Galatians 4:26 -- Part 3

Galatians 4:26  But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

So to prove that this verse is speaking about a "Mother God," the WMSCOG first tries to show (through the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man) that Abraham represents God in the Bible.  But we've just seen that Abraham in fact represents...himself, the physical father of the Jewish nation.  But let's get past that, just for the sake of argument, and see if the rest of their interpretation makes sense...

Their next step is to show that Isaac, the son God promised to Abraham, was Abraham's heir.

Yes, that is true, though not quite through the way the WMSCOG explains on their webpage about the "Heavenly Mother."  The quotes I use from the WMSCOG in this post are from there.

They compare three people who could have possibly been Abraham's heir.  The first is Eliezer, Abraham's servant.  Here's Genesis 15:2-4...
But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”  And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”  Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”

The WMSCOG says, "When Abraham was an old man and had not yet borne a son, he asked God to allow his servant Eliezer to be his heir."
 
If you read what Abraham said, you'll see that he was NOT asking God to let Eliezer be his heir.  In Genesis 15:1 (ESV), God tells Abraham, ""Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."
 
Abraham remembers God's promise to him from Genesis 12 that God would make him into a great nation and give his offspring the land of Canaan.  Abraham does not want Eliezer to become his heir.  He wants God to fulfill His promise.  "What can you give me since I remain childless?" he asks.  No "reward" would mean as much to him as having a child of his own.
 
The next possibility is Ishmael, the son born to Abraham through Hagar, Sarah's maidservant.
Genesis 16:1-2  Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”  Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

God had promised Abraham a son (Gen. 15:4), but his wife was not able to give him any children, and they were getting old.  So Sarah and Abraham think perhaps this promised son is going to come from another woman, and they try out their idea.  Finally Abraham (at 86 years old) has a son, Ishmael.  Can you imagine the joy Abraham felt, even though this son was not from Sarah?

The WMSCOG says, "When Abraham said to God, 'If only Ishmael might live under your blessing,' God did not allow Ishmael to become his heir.  Instead, God promised Abraham that he would have a son through his wife, Sarah."

God did speak to Abraham again when he was 99 years old in Genesis 16.  He DID promise Abraham that Sarah would give him a son, and that it would be through this son, Isaac, that God would establish His covenant to make him into a great nation.
But can you imagine Abraham's thoughts about Ishmael, his first and long-awaited child?  Ishmael (about 13 years old by now) would have been special to Abraham, and so Abraham would have hoped God had a special blessing for Ishmael.

Did God refuse to make Ishmael Abraham's heir?  God did say that it would be through Isaac that Abraham's covenant would be fulfilled, but what happened to Ishmael?  Was he kicked to the side?

No, God said, "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation." (Gen. 17:20)

God heard Abraham's request for Ishmael and blessed him!

So, yes, Isaac was the heir of the covenant promised to Abraham.  He was the son God promised to Abraham--born by a miracle of God, and not through the ordinary way.  But it's not quite the way the WMSCOG tries to explain it.

Click here to go on to Part 4.