The Blessed Hope Podcast -- Episode Nine: "Two Women, Two Mountains, Two Covenants, Two Cities" (Galatians 4:21-31)
Paul understood Israel’s history and the biblical accounts of Moses and Abraham one way before his conversion, and in an entirely different way after. Once Jesus had come, fulfilled his messianic mission, and called Paul to faith, Paul’s understanding of the Old Testament completely changed. In Ephesians 4:21-31, Paul speaks of two women (Sarah and Hagar), two mountains (Zion and Sinai), two covenants (Abraham and Moses), two cities (the Jerusalem above and the earthly city of Jerusalem). Reading the familiar story of Genesis 16 (among others) through a Christ-centered lens, Paul reinterprets the two women, mountains, covenants, and cities from the vantage point of New Testament fulfillment. In doing so, Paul teaches us how we should read and understand the Old Testament.
Resources for Episode Nine:
Michael Horton on the Basics of Covenant Theology
Irons: On the Works Principle in the Sinai Covenant
Clark: Abraham and the Covenants
Clark: The Practical Implications of Covenant Theology
Mike Brown and Zack Keele on Their Book "Exploring Covenant Theology" (audio)
Bibliography for the Series:
F. F. Bruce, Paul: The Apostle of the Heart Set Free
Guy Waters, The Life and Theology of Paul
Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians
Moo, Galatians (Baker Exegetical Commentary)
J. V. Fesko, Galatians, Lectio Continua Series
Music (Shutterstock): Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op 92m, second movement, Allegretto (A minor)