i. 1-11. Greeting of, thanksgiving, and prayer for the
Philippians.
12-26. Personal affairs of the apostle (so ch. ii. 19-30).
i. 27--ii. 1-11. Exhortation to humility after the supreme Example.
ii. 12-18. _Omitted._
iii. 1-21. Warning against the vain work-righteousness of
Judaism.
iv. 1-9. Exhortations to unity, to Christian joy, and
Christian graces.
10-19. Renewed thanksgiving for the generosity shown.
20-23. Doxology and salutations.
+CHAPTER I.+
_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES._
Ver. 1. +Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ.+--There is
no necessity for Paul to mention his apostolate, inasmuch as the
Philippians had never even thought of calling it in question. "Paul
an apostle and Timothy a servant" was a distinction too invidious for
Paul to make. There is a fine aroma of courtesy in what is not said
as well as in what is said here. +Bishops and deacons.+--"It is
incredible that St. Paul should recognise only the bishops and
deacons (if 'presbyters' were a different order from 'bishops'). It
seems therefore to follow of necessity that the 'bishops' were
identical with the 'presbyters'" (_Lightfoot_).
Ver. 3. +I thank my God.+--The keynote of the whole epistle. As the
apostle's strains of praise had been heard by the prisoners in the
Philippian gaol, so now from another captivity the Church hears a
song of sweet contentment. "_My_ God." The personal appropriation and
the quiet contentment of the apostle both speak in this emphatic
phrase.
Ver. 4. +Always in every prayer of mine for you all.+--Notice the
comprehensive "always," "every," "all," indicating special attachment
to the Philippians. +With joy.+--The sum of the epistle is, "I
rejoice. . . . Rejoice ye." "He recalls to our minds the runner who
at the supreme moment of Grecian history brought to Athens the news
of Marathon. Worn, panting, exhausted with the effort to be the
herald of deliverance, he sank in death on the threshold of the first
house which he reached with the tidings of victory, and sighed forth
his gallant soul in one great sob, almost in the very same words as
those used by the apostle, 'Rejoice ye; we rejoice'" (_Farrar,_ after
Lightfoot).
Ver. 5. "+Fellowship+ here denotes co-operation in the widest sense,
their participation with the apostle, whether in sympathy or in
suffering, or in active labour, or in any other way. At the same
time, their almsgiving was a signal instance of this co-operation and
seems to have been foremost in the apostle's mind" (_Lightfoot_). +He
which hath begun a good work in you will perform it.+--"The
observation of the ebb and flow of the tide for so many days and
months and ages together, as it has been observed by mankind, gives
us a full assurance that it will ebb and flow again to-morrow"
(_Bishop Butler_). Another sort of assurance comes in here. It is an
offence to every worthy thought of God that He should begin and not
be able to finish (Isa. xxvi. 12).
Ver. 7. +Meet for me to think this.+--"To form this opinion." That
the apostle cherished a warm affection for these Philippians would
have been, if alone, a very flimsy foundation for hopes so
substantial. Was not Judas cherished in a warmer heart than Paul's?
But their sympathy and active co-operation made such an opinion not a
pious hope, but a reasonable likelihood. +Defence and
confirmation.+--The "defence" (ἀπολγία) is the clearing away of
objections--the preparation of the ground; the "confirmation" is the
positive settlement on the ground so prepared. "The two together will
thus comprise all modes of preaching and extending the truth"
(_Lightfoot_). +Partakers of my grace.+--The _grace_ whether of
preaching or of suffering for the Gospel. See ver. 29, where "given"
requires the addition "as a favour." "You are privileged . . . to
suffer."
Ver. 8. +God is my record.+--As in Rom. i. 9. When we feel language
too weak to bear our impassioned feeling, it may be well to remember
the "Yea, yea" of the Master rather than copy this oath. +In the
bowels of Jesus Christ.+--R.V. "in the tender mercies." This is quite
an Eastern form of expression. Among the Malays a term of endearment
is "my liver"; we choose the heart as the seat of the affections. For
the figure, cf. Gal. ii. 20.
Ver. 9. +In knowledge and in all judgment.+--"Perfect knowledge (as
in Eph. i. 17, iv. 13) and universal discernment." "The one deals
with general principles, the other is concerned with practical
applications" (_Lightfoot_).
