Free Bible Commentary
“Galatians 4:8-11”
Categories: Galatians“However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”
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In verse 7 Paul directed the minds of the Gentile Christians back to the time before they came to Christ when they worshiped idols. He said that these idols were really “by nature” not gods (verse 1). They were formed from wood or iron by the hands of men. Their crafters gave them eyes that could not see, mouths that could not talk, ears that could not hear (Psalm 15:4-8; Isaiah 44:9-20).
And even though these pathetic idols were worthless and powerless, the Gentiles were still “slaves” to their own creations (verse 1). This is actually, to a great degree, a testimony to the human condition. We have the tendency to enslave ourselves to the most menial and insignificant things. We can find ourselves wasting countless hours watching silly TV shows, playing games, surfing the web, etc. Recreation and entertainment are blessings that add a lot of value to our lives, until we allow those things to consume our lives and become idols that enslave us.
Paul told the Gentiles Christians in Galatia that when they allowed false teachers to convince them that it was necessary to observe Jewish holy days (verse 10), and various other aspects of the Law of Moses, they were actually turning back to the types of “weak and worthless elemental things” that had previously enslaved them when they had been idolaters. An inspired Apostle of Jesus Christ is telling us here that, if we worship God according to the pattern revealed in the Old Testament, we are no more approved in the Lord’s sight than an idolater would be.
Just think about that for a moment. The Old Testament is simply not the source of authority that Christians should go to in order to determine what God desires and demands in Christ’s church. The Old Testament is still the revealed word of God, and we can learn a lot of valuable information from it. It is an inspired historical account of Creation, it tells of the lives of our spiritual “forefathers”, the lineage of Jesus, the promises of God, His characteristics and attributes, and it reveals the type of hearts and behaviors that God requires of His people (1 Corinthians 10:11).
Yes, we can and should still learn from the Old Testament and gain encouragement, perseverance and hope by reading about God’s power, goodness and faithfulness (Romans 15:4). But we are not bound to it by covenant like the Jews and proselytes were before Christ came into the world. Christians are bound by covenant to the authority of the New Testament.
Please read Galatians 4:12-15 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
-Louie Taylor
