The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 223

knowing God, exolueively ; although in ye?-to the weak,"etc. This'' how,"aa in other relations he, both in Epistle and eh. ii. H, is sirnpl y a question of remon- Goepel, uses the two verbs intorcha.ngeably. strance; not expecting an answer, it bide 'l'he expreelliou, "to know God," is one of the person e.ddreseed consider the a.mazing profound pregnancy: denoting nothing Iese unseemliness of his proceeding (so Me.tt. than tha.t divinely imparted intuition of xxii. 12; comp. also l Tim. iii. 5; 1 John God, that consciousness of hie actual being, iii. 17). The verb /,r,,;-rp,!</>"" frequently viewed in his relation to ourselves, which denotes " turning back " (Matt. x. 13 ; is the result of truly "believing in him." xii. 44; 2 Pet. ii. 22; Luke viii. 55). To Moreover, fl.B it is knowing a personal the weak e.nd beggarly elements ( brl -ra. Being, between whom and ourselves mutual a<T8ev11 ,co:! ,,..,..,Xct <T-ro,x,i'a) ; the mere action mny be looked for, it implies a elementary lessons, the A, B, C (see ver. 4, mutual conversancy between ourselves and e.nd note), which can do nothing for you him, as the term "acquaintance" (ol e.nd ha.ve nothing to give you. The de- -yvw<T-rol -rwor), as used in Luke ii. 44 and scription is relative rather than absolute. xxiii. 49, naturally does. So that "having The horn-book, useful enough for the mere gotten to be known of God " is very nearly child, is of no use whatever to the grown-up equivalent to having been by God brought lad who has left school. In Heb. vii. 18 to be, to speak it reverently, on terms of mention is made of " the weakness and acquaintanceship with him ; and this does unprofitableness " of the Levitical Law indeed seem to be meant in 1 Cor. viii. 3. relative to the expiation of sin; which is 'fhe Galatilj,n believers had in very truth not precisely the aspect of the Law wbich gotten to know God, if they had learnt to is here under view. The word "beggarly" cry out unto him, "Abba, Father." And was probably in the writer's mind con- the remembrance of this happy experience trasted with " the unsearchable riches of of theirs, which he had, we may suppose, Christ" (Eph. iii. 8). Whereu.nto ye desire himself witnessed in the early days of their age.in to be in bondage l (ofs ,rci.J,.,,, 1z,,.,9,,, discipleship, prompts him to introduce the liovll.e6«~ 8b,e-re ;) ; whereunto ye desire to be correction, " or rather to be known of God." in bondage over again 1 The verb Sov,1.,6,w Their having atto.ined such a consciousness iB here, differently from ver. 8, contrasted of sonship had been; as he writes, ver. 7, with the condition of e. son enjoying his "through God; " he it was that had sent full independeuce (see ver. 25 and eh. v. 1). forth his Son that his people might receive It would be an insuffere.ble constraint and the adoption of sons ; he that had sent degradation to the full-grown son to be forth his Spirit into their hearts to give set to con over and repeat the lessons them the sense of fionship; he had shown of the infant school 'Avo,8.v, a.fresh, over that he knew, recognized them to be hie a.gain, intensifies 1r6.ll.111 by e.dding the (2 Tim. ii. 19), by gifting them with the notion of making a fresh start from the blissful prerogative of knowing what he commencing-point of the course indicated. we.s to them. The correction of " know- The applic11tion of these words, together ing" by " being known " is analogons to especially with the pb..rn.,ie, "turn be.ck that of " apprehend " by " being appre- age.in," in the preceding clause, to the case hended" in Phil. iii. 12. The pragmatic of the Galatian converts from idolatrons value of this correcting clause is to make heathenism, has suggested to many minds the Galatians feel, not only what ·e. wilful the idea. that St. Paul groups the cere- self-debasement it was on their po.rt, but monio.lism of heathen worship with that of e.leo whe.t e. slight put upon the Divine the Mosaic Law, Bishop Lightfoot in par- fe.vours shown to them, that they should ticular has here a valuable note, in which, frowardly repudiate their filial standing to with his usual lee.rning e.nd breo.dth of adopt afresh that servile standing out of view, he shows how the former might in which he had lifted his people. Whe.t was its ritualistio element he.ve subserved the this but fl. high-handed contre.vening of purpose of e. disciplinary training for e. God's own work, a frustration of his gospel? better religion. Such a view might be And this by them whom only the other regarded us not nltogether out of harmony day he had rescued from the misery e.nd with the apostlo's spirit e.s evinced in utter wickedness of idolatry I How turn his discourses to the Lycaonians and the ye a.go.in; or, bacl, (1r&s ,mrr-rplq,e-re 1rcl11.w) ; Athenin.ns (Acts xiv.15-17; xvii. 22-31). how turn 'JIB back again. An abrupt change But though in his wide sympathetice.lness from the form of sentence which the fore- he might, if discoursing with heathens, going words ne.tura.lly prepared us for; have sought thus to win them to e. better which might havo been ~uch us we should fe.ith, ho is hardly just now in e. mood for he.ve by eimply omitting the "how.'' As if any such sympnthetio tolerance. He is it were, " After he.ving gotten to be known much too indignant e.t the behaviour of of God, yi, are turning be.ck a.go.in-how 011,n these Ge.latie.n revolters to e.llow tli~t their 190 THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. [ea. IV, 1-31,