Ver. 10. +That ye may approve things that are excellent.+--St. Paul
would have his dear Philippians to be connoisseurs of whatever is
morally and spiritually excellent. +That ye may be sincere.+--Bearing
a close scrutiny, in the strongest light, or according to another
derivation of the word, perhaps more true if less beautiful, made
pure by sifting. +And without offence.+--Might be either "without
stumbling," as Acts xxiv. 16, or "not causing offence." Lightfoot
prefers the former, Meyer the latter. Beet unites the two.
Ver. 11. +Fruits of righteousness.+--"A harvest of righteousness."
+Which are through Jesus Christ.+--A more precise definition of
"fruits."
Ver. 12. +The things which happened unto me.+--Precisely the same
phrase as in Eph. vi. 21; is translated "my affairs" (so Col.
iv. 17). These circumstances were such as naturally would fill the
friends of the apostle with concern for him personally. As to the
effect on the spread of the Gospel--ever St. Paul's chief
solicitude--they had been apprehensive. +Rather unto the
furtherance.+--Not to the _hindrance,_ as to your fears seemed
likely. It is the same triumphant note which rises, in a later
imprisonment, above personal indignity and suffering. "_I_ may be
bound, but the message I bear is at liberty" (2 Tim. ii. 9).
Ver. 13. +Bonds in Christ are manifest.+--R.V. "bonds became manifest
in Christ." It is not simply as a private prisoner that he is bound;
it is a matter of public note that he is bound for Christ's sake. +In
all the palace.+--R.V. text, "throughout the whole prætorian guard."
R.V. margin, "in the whole prætorium." "The best supported meaning of
'prætorium' is--_the soldiers_ composing the imperial regiments"
(_Lightfoot_). "_The barracks_ of the imperial body-guard to whose
'colonel' Paul was given in charge on his arrival in Rome (Acts
xxviii. 16)" (_Meyer_). "As the soldiers would relieve guard in
constant succession, the prætorians one by one were brought into
communication with 'the prisoner of Jesus Christ'" (_Lightfoot_). +In
all other places.+--The italicised places of the A.V. text must be
dropped; the margin is better. A loose way of saying "to others
besides the military."
Ver. 14. +Confident by my bonds.+--The bonds might have been thought
to be sufficient to intimidate the brethren; but the policy of
stamping out has oftener resulted in spreading the Gospel.
Ver. 15. +Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife.+--Not
some of the brethren emboldened by the apostle's chain, perhaps,
although one sees no reason why the Judaisers would not, with
redoubled energy, spread their views when he whom they so violently
opposed was for the time being silenced, as they imagined. _"Of
envy."_ Lightfoot refers to the saying of the comic poet Philemon
with its play on the word, "Thou teachest me many things ungrudgingly
because of a grudge" (on account of envy). This glaring inconsistency
of preaching a Gospel of goodwill from such a motive as envy, the
worst form of ill-will, must be closely observed here.
Vers. 16, 17.--These verses are transposed in R.V.; the order of the
A.V. is against decisive testimony (_Meyer_).
Ver. 16. +To add affliction to my bonds.+--"To make my chains gall
me," Lightfoot strikingly translates. One can almost imagine St. Paul
starting up, and straining at the wrist of the soldier to whom he was
chained as he hears of the intrigues of a party whose one object it
was to impose an effete ritual on men called to liberty in Christ.
Ver. 17. +For the defence of the gospel.+--Many a man in the
apostle's place would have found himself absorbed by the question how
best to make a good defence of himself.
Ver. 18. +Whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached.+--St.
Paul evidently thinks the imperfect knowledge of Christ preferable to
heathen ignorance of Him. The truth is mighty enough to take care of
itself, without any hand that shakes with nervous apprehension to
steady its ark. St. Paul is beforehand with our method of keeping a
subject before the notice of the public. The policy of "never
mentioning" was what St. Paul regarded as fatal.
Ver. 19. +This shall turn to my salvation.+--"_Salvation_ in the
highest sense. These trials will develop the spiritual life in the
apostle, will be a pathway to the glories of heaven" (_Lightfoot_).
