Why did God take Paul to Mount Sinai in Arabia?
God took Paul to Mount Sinai in Arabia to reveal the doctrines of grace to him privately for three years, preparing him to go to the Gentiles with the Gospel of Grace rather than Judaism or Law. This mirrors the place where the Law was given to Moses.
Les explains that Mount Sinai was the place where God gave the Law to Moses, so it is appropriate that this is the place in Arabia where God took Saul to reveal the doctrines of grace. For three years Paul was in a private seminary with no one but himself and the Lord, soaking up what he needed. From those three years alone with the Ascended Lord, Paul emerged prepared to go to the Gentiles—not with Judaism or Law, but with Grace. He was to carry not merely the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus was the Christ, but the Gospel of Grace: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who died for our sins, shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead. Les points out that this is all Paul can write about and talk about.
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Why does Galatians 4:25 show that Paul went to Mount Sinai in Arabia?
Galatians 4:25 explicitly locates Mount Sinai in Arabia. Since Paul writes that he went into Arabia after Damascus, Scripture's own geography identifies the region of his journey, indicating he went to Mount Sinai in Arabia rather than conferring with the Jerusalem apostles.
What is the one great event associated with Sinai in Arabia?
The one great event associated with Sinai in Arabia is the giving of the Ten Commandments. Paul uses Hagar as a picture of Mount Sinai, where the Law was given. This event is tied to the Law, which brought bondage rather than the promise.
More Questions
How did Les identify Paul's Arabia as Mount Sinai?
The reason Les identifies Paul's Arabian destination as Mount Sinai is a geographic point in Galatians 4:25, which is part of the allegory of Ishmael and Isaac.
What is in Arabia that Paul went to?
What was in Arabia when Paul went there is shown by Galatians 4:25, where Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia.
Where did Paul go after his conversion instead of Jerusalem, and what is significant about Arabia?
Instead of going to Jerusalem, Paul went into Arabia, which is where Mount Sinai is located.