GALATIANS 4
“Are you still a slave or are you now free?” Paul asks this question of the Galatian believers, and the Holy Spirit asks the same one of us today. Up until then, the most god-fearing person in the world was an observant Jew, serving God and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. But he/she was nevertheless under the ‘slavery’ of the Law of Moses and of his/her sinful desires and motives. Then, at just the right time in history, God sent his Son to be born human, and born Jewish, so that he might rescue those enslaved in immaturity. So that godly Jew needed to receive his/her Messiah to remain in the will of God.
God adopted them – and us – as sons and heirs and sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts to validate that sonship. The problem came when the Galatians were persuaded to turn back to what Paul calls “those weak and miserable forces” – of Jewish legalism; forces that laid great burdens on men’s backs and which did nothing to help them lift them. (See Luke 11:46.)
This legalism included the slavish observing of special festivals and seasons, something that the vibrant newborn church had never before done. Today, we must beware of being caught up in any kind of pseudo-religious calendar that tells us what to do on any particular day. It seems to promote a sense of spiritual discipline, but it is worldly and of human origin. Some of the leaders of communities with such practices use them to promote themselves – to advertise how ‘holy’ they are; but Paul says that they are only attempting to alienate believers from the true gospel, the true church, and its leaders, and to make themselves the centre of attention. It’s an ego trip!
Zeal on its own is not enough – you must focus that zeal on the right purpose and submit to the right people. Paul was distraught that his spiritual children were being led astray into heresy, attracted by a charismatic group of newcomers who wanted to be served!
Paul ends the chapter with an extended metaphor about siblings, mountains, and cities. His message is that Jewish and Arabic religions begin and end with slavery, and that only Christ the Messiah can set them free, along with us. We are the Children of the Promise – persecuted by those other faiths but set free by Jesus eternally. God calls all those who are still enslaved to receive the Son and to embrace freedom. “There is no other Name under Heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no-one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
ISAIAH 41, 42, and 43
In chapters 41-43, the Lord wants to emphasis His supremacy. “I am the first… and I am the last” (41:4). We have been chosen, rescued, and redeemed by the greatest being of all. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am you God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. And he is prepared to do miracles to prove it: “I will make rivers flow on barren heights… I will turn the desert into pools of water…I will put cedar in the desert…so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this…”. God will get the glory in the end.
He introduces his faithful servant in chapter 42. This is the first of four ‘Servant’ prophecies in Isaiah: 42:1-9; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; and the greatest one in 52:13 – 53 (the whole chapter). They refer to Jesus, the Messiah. Isaiah 61 is also in the same genre. Through his faithful servant, God will start to fight for his true people, like a champion warrior coming to our rescue and turning the battle around in our favour. He continues in chapter 43 with the theme: “Do not fear”. It doesn’t mean that we will be exempt from experiencing unpleasant situations, but it does mean that He will be with us through them: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you”. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you…”.
Our God is God – and there is no other. He is our Saviour – and there is no-one else up to the task. What He decides, gets done! (Read 43:10-13). For us humans, it is easy to look back at the past with rose-tinted spectacles and to convince ourselves that it was so good. But God says: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland”. A knowledge of church history is essential to avoid repeating the stupidities of previous generations of Christians, but we must also recognise that the time we now live in is unique and we can only navigate our way through to our destiny by following the lead of the Holy Spirit. If God is indeed doing a brand-new thing in us, taking us on a journey that has never been travelled before, then there is no point in looking for a map! We simply have to follow the Guide.
The Big Picture 