Paul is effectively saying here, look how things work, this is what happened to Abraham. He then draws attention to the fact that Abraham had two children, one by Hagar, the maid servant, and one by his wife Sarah. Ishmael, the son born of Hagar, was the result of human effort. It was the result of an ill-conceived plan of Sarah and Abraham to fulfil God's promise (Genesis 16). Isaac, on the other hand, was born of the promise. Naturally speaking there was no way Isaac could have been born for Sarah was barren, but Isaac was born because of the promise of God.
Now all Jews knew that God's plans and promises were to be fulfilled through Isaac, not Ishmael. Indeed Abraham was told to send Ishmael away. The Judaisers were looking for a human way to fulfil God's promises, but this was never God's way of working.
We need to realise this today as well. God's kingdom comes as a result of the promise, not as a result of human effort. Yet we are so conditioned to looking to fulfil things through human effort, and it always ends in frustration, or producing fruit that we eventually need to get rid of.
Now all Jews knew that God's plans and promises were to be fulfilled through Isaac, not Ishmael. Indeed Abraham was told to send Ishmael away. The Judaisers were looking for a human way to fulfil God's promises, but this was never God's way of working.
We need to realise this today as well. God's kingdom comes as a result of the promise, not as a result of human effort. Yet we are so conditioned to looking to fulfil things through human effort, and it always ends in frustration, or producing fruit that we eventually need to get rid of.
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