Turning back to observe the weak and beggarly elements

LESSON 7

TURNING BACK TO OBSERVE THE WEAK AND BEGGARLY ELEMENTS: AN EXPOSITION ON PAUL'S WORDS IN GALATIANS 4:8-11

You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

In this edition, we continue with our series on The Sabbath Question. The topic for this study is: Turning back to observe the weak and beggarly elements: an exposition on Paul's words in Galatians 4:8-11. The complete message in this passage reads: "4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain."

(Galatians 4:8-11)Friends, some areas of the writings of Paul are tough. The apostle Peter confessed this point when he exhorted the growing Christian church (see 2 Peter 3:15-16). But beloved, if we humble our hearts before the Holy Spirit, and make diligent effort in the study of God's Word, the Lord will bring rich insights of truth into our hearts. Our entire study on this important passage will be structured in three sub-sections as follows:

1) THE SPRINGBOARD TEXTS: THE KEY TO A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF GALATIANS 4:8-11

It is true that in some portions of the book of Galatians (such as Galatians 1:6-9; Galatians 2:1-16; Galatians 3:1-5; Galatians 5:1-13), Paul dealt with the issue of the Galatian believers turning back from the doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ alone to various "works of the law" (such as circumcision and the observance of ceremonial requirements) as a means of earning salvation. However, in the passage of Galatians 4:8-11, it is clear that the apostle Paul was dealing with an issue that was markedly different.

This point is clearly captured in the springboard verses of Galatians 4:8-9. Verses 8-9 of Galatians 4 must be viewed as important background texts if we can understand the verses 10-11 that follow. You see friends, once we come to understand the background verses of 8-9, it will be difficult for us to miss Paul's intended message to the Galatians in verses 10-11 that follow chronologically, and go ahead to misinterpret his words.

2) AN ANALYSIS OF THE PASSAGE OF CONTENTION WITH THE SPRINGBOARD TEXTS IN VIEW

With our focus now drawn to verses 8 and 9 as background texts, we can now proceed to consider an analysis of the entire passage of contention in the following order:

4:8 "Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods."

Key Explanation: This text makes it clear that before the Galatians came to accept Christ, they were heathens or idol worshippers.

4:9 "But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"

Key Explanation: In this text, Paul questions the Galatians why they want to go back to the weak and beggarly elements of idol worship, after they have been freed from its bondage as a result of their knowledge in Christ.

You see friends, the verses 8 and 9 serve as springboard verses which draw our attention to the fact that Paul is dealing with the issue of the Galatians going back to their former practice of idol worship. With this background, we can therefore expect that the verses 10 and 11 that follow will actually build on this point of paganism. From the verse 10, we read the following:

4:10 "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years."

Key Explanation: In this text, Paul gives examples of the weak and beggarly elements of idol worship that the Galatians were enticed to go back to. The apostle to the Gentiles mentions examples of these elements as days and months and times (seasons) and years. It is clear that these terms do not refer to the Seventh-day Sabbath and the ceremonial feasts of the Israelite sanctuary. This is basically because the Sabbath and the various ceremonial feast days are not in any way related to the pagan practices of the people of Galatia.

At this point, some follow up questions that beg for answers are these:

A) If these elements of days and months and times (seasons) and years cannot refer to the weekly Sabbath and the ceremonial feasts of the sanctuary, then what did they symbolise?

B) What was the apostle Paul referring to by these elements?

Beloved, the first clue to uncovering the answers to these questions lies in the Old Testament. You see, when the children of Israel journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Lord gave them this explicit command:"18:9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, OR AN OBSERVER OF TIMES, or an enchanter, or a witch.

18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer."

