DID THE APOSTLE PAUL CALL THE ANNUAL SABBATHS WEAK AND BEGGARLY?
Some Bible scholars assert that Paul canceled the Old Testament Holy Days for New Covenant gentile believers. Other scholars assert the obvious truth that these Holy Days were observed by the early church. Then they were in later centuries, replaced by worldly days. Were these new concepts in error? Is this cancellation justified by the Apostle Paul's letters? They use one major verse to make the assertion for such a change. Note: this purported change is not debated anywhere in the New Testament like circumcision was debated and argued over. See Acts 15. Some try, and use Gal. 4:9-10 for support of their beliefs. What is the real message?
Galatians 4:9-10 NKJV 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that youturn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire AGAIN to be in bondage? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years.
Does this verse really condemn the Holy Days, annual Sabbaths and the weekly Sabbath as some contend?
WHAT DOES THE APOSTLE NOT MEAN?
FIRST we should look at the clear unambiguous, statements made by Paul to help eliminate what he is not saying to the churches in Galatia. Paul bluntly answers one question about what he means in this very letter, note:
Galatians 3:21 KJV 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Paul realizes that some might misunderstand him so he bluntly says the law is correct and good. This would include the laws about the Sabbaths etc. Note some of the Apostles other clear words:
Acts 24:14 NKJV 14 "But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.
Romans 3:30-31 KJV 30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Romans 6:1-2 KJV 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Paul is quite clear that neither the promises of God nor grace or faith cancel the laws of God nor the Old Testament when properly applied. Paul's fight with the Judaizers is their over regulations which put the people into bondage. It may have seemed similar to the pagan bondage.
WHAT DID THE APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES MEAN ?
First of all it is clear that Paul was a leading student of the Bible, which was only the Old Testament at this point in history, would never ever call the Bible Holy Days miserable and beggarly. Note how he starts off in this very letter telling them of his credentials as one the best bible scholars of his generation.
Galatians 1:14 NKJV 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous...
Protestants teach that Paul was afraid that the gentiles were returning to these Old Testament laws like keeping the fourth commandment- the Sabbath. Why- because they do not keep it and refuse to admit that they inherited Sunday from Papal authority. Galatians as former pagans Biblical days would be new to them. They could not return to something unknown to them.
Galatians 4:9 NKJV 9 ...you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?
Further Paul is strongly condemning keeping of 'days and times' which are notoriously pagan.
Leviticus 19:26 KJV 26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.
God demands that his followers avoid witchcraft and pagan enchantments and pagan times. This is what Paul is referring to in his warning by these verses to the Galatians.
Deuteronomy 18:9-10 KJV 9 ...thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 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,
The Apostles had to fight a two front war. They had to battle the Judaizing Parties, clever misleading thunder from the right, but also pagan influences from the worldly left.
Galatians 4:3 DBY 3 So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the principles of the world;
The context of Gal. 4:9-10 is that of resisting the worldly pagans as well as Judaizers self righteousness, earn your own salvation influences. Both pressures existed. The pressures on that church in the absence of Paul were likely complex. It is easy for those who fail to check the context and wish to avoid certain Sabbath laws both annual and weekly to misunderstand Paul. Paul was an expert and complete supporter of the Old Testament, the only organized Bible that existed in his day. Paul supported everything written in the law. Paul believed in all the OT writers,note Acts 24:14. He would never call OT days weak and beggarly.
JESUS AND THE APOSTLE PAUL HIMSELF KEPT THE BIBLICAL HOLY DAYS
Jesus observed the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day. He observed the Feast at the risk of his life.
John 7:1-2 NKJV 1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
John 7:37 NKJV 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
When Jesus said the words anyone it was an open invitation to gentiles also to join in the conversion process and the keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles as well. The Church of God in the first century, kept the Holy Days and it is clear that they knew they were holy. No discussion of whether to keep them is found-just a record of them being kept. See Acts 12:3-4, 20:6, 27:9, 18:21. Paul also supported the Holy Days note below:
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 ASV 6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our Passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ: 8 wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Note the travel notes just assume that the annual Sabbaths are a vital factor in their plans.
Acts 20:4-6 NKJV 4 And Sopater of Berea...also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians...5 These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Acts 20:16 NKJV 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.
We must evaluate what Paul actually did more so than our misunderstanding of what He wrote to find his real message to the churches.
ISSUES:
DO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF DEDICATING AN ENTIRE DAY TO GOD , NOT JUST TWO HOURS ONCE A WEEK?
