As children growing up in the fifties, we heard this threat after misbehaving and receiving the mom version of punishment until dad came home.  The “mom version” was enough for me!  In fact, I was “that child” who knew the minute I had done wrong and sidelined myself as a child as my own punishment.  If that wasn’t enough, the “mom look” was well enough to stop my sarcastic words and obnoxious deeds.  But for my much younger brother, it was different.  He pushed the limits of mom’s patience and crossed the line of arrogance without guilt.  Seven years older than my brother, I tried to warn him to “slow his roll” as Mom resorted to, “you just wait ‘til your father comes home.” 

As children we learn how to behave well in the presence of adults.  But as soon as their attention is drawn away or they left the room, previous questionable behavior resumed.  “Out of sight, out of mind” was our childish thinking.  What parents don’t see is not really happening—a child’s theology.

Paul reminds the Galatian church that God, the Father does know their hearts and sees their behaviors even if they do not acknowledge Him.  They are going back to their old ways since Paul is no longer physically with them to teach and convict them of their worship of other gods.  They are leaning into the old superstitions; getting their advice from the world instead of God. “What Paul (or God) doesn’t see isn’t really happening” seems to be their own childish way of thinking which is now making them slaves to evil once again. 

Galatians 4, The Message

^1-3 Let me show you the implications of this. As long as the heir is a minor, he has no advantage over the slave. Though legally he owns the entire inheritance, he is subject to tutors and administrators until whatever date the father has set for emancipation. That is the way it is with us: When we were minors, we were just like slaves ordered around by simple instructions (the tutors and administrators of this world), with no say in the conduct of our own lives.

^4-7 But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.

^8-11 Earlier, before you knew God personally, you were enslaved to so-called gods that had nothing of the divine about them. But now that you know the real God—or rather since God knows you—how can you possibly subject yourselves again to those tin gods? For that is exactly what you do when you are intimidated into scrupulously observing all the traditions, taboos, and superstitions associated with special days and seasons and years. I am afraid that all my hard work among you has gone up in a puff of smoke!

^12-13 My dear friends, what I would really like you to do is try to put yourselves in my shoes to the same extent that I, when I was with you, put myself in yours. You were very sensitive and kind then. You did not come down on me personally. You were well aware that the reason I ended up preaching to you was that I was physically broken, and so, prevented from continuing my journey, I was forced to stop with you. That is how I came to preach to you.

^14-16 And don’t you remember that even though taking in a sick guest was most troublesome for you, you chose to treat me as well as you would have treated an angel of God—as well as you would have treated Jesus himself if he had visited you? What has happened to the satisfaction you felt at that time? There were some of you then who, if possible, would have given your very eyes to me—that is how deeply you cared! And now have I suddenly become your enemy simply by telling you the truth? I can’t believe it.

¹⁷ Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten. They want to shut you out of the free world of God’s grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important.

* * *

^18-20 It is a good thing to be passionate in doing good, but not just when I am in your presence. Can’t you continue the same concern for both my person and my message when I am away from you that you had when I was with you? Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until Christ’s life becomes visible in your lives? Like a mother in the pain of childbirth. Oh, I keep wishing that I was with you. Then I wouldn’t be reduced to this blunt, letter-writing language out of sheer frustration.

^21-31 Tell me now, you who have become so enamored with the law: Have you paid close attention to that law? Abraham, remember, had two sons: one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. The son of the slave woman was born by human plotting; the son of the free woman was born by God’s promise. This illustrates the very thing we are dealing with now. The two births represent two ways of being in relationship with God. One is from Mount Sinai in Arabia. It corresponds with what is now going on in Jerusalem—a slave life, producing slaves as offspring. This is the way of Hagar. In contrast to that, there is an invisible Jerusalem, a free Jerusalem, and she is our mother—this is the way of Sarah. Remember what Isaiah wrote:

Rejoice, barren woman who bears no children,
    shout and cry out, woman who has no birth pangs,
Because the children of the barren woman
    now surpass the children of the chosen woman.

Isn’t it clear, friends, that you, like Isaac, are children of promise? In the days of Hagar and Sarah, the child who came from faithless plotting (Ishmael) harassed the child who came—empowered by the Spirit—from the faithful promise (Isaac). Isn’t it clear that the harassment you are now experiencing from the Jerusalem heretics follows that old pattern? There is a Scripture that tells us what to do: “Expel the slave mother with her son, for the slave son will not inherit with the free son.” Isn’t that conclusive? We are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Pau’s heart is broken for them knowing that their behavior is breaking the heart of God who gave His Son to set them free from the enslavement and bondage of sin.

“Just wait ‘til your Father comes home to take us home with Him” …  But why wait, when we as children of God, heirs with Christ, can have it all right now because of His love, mercy, and grace?!  We are children of Promise! 

We are redeemed and set free by Jesus Christ, son of God, Messiah come to save us from the sins that bind us.

May we LIVE as redeemed and set free people right now as our response to our loving Father!

Hold nothing back from the Father! 

Stop trying to hide foolish behaviors.  Hiding is enslaving ourselves once more by wrapping the old ropes of bondage around our being, choking our hearts, destroying our minds, and crushing our souls!

Remember how much God, the Father loves us!  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Lord,

Thank you for saving our souls, setting us free, with your power and help to live for you every day.

In Jesus Name, Amen