*{In Galatians 4 Paul is going to use this story to present the 2 Covenants — the Old Covenant of Law, which he says is unto slavery.  And the New Covenant of Grace, which is unto Freedom.  These are symbolized by the 2 women who Abraham was involved with and the 2 sons born.  Ismael, a child of the law and slavery, and Isaac, the child of grace and promise, the child of freedom}*Genesis 16:1–Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children; and she had an Egyptianfemale servant, whose name was Hagar.Gen 16:2– And Sarai said to Abram, Because Jehovah has prevented me from bearing, please go in to my female servant; perhaps I will have children through her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.*{God told Abram that the heir had to be from him.  But they were in their 80’s and were beyond the days of childbearing.  It was impossible, for sure through Sarai.  So Abram’s wife makes a suggestion — use the maid servant Hagar, and have a child with her.  And Abraham listened to the voice of his wife.  Sometimes this is a good thing to do, and sometimes NOT.  It was not good for Adam.  And this also turned out to be a bad choice for Abram.Gen 16:3– So after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her female servant, and gave her to Abram her husband to be a wife.
Gen 16:4– And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived,her mistress was despised in her eyes.
*{After Hagar became pregnant she began to despise her mistress.  This caused Abram to allow his wife to basically mistreat her and even to “run her off” for a while.  But God cared for her and told her to go back and submit to her mistress, and she did}*
Gen 16:5– And Sarai said to Abram, May the wrong done to me be upon you. I gave my female servant into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. May Jehovah judge between me and you.
Gen 16:6– And Abram said to Sarai, Your female servant is now in your hand; do to her what is good in your eyes. So Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from before her.Gen 16:7– And the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

*{The Angel of the LORD met her and encouraged her and made a prophecy about the child that would be born.  And that word has very much come true}*
Gen 16:11– And the Angel of Jehovah said to her,You have now conceivedAnd will bear a son,And you shall call his name Ishmael,Because Jehovah has heard of your affliction.
Gen 16:12– And he will be a wild ass of a man;His hand will be against everyone,And everyone’s hand, against him;And he will settle down opposite all his brothers.
*{Who is Ishmael?  The Muslim Arab people of the world proudly claim Ishmael as their “father”.  This is why Jews and Arab Muslims BOTH claim Abraham… the Jews through Isaac and the Muslim Arabs through Ishmael.  But consider the prophecy about Ishmael — 1) “A wild ass of a man” — TRUE; 2) His hand against everyone — TRUE; 3) Everyone’s hand against him — TRUE; 4) Settling down by his brothers — TRUE}*
Gen 16:15– And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
Gen 16:16– And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Now — Consider Paul’s word in Galatians:Galatians 4:21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one of the maidservant and one of the free woman.

23 However the one of the maidservant was born according to the flesh, but the one of the free woman was born through promise.

24 These things are spoken allegorically, for these women are two covenants, one from Mount Sinai, bringing forth children unto slavery, which is Hagar.

28 But you, brothers, in the way Isaac was, are children of promise.

29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.

30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the maidservant and her son, for the son of the maidservant shall by no means inherit with the son of the free woman.”

31 So then, brothers, we are not children of the maidservant but of the free woman.

*{To try to be justified before God by keeping the law will bring you into slavery.  To rather believe God and trust Christ in you to transform you and to do IN you (by grace through faith) what you could never do in your own strength is 100% according to God’s New Testament economy — and brings us into a “glorious freedom” * We can never “make it” on our own or by our own strength.  But by the Spirit indwelling us, the “righteous requirements of the law” can be automatically, effortlessly and spontaneously fulfilled NOT BY us, but IN us (Rom 8:4)*