Galatians 4:1-7

Read Galatians 4:1-7

Helpful Background Information: 

• The book of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul and most scholars believe it was written around 50 AD. The ancient province of Galatia is located in modern day central Turkey. When Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians, Galatia was under the rule of the Roman empire. 

• In the book of Galatians, Paul is rebuking and correcting the churches in Galatia. The Galatian people were struggling in their discernment of what the true gospel was. In this, the churches were struggling to understand the Old Testament fulfillment of the law in Christ Jesus. Galatians 4 picks up at the tail end of Paul’s rebuke and theological argument on the law and the promise of Christ.

• In this passage, Paul gives an illustration using slaves and an heir to an estate. In the culture that the Galatians were in, slavery was quite common. However, this slavery was very different from the nineteenth-century version of slavery. Slaves were people who were legally bound to their masters, likely because of a debt that they owed, being a prisoner of war, or because they voluntarily took that role. Two primary ways a slave could exit their slavery were either by buying their freedom or by being set free. For a better understanding of how Christians approached slavery in the Bible, Philemon would be a good place to start. 
  

Reflection Questions: 

• Reread Esther 4:14. How might Galatians 4:4 echo Mordecai’s exhortation of “for such a time as this?”

• What does this passage of Scripture reveal about God’s character and His goodness? What does it have to say about God’s timing and sovereignty?

• In these passages, God shows His love for His people by providing what He decided they needed, when He decided they needed it. When looking at your own life, what is one way that you have seen God do this? How might He do this again? How can you persevere as you wait?