“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?” [1]
“In calling the Galatians foolish, Paul did not mean they were morally or mentally deficient. Instead, Paul used the ancient Greek word anoetos, which had the idea of someone who can think but fails to use their power of perception.
The knowledge and understanding were there, but they were not using them.
The thinking of the Galatians was so clouded – and so unbiblical – that it seemed that some kind of spell had been cast over them. Barclay translates bewitched as put the evil eye on. The ancient Greeks were accustomed to and afraid of the idea that a spell could be cast upon them by an evil eye. The way to overcome the evil eye was simply not to look at it. Paul wanted the Galatians to keep their eyes steadfastly upon Jesus.
Some people are too accommodating to wrong, unbiblical ideas. This is a sign of spiritual immaturity, even as a baby will stick anything into its mouth.
Paul wondered how the Galatians could have missed the message because he made it clear enough to them. Any opinion which takes away from the glory of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice is a detestable opinion. Get the real atonement of Christ thoroughly into your soul, and you will not be bewitched.” (Spurgeon) [2]
In the Bible, Elymas the sorcerer tried to stop a Roman politician from believing in Christ. The proconsul, Sergius Paulus, was an intelligent man. He wanted Barnabas and Paul to share God’s Word with him. Elymas tried to stand in their way. [3] But Paul, “filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him, and said...
‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.’ [4]
“And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.” [5]
Takeaways: Don’t be bewitched. Do believe in Christ. Pray especially for political leaders that they will want to listen to God’s Word and believe in Jesus.
[1] Galatians 3:1
[2] EnduringWord.Com Galatians 3
[3] Acts 13:6-8
[4] Acts 13:9-11
[5] Acts 13:11-12
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