In Galatians 4, the apostle Paul talks about the Galatian brethren turning to weak and beggarly elements, observing days and months and seasons and years.

Gal 4:9  But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10  You observe days and months and seasons and years.

Some people think Paul is referring to the Holy Days or the Sabbath as being the “weak and beggarly elements” which the Galatian brethren turned to in their observation of days, months, seasons, and years.  Is this the real meaning of the passage?  Let’s take a closer look.

But first some background information.

The apostle Paul kept the Sabbath and the Holy Days

Sabbath-keeping was Paul’s regular custom, not just something he did to be able to preach to Jews.

Act 17:2  Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

Act 18:4  And he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

Paul said the commandments are holy, just, and good.  This includes the fourth commandment, keeping the Sabbath.

Rom 7:12  Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

He also delighted in the law.

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

So this is additional evidence that Paul kept the Sabbath.

Paul kept the New Testament Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

1Co 11:23  For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
1Co 11:24  and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
1Co 11:25  In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

1Co 5:7  Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Scripture strongly indicates that the early church observed the Feast of Pentecost.  The disciples were gathered together on the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire.  Paul writes about Pentecost as if he kept it.

Act 2:1  When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Act 20:16  For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.

1Co 16:8  But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost.

We have seen that the apostle Paul kept the Sabbath and the Holy Days.

The context is not Sabbath keeping

The context of Galatians 4 is not about the Sabbath and the Holy Days.  It should be noted that the word “Sabbath” does not appear in Galatians 4, nor indeed anywhere in the book.

Background of the churches in Galatia

The Galatian churches were composed of primarily of gentile believers because Paul refers to them as being uncircumcised.

Gal 5:2  Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

Gal 6:11  See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!
Gal 6:12  As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

What does this passage mean?

Having covered the background information we are now in a position to consider what this passage means.

The previous verse, verse 8, helps understand verses 9 and 10.

Gal 4:8  But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.

Before accepting Christ as their saviour and becoming part of the church, the Galatian brethren were pagan.  They worshipped false gods.

Gal 4:9  But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

Now that they know God, Paul asks how is it that they turn back to weak and beggarly elements.  What are the “weak and beggarly elements”?  Could they be the Sabbath and Holy Days?  No!  Having been pagan they did not previously observe the Sabbath and Holy Days, thus they were not something to which they could “turn again”.  Clearly, the “weak and beggarly elements” to which they were returning, are the worship of false gods which had enslaved them. 

With this established, we look at the next verse.

Gal 4:10  You observe days and months and seasons and years.

In the context of the two preceding verses 8 and 9, it is evident that the “days, months, seasons and years” Paul refers to are idolatrous festivals and observances that the Galatian brethren had observed before their conversion.

Gal 4:11  I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

Paul is worried that all his labour of preaching leading to their conversion was in vain.  He is really concerned that they are becoming entangled in their former pagan practices.

Conclusion

Galatians 4:8-11 is not dealing with God’s Sabbath and Holy Days, but rather the pagan practices to which the Galatian brethren were returning.