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22 For [gar] it is written [grapho], that [hoti] Abraham [Abraam] had [echo] two [duo] sons [huios], the one [heis] by [ek] a bondmaid [paidiske], [kai] the other [heis] by [ek] a freewoman [eleutheros]. KJV-Interlinear
22 For it
is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free
woman. NASB
Paul begins his allegory with the first two sons of Abraham.
Abraham had one son by a slave woman named Hagar. Her son was Ishmael.
Abraham had a second son by his wife Sarah, whose name was Isaac.
After Sarah’s death, Abraham took a second wife named Keturah, who had several sons, and he had several mistresses toward the very end of his life, who also had children. Those details are recorded in Genesis 25.
Only the first two sons are in view here, as Paul is teaching a principle of doctrine, using Ishmael and Isaac, as his example. Genesis 16 and Genesis 21 contained the details of Paul’s example.
The first son, Ishmael, was born in accordance with Abraham’s own plan, as a slave girl, Hagar, who was the property of Sarah, was given to Abraham for the purpose of his having a child by her, being Hagar. This Ishmael was born from a slave, into a slave, representing the works of the world, as taught by the law, but was Abrahams attempt to fulfil Gods promise.
The second son, Isaac, was born in accordance with God’s plan and promise. He therefore was the son of promise, and not of human design.
So Paul begins explaining the contrast between slavery and freedom, using these two children as his example. The purpose is to teach the Galatians, as well as us and all believers for that matter, that there are two systems, or two patterns of life, from which you can choose to guide your own life.
The first pattern is that of works, where you try to do everything on your own with almost complete indifference toward God’s design for life.
The second pattern, is that of grace, or in this case promise, by which God does all of the work and we as man become the beneficiaries of the results of God’s work.
And as far as the Galatians were concerned in this book, where they were exposed to false teachings, requiring works, which in this case was circumcision, as a necessary activity for obtaining salvation.
But as we shall see from Paul’s example, the result of works will never be anything more than slavery.
And, the result of promise, or God’s plan, will always result in phenomenal blessing.
