自主妇人撒拉表征应许（恩典）的约
自主的妇人撒拉，表征应许的约（加四23）。神与亚伯拉罕所立应许的约乃是恩典的约。在那约中神应许要给亚伯拉罕后裔，没有一点意思要亚伯拉罕作任何事来得到。神要把一些东西作到他里面，使他能生出一个后裔来达成神的目的。这是神所作的，不是亚伯拉罕所作的。这就是恩典。撒拉是自主的妇人，是亚伯拉罕正式的妻子，是这恩典之约的象征。她生以撒不是凭人的力量，而是凭神的恩典。
使女夏甲表征律法的约
使女夏甲，表征律法的约（加四25）。当以色列人忽略了神在他们身上恩典的工作，想要凭自己来讨神喜悦的时候，律法就带进来了。当人忽略了神的恩典，他就想努力作点甚么来讨神的喜悦，这就带进了律法；亚伯拉罕非正式的妻子，使女夏甲，乃是律法之约的象征。因她是非正式的妻子，她不该进来，凡她所生的不能留在神的经纶中。这表征律法不应该进来，而且律法的产品，在达成神目的的事上没有地位。夏甲生出以实玛利，是靠人的努力，不是靠神的恩典；以实玛利乃是神所弃绝的。人藉着律法而劳苦的产品，在达成神目的的事上无分无关。
按照神的经纶，一个男人只该有一个妻子。因此，撒拉建议亚伯拉罕从夏甲得后裔，绝对违反神的经纶。夏甲不是正式的妻子，只是妾。亚伯拉罕的妾夏甲，乃是律法的象征。由此我们可以看到，律法的地位乃是妾的地位。恩典是正式的妻子，是正确的后嗣之母；（加四26，28，31；）律法是妾，她的后代不被接纳为后嗣。按照古代习俗，男人娶妾主要是因妻子不能生孩子。这很有意思。当恩典还未工作，你却急促，你就会与妾联合，就是与律法联合。撒拉是恩典的象征，是应许之约的象征；而夏甲是律法的象征。恩典是正式的妻子，律法是妾。
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The Allegory of the Two Women (2) – Gal. 4:24
The Free Woman Sarah Signifying the Covenant of Promise (Grace)
The free woman, Sarah, signifies the covenant of promise (Gal. 4:23). The covenant of promise that God made with Abraham is the covenant of grace. In that covenant, God promised to give Abraham a seed; He had no intention for Abraham to do anything to obtain it. God wanted to work something into him so that he could bring forth a seed to accomplish God’s purpose. This is what God does, not what Abraham does. This is grace. Sarah is the free woman, the proper wife of Abraham, and is the symbol of this covenant of grace. She brought forth Isaac not by human strength, but by God’s grace.
The Maidservant Hagar Signifying the Covenant of Law
The maidservant Hagar signifies the covenant of law (Gal. 4:25). When the Israelites neglected God’s work of grace upon them and tried to please God by themselves, the law was brought in. When man neglects God’s grace, he wants to strive to do something to please God, and this brings in the law; Abraham’s improper wife, the maidservant Hagar, is the symbol of the covenant of law. Because she is an improper wife, she should not have come in, and whatever she brings forth cannot remain in God’s economy. This signifies that the law should not have come in, and the product of the law has no standing in the accomplishment of God’s purpose. Hagar brought forth Ishmael by relying on human effort, not by relying on God’s grace; Ishmael is the one rejected by God. The product of man laboring through the law has no part or share in the accomplishment of God’s purpose.
According to God’s economy, a man should have only one wife. Therefore, Sarah’s suggestion that Abraham obtain seed from Hagar was absolutely a violation of God’s economy. Hagar was not the proper wife, but merely a concubine. Abraham’s concubine, Hagar, is a symbol of the law. From this, we can see that the position of the law is the position of a concubine. Grace is the proper wife, the mother of the proper heir (Gal. 4:26, 28, 31); the law is the concubine, and her descendants are not accepted as heirs. According to ancient custom, a man took a concubine primarily because the wife could not bear children. This is very interesting. When grace has not yet worked, and you are hasty, you will join yourself to the concubine, which is to join yourself to the law. Sarah is the symbol of grace, the symbol of the covenant of promise; whereas Hagar is the symbol of the law. Grace is the proper wife; the law is the concubine.