1. Last week I taught Gal 4:9. When time expired we had just begun the exegesis of Gal 4:10.

Transcription

1 Galatians Lesson o16 1. Last week I taught Gal 4:9. When time expired we had just begun the exegesis of Gal 4: Before we continue you may want to use the provisions of 1Jo 1:9 by silently naming sin to God as the Holy Spirit may show. 3. Let s see how Gal 4:6-9 looks by way of an expanded translation. Expanded Translation Gal 4:6 Moreover, because you are now sons, God the Father has sent the Spirit of his Son, Jesus Christ, into your right lobes, where He cries out, "Abba, Father." Gal 4:7 Consequently you are no longer under bondage; therefore you are also an heir because the Father has been completely satisfied through and by means of the work of Jesus the Christ. Gal 4:8 As an unbeliever you knew not God but you chose to serve those who were in the essence of the matter, not gods at all; Gal 4:9 but now, having known God, but rather having been known by God, why do you wish to turn again to these weak and destitute principles of the Mosaic Law with its associated bondage? 4. I want to review some of that learned last week and then begin new material on page three. 5. Now let s see what we can learn from Gal 4:10. KJV-New Sentence Gal 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 1

2 NIV Gal 4:10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 1. Before we begin our exegesis of this verse, I want to give you four points of introduction. Introduction 1. In verse ten we see Paul making a significant departure from speaking to both Gentile pagans and Jewish deist. 2. He will now spend significant time speaking to those Jews who converted to Christianity but could not leave the rituals of legalism behind. 3. He will first speak specifically of their strict observance of special days, months and years. 4. Since there is a significant difference in form and order between the KJV and the NIV, I want to exegete the NIV. I realize this is different from our normal procedure. YOU ARE OBSERVING SPECIAL DAYS 1. Paratereo Hemera is better translated You observe scrupulously certain days 2. Paratereo is a verb parsed as a 2 nd person plural, present middle indicative followed by Hemera declined as an accusative plural. 3. Paratereo appears six times in the New Testament. It means to watch, to observe, to watch very narrowly or to observe scrupulously. Let s see how it is used elsewhere in Scripture. Mar 3:1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. Mar 3:2 And Scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. Luk 14:1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. Luk 14:2 There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Luk 14:5 Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" 2

3 Acts 9:23 After many days had gone by, the Jews of Tarsus conspired to kill him, Acts 9:24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. Acts 9:25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. 4. Hemera is the very common Greek word for day or days. In this case it refers to a religious holiday such as Passover, Feast of the Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles and Purim. Let s see how Hemera appears elsewhere in the New Testament. Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Mat 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Luk 13:13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. Luk 13:14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. Luk 13:15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? Luk 13:16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? Luk 13:17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. Acts 3:2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; KJV 2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ (day of Christ is the Rapture) is at hand. NIV 2Th 2:2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord (day of the Lord is the Tribulation) has already come. AND MONTHS AND SEASONS 3

4 1. Kai Men Kai Kairos is better translated various Jewish holidays 2. Kai is a conjunction followed by the noun Men declined as an accusative plural and a second Kai connecting the noun Kairos which is also declined as an accusative plural. 3. Men is the common Greek word for a month. It is also used of a new moon or as in our verse the day of the new moon. There are numerous references to month or months in the New Testament. (Luk 1:24, 26; Acts 7:20; 18:11) Luk 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Luk 1:25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, Luk 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. Acts 7:20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months: Acts 7:21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. Acts 18:9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: Acts 18:10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. Acts 18:11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 3.1 New Moon, Hebrew Rosh Chodesh, (Hebrew: Head of the Month ), the start of the Hebrew month, a minor Jewish festival on which fasting and mourning are not allowed. In Old Testament times, Jews visited the Temple of Jerusalem for a special sacrifice, held a family celebration, and generally abstained from business and work. 4. Kairos appears more than 80 times in the New Testament where it is translated time, times, season, seasons or in due time. 4.1 Michael Strassfeld in his book The Jewish Holidays A Guide and Commentary has written: The Jewish calendar is set so that certain holidays always occur in a particular season of the year 4

5 Thus the Holiday of Pesah (Passover) is also the holiday of spring, not by coincidence but by design Kairos has various meanings but here it refers to certain holidays; the timing of which are based on seasons of the year. 4.2 It is well to note several of the other meanings found elsewhere in the Scripture: (Mat 8:29; 16:3; Joh 5:4; Acts 1:7 compared with 1Th 5:1) Mat 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Mat 8:30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. Mat 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and threatening. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? Mat 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. Joh 5:4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. Acts 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. AND YEARS 1. Kai Enos is well translated and years. 2. Kai is a conjunction used as a connective followed by the noun Enos declined as an accusative plural. 3. Enos is most often used for a year, a cycle of season in respect to the movement of the earth around the sun. (Joh 11:49, 51) 5

6 Joh 11:49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! Joh 11:50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish." Joh 11:51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, Joh 11:52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. Joh 11:53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life. 3.1 This verse requires some explanation: The rulers felt completely frustrated. What were they to do? They expressed the fear that all the people would believe on him - in the sense of giving him their support and following him as their Messiah. 3.2 This would certainly bring the Romans down on the Jews with force, as they would interpret such a thing as a political revolution. Then the Jews would lose their place (Temple) and nation. Under the Romans, since the time of Julius Caesar, they had enjoyed certain privileges as "the nation of the Jews." 3.3 Exactly the situation they feared did later develop as a result of the war of the Jews against Rome, A.D Caiaphas laid out a course of action that was ruthless but simple: Get rid of the offender. Make him die for the people, so that the whole nation would not perish. 3.5 The phrase That year is not a reference to tenure of office, but to the importance of that year for Israel and the world. 4. And so their plan was played out at the next Passover celebration. Joh 18:39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?" Joh 18:40 They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion. 5. Michael Strassfeld in his earlier quoted book has also written: In regions south of the equator certain holidays require not only translation but also adaptation to a cycle of seasons quite the opposite of our northern hemisphere. Summary Points 1. The apostle turns back once more to consider in direct fashion Jewish converts and their new found faith. He speaks directly to their love of legalism rather than Christian liberty. Before conversion they served the harsh commands of the Mosaic law. 6

7 2. Apparently, the Judaizers first put forward the more pleasant side of obedience to the Law. Such is not unlike the Exodus generation who longed for slavery in Egypt rather than the leadership of God s appointed. 3. We, as church age believers also see such infatuation from believers who love works rather than grace. Satan knows how to play the strings of our hearts. 4. Paul feared that if this attachment to legalism should continue and increase, it would mean that his labor among them had gone for nothing. 5. I once worshipped with an individual who became so enamored with Judaism that he renounced his belief in several tenants of Christianity. 6. Paul will now express fears that his teaching efforts had been in vain. After rebuking those in Antioch who joined in the heterodoxy of the loose cannons; Paul traveled south to address his concerns with James the half-brother of Jesus. End Lesson Taught The Westbank Bible Church does not seek donations nor do we authorize any business to solicit same on behalf of the Church. 7