Jacob’s wives
similarly owned their slaves, who became concubines to Jacob, and their
offspring belonged to the wives and became the fathers of the tribes of Israel.
These were unjust systems, no doubt, which caused much suffering, which also
caused people to call on the Lord and receive his compassion and help. But
there is another side to this, known as the “bondservant,” referred to in the
Law of Moses. If a master sets his slave free and that slave doesn’t want his
freedom, but loves the master, then he can become a voluntary bondservant of
the master. His ear is put against a pole and a nail is pierced through to show
this new relationship.
Paul speaks of
himself in this way, about his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He
loves Christ, who gave himself for Paul. He is a master who has only the
wellbeing of Paul in his heart, fully faithful and worthy of trust. Paul was
saying that after being given his full freedom by God, Paul chose in response
to become Christ’s bondslave. There can be no better situation, than to deny
yourself in the hands of a loving and righteous Father. This depicts the
relationship Hagar was in, when we take no ownership over any part of our own
lives, but all is given to the master. However, in Paul’s situation it was
given voluntarily, and to a trustworthy person, not to a faulty human character
like Sarai, or Abram. The way we cling to our personal rights in today’s
cultures shows how far we are from God, and how much disruption this brings
into our societies. Christ served his Father in this way, giving his all in a
love relationship. This love is the only way to be free and fulfilled. It is
offered to us as a gift, should we have the clarity of sight to see it. Being a
bondservant to Christ makes us free: another paradox in God’s heavenly rule.
“Though he slays me, yet will I trust in him.” (Job)
“Curse God and
die,” (Job’s wife)
Hagar’s child
was named by God, Ishmael, which means God hears, or God will hear. The text
says that God heard the afflictions of Hagar. Again, this shows God’s love for
all people. At the end of Micah, it speaks of God bringing his children back
from exile, naming Cush and other nations Israel were not driven to. The clear
message of the Prophets was that God’s people were not the proud, not even the
proud ones of Israel, but the blind and lame, from all nations. These are God’s
chosen people. “If we say we see, then we are blind.”
This is Paul’s
message through Romans 9-11 where he speaks of election. The ones God chooses
are the oppressed, not the oppressor. He chose Sarai in her barrenness, Hagar
in her exile, Jacob as the second born, Israel in slavery in Egypt. Repeatedly,
he said to Israel, “I didn’t call you because you were better than others, but
because of compassion.” The humble are the children of God, or as Jesus said,
“the meek.”
Some would say
God blessed Hagar for Abram’s sake and that is true also. God called Abram into
a walk of faith were he left all and he trusted the Lord. This is what the Lord
blesses. Some are blessed in this life and others in the life to come.
This text begins
the story of the animosity between Israel and her neighbours that would
characterise their history and much of the content of the Old Testament.
Instead of taking sides in this conflict (a response that is still common
today) we should see the gospel as God’s solution to this age-old human
behaviour. Isaiah and the other Prophets were at pains to show that the gospel
heals the division between Israel and the gentiles, where we see that God
hasn’t called one above the other, but us both to heal each other in his grace.
This is the theme in most of Paul’s writings also. To the extent that we see
Paul as upholding ancient divisions we misinterpret him.
Today, I don’t
care about Jerusalem as bricks and mortar, I care about Jerusalem as new
people, as new relationships made from the cross, from serving each other.
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