The Book Bible Places Curiosities The Spirit World |
This Day In History, July 7
1307: King Edward I of England died on his way north to subdue a rebellion in Scotland; he was succeeded by Edward II.
1668: Isaac Newton received his MA from Trinity College, Cambridge.
1798: Napoleon Bonaparte's army began its march towards Cairo, Egypt, from Alexandria.
1807: The first of the Treaties of Tilsit was signed, during which France, under Napoleon Bonaparte, and Russia, under Czar Alexander, became allies and divided Europe between them.
1846: During the Mexican-American war (a geographically-inaccurate term, since all people of the continents of North and South America, from the northern tip of Canada to the southern tip of Argentina, are "Americans"), the U.S. annexed California from Mexico. By the end of the war in 1848, Mexico lost the territories of what is today California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, plus parts of Colorado and New Mexico. As well, Texas broke away from Mexico and later joined the U.S.
1865: Lewis Paine, David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt were executed by public hanging in Washington's Old Penitentiary. They had been convicted of "treasonable conspiracy" in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
1930: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, English author and creator of "Sherlock Holmes," died.
1937: Following the establishment of a commission to investigate the mandate in Palestine, the Peel Report was published in Britain. It recommended that there should be separate Arab and Jewish states.
1937: Japan invaded China.
1941: President Roosevelt announced that U.S. forces had invaded Iceland to prevent a Nazi invasion of the island.
1978: The Solomon Islands gained independence from Britain.
