Only once, in Galatians 1:17, does the Bible mention that Paul went to Arabia. What is the significance of this seemingly obscure reference?
When did the apostle go to Arabia? What was the purpose of the trip? Little explanation is given, yet the experience was clearly one of Paul’s first steps after he was called to be an apostle.
Paul seldom wrote of his experiences in Arabia, but this was no ordinary trip. It was a life-altering journey that shaped Paul’s character and beliefs, and molded him into a mature apostle, ready for service.
At Sinai with Christ
Acts 9 describes Paul’s dramatic change of heart upon seeing the risen Lord. However, it does not explain how he, as a new convert, immediately came to a deep and detailed understanding of the Gospel message.
In Galatians 1:12, Paul states he was taught by revelation of Jesus Christ and not by man. Immediately after his conversion, he says, he “conferred not with flesh and blood,” nor did he go to Jerusalem to be instructed by the apostles (v. 16). When was Paul taught by Christ? With his excellent knowledge of Scripture, did he just fit all the pieces together after his encounter on the road to Damascus?
Even the disciples who had been with the Lord for more than three years needed 40 days of teaching by the risen Christ to prepare them for their ministry. In contrast, Paul apparently spent only a few days with believers in Damascus (Acts 9:19). Then, “straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues that he is the son of God, and all that heard him were amazed.” More than that, he “confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.” How did he suddenly acquire a deep enough understanding to overwhelm the most learned students of Scripture? The answer has to do with his trip to Arabia.
The land of Arabia is mentioned only twice in the entire New Testament, both times in Galatians. According to Galatians 4:25, Mount Sinai is in Arabia. Paul’s visit to Arabia most likely took him to Sinai to be taught personally by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
Mount Sinai is where Yahweh chose to reveal Himself to Moses, and then later to Elijah. There, Moses and the elders saw the God of Israel, and Moses received the Law and saw the pattern for the tabernacle. On Mount Horeb (another name for Sinai) Moses had seen the burning bush. Years later, Elijah heard the “still, small voice” that spoke of God’s purpose on that same mount.
The Acts account says nothing about a trip to Arabia. It mentions that Paul ate and was strengthened. Perhaps, as with Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), the meat and drink enabled him to go to Mount Sinai. The trip may have taken place in the middle of Acts 9:19, before he met with the disciples in Damascus.
At Sinai, Paul would have seen even more than Moses did, that is, he would have seen beyond the patterns and shadows to their true source. Christ himself would have explained to him the Law and the Prophets. Yahweh allowed Moses to see His “back parts” (Exod. 33:23),1the shadow of good things to come. Paul was blessed to see their “very image” (Heb. 10:1).
Evidence in Paul’s writings
As a highly educated Pharisee, Paul would want to know in detail how the Jewish scriptures were fulfilled in Christ — the priesthood and sacrifices, the types and figures, the prophecies of Messiah.
Imagine communing with Christ before the awesome throne of God. Imagine seeing in vivid detail the Truth of which the familiar rituals and furnishings of Mosaic worship were mere reflections. Imagine looking behind the lives of the faithful (and unfaithful) of old. How thrilling it must have been to receive a taste of what God has in store for His people! Afterwards, the apostle must have wondered whether the experience was a dream or a real event.
In 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, Paul speaks of visions and revelations of the Lord and of being caught up to the third heaven, “whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell.” The apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3:5-13 refers to three heavens (specifically, “heavens and earth”): first, the world destroyed in the Flood; second, the current order which will pass away when Christ returns; and third, the new heavens and earth “wherein dwelleth righteousness” for which we all yearn. Paul was privileged to experience this third heaven, the paradise of God, at Sinai.
In 1 Corinthians 2:9, Paul wrote, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit.” It was at Sinai that God showed Paul the marvelous things He has in store for the faithful.
Due to his past record of persecuting Christians, the apostle was persona non grata among the Jewish believers. Moreover, his former Jewish allies were trying to kill him. Knowing how Joseph’s brethren rejected him after he spoke of his dreams, Paul would hesitate to share his vision. Nonetheless he probably wrote it down and kept his notes like a precious treasure, perhaps adding to them from his discussions with the Jews.
As time went on, controversy about the role of the Law grew, creating the need for a detailed, authoritative explanation for Hebrew believers. Only then did Paul finally publish a treatise based on his amazing revelation in Arabia — the book of Hebrews, by the self-proclaimed Hebrew of the Hebrews.
Galatians and Hebrews
Early New Testament manuscripts place the book of Hebrews in various locations. In the Vatican Codex, which dates from the first half of the fourth century, it follows Galatians. Indeed, some have suggested that Hebrews was appended to Galatians. This would make sense if the trip to Arabia, which is mentioned only in Galatians, formed the basis for Hebrews.
While the question of who wrote Hebrews has been debated, Paul is traditionally thought to be its author. More an exposition than a letter, its message is passionate, vivid and incisive. Unique among Paul’s epistles, it has no salutation; but none would be needed if it were appended to another epistle.2
Whether or not these two books were originally together, they both draw upon Paul’s Sinai experience. They have the same basic theme: the covenant of grace in Christ supersedes the Law of Moses. Galatians responds to the challenge posed by Judaizers. Hebrews explains how Christ fulfilled the Law and the implications for believers — in other words, how “the law was our schoolmaster3to bring us unto Christ” (Gal. 3:24).
A source of strength
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai he demonstrated exceptional spiritual strength in his response to the worship of the golden calf and then his prayer for the people. The “still small voice” of Yahweh gave Elijah reassurance and new direction.
Paul’s time at Sinai with Christ (was it 40 days and 40 nights?) gave the apostle vision, understanding and courage to fulfill the high purpose to which the Lord had called him. The revelation transformed his heart and mind. Forced by circumstance not to reveal this experience, he was driven by it for the rest of his life.
- The Hebrew is “ahoray”. This word may indicate the “afterglow” which the Almighty left behind Himself — something like the fading of the light after the sun has set. Evidently, this alone was enough to suggest what the full brilliance of Yahweh’s presence must have been.
- In earlier times, the Pauline authorship of Hebrews was more commonly accepted than it is today — for many reasons. Nevertheless, it is a question on which there may be more than one opinion.
- “Schoolmaster” is the Greek “paidogogos” — a “child-custodian” or “child-attendant.” “The pedagogue was a slave employed by wealthy Greeks or Romans to have responsibility for one of the children of the family. He had charge of the child from about the years six to sixteen and was responsible for watching over his behavior wherever he went and for conducting him to and from school” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary).
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