Why Did Paul Travel to Arabia?

PAUL’S TRIP TO ARABIA

“But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.” (Gal 1:15-17)

Going to “Arabia” shortly after Paul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus has always been a puzzling event in the reconstruction of Paul’s travels.  With no detailed explanation, I long ago concluded that Paul was simply seeking the solitude of the wilderness as he explored the implications of his new found understanding of scripture.  However, I missed a hint found only three chapters later in Galatians, “Now…Mount Sinai in Arabia…,” (Gal 4:25).  Whether archaeology agrees or not, Paul considered Mount Sinai to be in Arabia.  About two years ago Rich told me the same thing, that is, Mount Sinai is actually in Arabia. (Thanks Rich.)

Traditionally Mount Sinai has been located in the Sinai Peninsula, a logical location on a more direct path between Egypt and Israel.  The location was reportedly identified by the mother of Constantine, who was responsible for fixing the site of many biblical places.  While the Sinai Peninsula fell within the boundaries of the Roman Empire, the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula may have resided outside of the Empire.  Whether this influenced the location of Mount Sinai or not is unknown.  What we know is that Paul located “Mount Sinai in Arabia.”  Paul’s trip to Arabia now takes on a deeper spiritual meaning, especially when we overlay Paul’s journey on top of a similar trip taken by Elijah.

Seven hundred years earlier, the death of the Baal prophets did not bring about the repentance of Ahab and Jezebel.  Instead, “Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me and even more if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time,’” (1 Kings 19:2).  In fear, Elijah fled into the wilderness to “Horeb, the mountain of God,” (1 Kings 19:8), where he fasted for forty days and forty nights just as Moses had done.  Horeb is the same location where the angel of the LORD first appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the midst of the bush, (Ex 3:1-2).  Horeb is also considered synonymous with Mount Sinai (Ex 3:12), where the LORD spoke in covenantal love to the nation of Israel.

Why Elijah came to Mount Horeb is highly speculated.  Elijah may have sought protection from Ahab and Jezebel or he may have come to be reassured that the covenantal promises were still in effect, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword.  And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away,” (1 Kings 19:11&14).  Elijah refers to himself as “very zealous”, a term also used by Paul to describe himself, “extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions,” (Gal 1:14).  Perhaps Paul hoped to find the same strength and encouragement for his calling that Elijah found in the presence of God,

“And behold, the LORD was passing by!  And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind.  And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earth quake.  After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.” (1 Kings 19:11-12)

Did persecution drive Paul to Mount Sinai or did he merely feel compelled to retrace the steps of Elijah and find the encouragement from God that Elijah had found 700 years earlier?  Scripture is mute on the particulars.  Perhaps Paul saw Mount Sinai as a testimony to the fact that his calling and ministry were from the LORD.   

It is fitting to consider that the beginning of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles began at the same location where the LORD had conveyed His original covenant to Israel.  At the conclusion of Elijah’s encounter, the LORD told Elijah, “Go return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus,” (1 Kings 19:15).  In a similar way, Paul, “returned once more to Damascus” (Gal 1:17), to undertake his calling.

Scripture does not provide a reason why Paul went to Arabia, or even what he encountered while in Arabia.  We do know that the story of Elijah’s trip was familiar to Paul and that Paul found sufficient encouragement from the story to include in his letter to the Romans. 

“What is the divine response to him? ‘I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal’  In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice,” (Rom 11:4-5).

If the LORD supported Elijah, even when Elijah thought himself to be the sole source of salvation, than surely the LORD would equally support Paul in his calling, (Acts 18:10).

So now comes the start of another year on the Greek calendar and a chance to begin again.  Maybe we should, each in his own way, take the opportunity at the start of a new year to return to Mount Sinai in Arabia, to the place where we professed our faithfulness to the calling of Him Who is faithful, that we might find strength and help in time of need,

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed,” (2 Cor 9:8).  

All the Best for a Good New Year = Scott

Benjamin Franklin and His Attempt at Moral Perfection

“It was about this time I conceived a bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection.  I wished to live without committing any fault at any time.  I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into.  As I knew, or thought I knew what was right or wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other.  But I soon found out that I had undertaken a task more difficult than I could imagine.  While my care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by another. 

Habit took the advantage of inattention, inclination was sometimes too strong for reason.  I concluded at length that the mere speculative conviction, that it was our interest to be completely virtuous, was not sufficient to prevent our slipping.  And that contrary habits must be broken and good ones acquired and established before we can have any dependence on a steady uniform rectitude of conduct.  For this purpose I then contrived the following method…” (An Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin)

One of the free aps available for a smart phone is “LibriVox”, which provides audio books read by volunteers as a service to LibriVox users.  Most of the free books are old, available through the public domain.  My son Paul directed me to LibriVox over Thanksgiving and I set out to download a few books including An Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin quoted above.

Ben Franklin was not a believer by the standard of believers.  Ben Franklin believed in God, but did not belong to a denomination and disdained the “dogma” he found in the few churches he attended.  Nevertheless, he believed in God and even proposed a statement of faith, which he thought could be universally adopted by all denominations of the Christian faith.

