Application
In Paul’s letter, he says Hagar and Sarah, who both bore Abraham’s children, represent two covenants given by God:
Old Covenant – God made a covenant with Moses when he gave the people of Israel the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. These commandments as well as the rest of the specific commands he gave to Moses in Leviticus-Deuteronomy became the basis for the Mosaic Law that the Jews followed and still follow today. Essentially the law must be kept perfectly. If anyone stumbles even the slightest bit, they have sinned and must visit a priest to sacrifice a lamb as an atonement for that sin. Paul says this covenant represents slavery because you can never be fully set free from your sin.
New Covenant – Jesus represents the new covenant because he fulfilled the covenant given to Abraham in Genesis. Paul says this covenant represents freedom because Jesus became the sacrificial lamb by dying for our sins for once and for all. When we place our faith in Jesus and accept his free gift of salvation, we are free from the consequences of our sin for all of eternity. Spend time thanking God for fulfilling his promise to Abraham – for sending Jesus to die for our sins. Are you walking in freedom, or have you been struggling with sin? Confess any sin these verses reveal in your life, and make a commitment to walk in freedom from your sins. Jesus didn’t die for our sins so that we would continue to live in bondage to our sin. He died so that we could be free for once and for all.
Pastor Rowena