What does Ishmael picture in Scripture, including Paul's allegory in Galatians 4?
Scripture presents Ishmael as a picture of the energy of the flesh. He was born from a fleshly plan, not God's promise, and Paul's allegory in Galatians 4 uses him to represent that fleshly principle. The flesh cannot accomplish God's purposes or inherit His covenant; only those born of promise enter God's covenant program.
Les explains that Ishmael was born in response to the wishes of the flesh, not by God's command. God never told Abraham or Sarai to have a child with Hagar; that was strictly a fleshly idea. Therefore Ishmael all the way through, even when Paul uses him as an allegory in Galatians chapter 4, is always the picture of the energy of the flesh. The contrast is that we can accomplish nothing in the energy of the flesh, but it is only those born of promise who come into God's covenant program. The singular seed in Scripture points to the seed of the woman of Genesis 3:15 all the way up through the coming of Christ, and as Paul says in Galatians 4, the seed of the woman is Christ. Every believer, whether in ancient Israel or at the end of the church age, was promised to Christ before the foundation of the world.
More Questions
What did Ishmael and Isaac represent in the allegory of Galatians 4?
In the allegory of Galatians 4, Ishmael represented the law and legalism, while Isaac pictured the freedom believers have in grace because of God's promises.