And this three years of communion with the Lord thru the Spirit, could very well have been his time, to gather his thoughts and meditate on the great events that had taken place in his life, no doubt the Lords prophecy concerning the Spirit became real to the apsotle;
Saul had to spend time, for the ministery, unravelling his misconceptions and all of the human teachings injected into that which he had learned about God, while at the feet of Gamaliel.
He didn't have the NT to help him, he only had the OT writings, to reconcile to what he believed.
Oklahoma Howdy to Petro,
I've studied this area again because some had questions. It truly isn't specified what Paul did in these three veiled years, but the speculation that he did what you and others have suggested is more than reasonable. I read your post again and took particular interest in your statement about Paul not having the New Testament to help him. I thought about the many years of extremely strict training Paul/Saul had in his advancement to Pharisee. I now see the writing of Paul and know beyond any doubt that it was inspired by God.
In Christ,
Tom
Amen,
I should have pointed out, something which will shed more light on this matter.
Paul wrote these words later at the Letter to the Hebrews;
Heb 5
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
11
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.12
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.13
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.14
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.It dawned on me, as I studied this very thing about Paul, that what he wrote about, he had experienced himself.
Begining at verse 10, he knew the OT, teachings, and he would not hear of it, that Jesus was the Messiah, this is why he persecuted the church of Jesus; and, no doubt had been present when Gamaliel, spoke these words;
Acts 5
34 Then stood there up one in the council,
a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
39 But
if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.Paul fought against God.
He even confesses that he fought against God at;
Acts 22
3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet
brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers,
and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
4 And
I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
He fought against and persecuted God, thinking he was doing God a service, by imprisoning and killing Gods people.
Even Jesus, who appeared unto him, spoke to him saying;
Acts 9
4 ....
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said,
I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.Making it even clearer at, that he fought against God, ignorantly:
1 Tim 1
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
13
Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.When he met the Lord and was saved, he became a babe in Christ Jesus, he needed those three years in desert ,
(I was reminded of the words which scripture gives in defining the life of John the Baptist, concerning his being raised in the desert;
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel. (Lk 1:80)
, to be nursed with the sincere milk of the Word of God.
Years later he writes to his kinsmen in Hebrews;
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.Certainly in three years, he came to full age.
Many years ago, when my sons were small I took them fishing, and I learned this lesson, I will never forget;
In the process of fishing, one of my boys, made a big ole birds nest in my fishing line, and when I looked at it, my first impulse was to cut it off, but since that would have shortened the fishing line considerably, I decided to unravel it, it took sometime to do it, and it required alot of patience, since while I was unraveling they fished and were catching them. When I finally did it, I thought imediately of this very verse where Paul went to Arabia for three years, and I understood it as an unraveling experience of his fishing line.
Then he returned and fished the rest of his days, for mens souls, with the Gospel he preached (1 Cor 15:1-4), this was his fishing line.
Jesus said to the disciples
Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Mat 4:19)
No one can fish with a birds nest in their fishing line, the honest fisherman, learns patience by taking the time to unravel the line in order to set things straight and have enough of it to present to the big fish, while the one who cuts it off and reties it, does it in haste because of impatience, and doesn't have enough line in the end to catch the big ones. They all get away.
I know this little comparison story doesn't nearly do the gospel justice, but the principle is there, both Peter and Paul, used nets since they converted souls in large groups.
Fishers of men require a good understanding of the Gospel , in order to present it in a way that produces results for God.
Preaching the Gospel is like fishing, isn't it??
Blessings
Petro
