C. The Readers and Their Relationship to Paul (4:8-20)

Paul reminds his readers of their former state when they did not know God. It has been interpreted to mean pagan ignorance of God or Jewish dependence on the law, which was tantamount to being ignorant of the God of grace. Paul compares that state to their current state of knowing God, having had a personal experience with God initiated by grace. To him it is unthinkable that they would even consider a return to what was once their lot of subservience, in adhering to those weak and miserable principles. By giving heed to the false prophets' travesty of the Gospel, the Galatians are allowing themselves to fall into slavery again. This slavery may be to religious celebrations designed to win favor with God, or to pagan magical observations and astrological charts. (The notion of “lucky” and “unlucky” days is a remnant of pagan practices.)

Paul expresses, in v.11, a fear that his preaching to them will have come to naught. Consequently in v.12 he begins a passionate appeal to the Galatians to follow him in accepting his persuasion that the law has no value whatsoever in gaining righteousness before God.

He reminds them of the circumstances under which he found his way to Galatia: an illness had caused considerable anxiety and concern on their part. It is probably foolish even to speculate as to the nature of his illness. Whether it was eye trouble, malaria, or epileptic seizures matters little. Paul reminds them that whereas they once welcomed him graciously as if he were Christ himself, they are now ready to reject him because of the Judaizers. They had accepted him in his frailty; why do they now reject him as a messenger of God?

Paul expresses his concern that false prophets are striving to win them over, but not for the good of the believers. These Judaizers want to separate them from Paul and his teachings and recruit them for their cause (4:17). He uses the metaphor of childbirth as once again he depicts himself as the mother going through pangs of childbirth on their behalf. Cole likens it to the “agony of the pastor watching for signs of Christian growth in his flock” (p. 127). Paul sees them reverting to a state of immaturity in which their faith in Christ is not strong enough to enable them to reject the false gospel that has been preached to them.