(Deuteronomy 18:9-11; Capital Emphasis Added, see also Deuteronomy 18:14 and Leviticus 19:26)As we can see from the passage above, one of the things that the Lord explicitly forbade the children of Israel not to engage in was the pagan practice of observing times or seasons. The Hebrew word 'meonen' which is rendered observer of times depicts the pagan practice of astrology. Now, when we compare the phrases "observer of times" as found in Deuteronomy 18:10 and "Ye observe ... times" as found in Galatians 4:10, we can clearly see a parallel. From this comparison, we can safely put forward the point that the phrase "Ye observe ... times", as utilised by the apostle Paul in Galatians 4:10 is actually a direct reference to the pagan practice of astrology.

Beloved, another point that comes to support the first one above is the beautiful linkage between the verses 8, 9 and 10 of Galatians 4. In Galatians 4:8-9, the apostle Paul questions the Galatians: "8 HOWBEIT THEN, WHEN YE KNEW NOT GOD, YE DID SERVICE UNTO THEM WHICH BY NATURE ARE NO GODS. 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the WEAK AND BEGGARLY ELEMENTS, whereunto ye desire again to be in BONDAGE?" (Capital Emphasis Added). In the verse 10, Paul then states the weak and beggarly elements of idol worship he was referring to as days, months, times and years.

It is interesting to note that the Greek word 'stoicheia' translated 'elements' in Galatians 4:9 had an application to the pagan observance of days, months, times and years as expressly portrayed in Galatians 4:10. From the Expositors Bible Commentary, 1976, vol. 10, p. 472, we read the following in relation to the Greek word 'stoicheia': "It would seem that in Paul's time 'stoicheia' referred to the sun, moon, stars, and planets all of them associated with gods or goddesses and, because they regulated the progression of the calendar, also associated with the great pagan festivals honoring the gods."So you see friends, when Paul utilised the terms days and months and times (seasons) and years, he was basically referring to the superstitious observance of the various days, months, seasons and years that were intrinsically connected to the worship of pagan deities. He was referring to the superstitious observance of the calendar as people do with the horoscopes today in relation to astrology. Thus, it is within this context that Paul chastised the Galatians for observing days and months and times (seasons) and years.

In fact, I believe that if the apostle Paul had wanted to refer to the weekly sabbath and ceremonial feasts of the sanctuary in Galatians 4:10, he would have been clear enough as he did elsewhere in his epistles (see Hebrews 4:4, 9,10; Colossians 2:14-16). Moreover, if the Galatians actually entered into bondage (as some interpret from Galatians 4:9-10) for observing the Seventh-day Sabbath, then it will mean that the Creator Himself also entered into bondage when He kept the first Sabbath after His work of creation (see Genesis 2:1-3). On the contrary, the Scripture makes it clear that the Seventh-day Sabbath, instead of being an institution of bondage, is rather a day of sweet delight and rich blessings for the people of God (see Isaiah 58:13-14).

Friends, the last verse in our key passage for this study sheds more light on the understanding we have gained so far:

4:11 "I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain."

Key Explanation: This text supports the explanation we have gone through so far. With the Galatians drawing back to their former practices of astrological worship, the apostle Paul could straightly put to them: "I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain", a strong expression which the apostle to the Gentiles thought appropriate to utilise for a backsliding church that he had worked so hard to establish upon the firm foundation of Christ.

3) Beloved, from the scriptural passages we have reviewed so far, it is clear that Paul could not have been referring to the Sabbath and feast days of the sanctuary in Galatians 4:10. Rather, the apostle to the Gentiles was seriously addressing an issue whereby at least some of the Galatian converts to Christianity were drawing back into their old pagan practices of astrology.

Exhortation: Contrary to popular opinion in Christendom today, the prophet Isaiah unravels how God views those who honour the Sabbath:"56:1 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

56:3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

56:4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;

56:5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

56:6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people."

(Isaiah 56:1-7)In our next study, we will consider the topic: "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day": an exposition on Paul's words in Hebrews 4:8. The Bible study references for this study are Hebrews 4:1-11, Acts 7:45, Genesis 12:6-7, Numbers 13:2, Deuteronomy 12:9-10 and Matthew 11:28. Please do well to go through these passages before the next study is released.

Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

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