“There is one God Who made all things.  He governs the world by His providence.  He ought to be worshiped by adoration, prayer, and thanksgiving, but the most acceptable service of God is doing good to our fellow man.  The soul is immortal and God will certainly reward virtue and punish vice, either here or hereafter.” 

Although not a believer, Franklin espoused many of the principles of belief, including the certainty that God will reward virtue and punishment vice.  To this end, Franklin thought it was beneficial to pursue virtue and that moral perfection was possible in his own life.

Franklin quickly found out that intellectual reasoning about moral perfection was insufficient to gain measurable results, i.e., the Greek approach was not sufficient.  “I concluded at length that the mere speculative conviction, that it was our interest to be completely virtuous, was not sufficient to prevent our slipping.”  In Franklin’s life, as in our lives, “Habit took the advantage of inattention, and inclination was sometimes too strong for reason.” 

After his initial failure, Franklin determined to employ a more structured approach.  He developed a list of thirteen areas, which he referred to as “virtues”, that he hoped to address singularly.  Franklin defined these virtues as:

(1) Temperance: Eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation. (2) Silence: Speak only of what might benefit others or yourself.  Avoid trifling conversation. (3) Order:  Let all your things have their place. Let each part of your business have its time. (4) Resolution:  Resolve to perform what you ought.  Perform without fail what you resolve. (5) Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, i.e., waste nothing.(6) Industry: Lose no time.  Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions. (7) Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly. If you speak, speak accordingly. (8) Justice: Do no wrong by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty. (9) Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forbear presenting injury so much as you think they deserve.  (10) Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation. (11) Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles or accidents common or unavoidable. (12) Chastity.(13) Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Franklin began by dedicating one week to each virtue for thirteen consecutive weeks and then repeated the process four times each year.  Each day began with a remembrance of the virtue in focus, while each day concluded with an assessment of successes and failures to correct in the coming days.  Franklin recorded his shortcomings on a board with seven columns corresponding to the seven days, and thirteen rows corresponding to the thirteen virtues.  To encourage this endeavor, Franklin formulated the following prayer to daily solicit the assistance of God, which he affixed to his examination table.

“Oh powerful goodness, Bountiful Father, Merciful guide.  Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest.  Strengthen my resolution to perform what that wisdom dictates.  Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favors to me.”

Whether Franklin gained his approach from his extensive reading or simply stumbled onto his strategy, is not offered.  His endeavor closely paralleled the Jewish Mussar movement that occurred a century later.  The Hebrew term “musar” is taken from Proverbs 1:2, “To know wisdom and instruction (musar), to discern the sayings of understanding.”  The most common translation of “musar” is “discipline”, as in “My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD” (Prov 3:11), as Paul spoke to the Corinthians,

“I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified,” (1 Cor 9:27). 

Musar is a structured approach to break down and minimize our bad habits, while elevating the good habits we are called to perform.  From the believer’s perspective, it is a technique to enable a believer, “To walk in the same manner as He (Jesus) walked,” (1 John 2:6).

As we would expect, Franklin found his faults much greater than he expected, Yet, he did not give up on his effort.  Franklin started the process sometime in his thirties and continued throughout his entire life.  At the end of his life, he recorded the following.

“On the whole I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it.  Yet, I was by the endeavor, a better and happier man, than I otherwise should have been if I not attempted it.  As those who aim at perfect writing by imitating the engraved copies.  Though they never reach the wished for excellence of those copies, their hand is mended by the endeavor.”

To this end, Franklin offered a parable about his efforts, as a common depiction of the persons who chose a path of improvement as he had chosen. 

“After frequent relapses, I was almost ready to give up the attempt and content myself with my faults.  Like the man who in buying an ax from the blacksmith desired to have the whole of its surfaces bright as the edge.  The smith consented to grind it bright for him if he would turn the wheel.  He turned while the smith pressed the broad face of the ax hard and heavily on the stone, which made the turning of it very fatiguing.  The man came every now and then from the wheel to see how the work was going.  At length, the man would take the ax as it was without further grinding.  “No,” says the smith.  “Turn on and turn on.  We will have it bright by and by.  As yet, it is only speckled.”  “Yes,” says the man.  “But I think I like a speckled ax the best.”  And I believe this may have been the case with many who employed such means as I employed and found the difficulty of obtaining good and breaking bad habits in points of vice and virtue and have given up the struggle and concluded that a speckled ax is best…After all, a benevolent man should allow a few faults in himself to keep his friends in countenance.”

By his own reckoning, Franklin never achieved the perfection he desired.  Yet, Franklin saw benefit in the struggle, “I was by the endeavor, a better and happier man”. 

Believers are called to a similar struggle to “discipline my body and make it my slave.”  In our endeavor, we are given one great advantage over Franklin.  Believers have the Spirit who enables us to walk in obedience just as Jesus walked, as it is written,

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will be careful to observe My commandments.” (Ezek 36:27)

 

Hi From Austin = Scott