Meyer prefers to render "will be _salutary_ for me," without any more
precise modal definition. +Supply of the Spirit of Jesus
Christ.+--"The Spirit of Jesus is both the giver and the gift"
(_Lightfoot_).
Ver. 20. +Earnest expectation.+--Same word again in Rom. viii. 19
(not again in New Testament). "It is the waiting expectation that
continues on the strain till the goal is attained" (_Meyer_). The
intensive in the compound word implies abstraction from other things
through intentness on one. +Put to shame.+--As a man might be who
felt his cause not worth pleading, or as one overawed by an august
presence. +With all boldness,+ _i.e._ of speech. A man overpowered by
shame loses the power of speech (see Matt. xxii. 12).
Ver. 21. +For me to live is Christ.+--The word of emphasis is _to
me,_ whatever it may be to others. If this be not the finest specimen
of a surrendered soul, one may seek long for that which excels it.
That life should be intolerable, nay inconceivable, except as the ego
merges into Christ's; this is the sanest and most blessed _unio
mystica_ (Gal. ii. 20). +And to die is gain.+--It is the purely
personal view--"to me"--which the apostle has before him. "The spirit
that denies" says, that when all that a man hath has been bartered
for life, he will think himself gainer. "More life and fuller" is
what St. Paul sees through the sombre corridor. It is not simply the
oblivious repose where "the wicked cease from troubling" that he
yearns for. Nor is it a philosophical Nirvâna.
"For who to dumb forgetfulness a prey
This pleasing, anxious being e'er resigned?"
Ver. 22. +But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour+
(see R.V.).--"The grammar of the passage reflects the conflict of
feeling in the apostle's mind. He is tossed to and fro between the
desire to labour for Christ in life and the desire to be united with
Christ by death. The abrupt and disjointed sentences express this
hesitation" (_Lightfoot_).
Ver. 23. +I am in a strait betwixt two.+--I am laid hold of by two
forces drawing in opposite directions. "Desire" draws me away from
earth; your "necessity" would keep me in it. As in the old mythology
everything bowed before Necessity (ἀνάγκη), so here the apostle's
desire is held in check by the needs of his converts. +To
depart.+--As a ship weighs anchor and glides out with set sails, or
as a tent is struck by the Arabs as they noiselessly steal away. +To
be with Christ.+--St. Paul regards the soul, whilst in the body, as a
"settler" in a land of which he is not a native, an "emigrant" from
other shores. But he would rather emigrate from the land of his
sojourn and settle with the Lord (2 Cor. v. 6, 8). "We come from God
who is our home." "As soon as I shall have taken the poison I shall
stay no longer with you, but shall part from hence, and go to enjoy
the felicity of the blessed" (_Socrates_ to Crito). +Which is far
better.+--R.V. "very far." How far from uncertainty is the eager
estimate of the life with Christ! It is one thing to extol the
superiority of the life away from the flesh in a Christian hymn,
whilst health is robust; it is quite a different matter to covet it
with the sword of martyrdom hanging over one's head.
Ver. 25. +I know that I shall abide.+--Not a prophetic inspiration,
but a personal conviction (Acts xx. 25).
Ver. 27. +Your conversation.+--R.V. "manner of life." Margin, "behave
as citizens." Perform your duties as citizens. St. Paul in Philippi,
by the assertion of his Roman citizenship, had brought the prætors to
their knees (Acts xvi. 37, 38), and is addressing men who could fully
appreciate the honour of the _jus Italicum_ conferred by Cæsar
Augustus on their city. He would have them be mindful of their place
in the kingdom which "cometh not with observation." +Whether I come
and see you, or else be absent, I may hear.+--The question arises
whether St. Paul meant to say if he visited them, they themselves
would inform him of the condition of the Church; or whether he meant
he would see for himself if he went, and if not at least he would
hear. As he is actually distant, the idea of hearing is uppermost,
and so we have "I may hear" where we might have expected "I shall
learn."
Ver. 28. +In nothing terrified.+--The phrase is a continuation of the
idea of the amphitheatre in ver. 27 ("striving together"). We must,
it seems, recognise a double metaphor--behaving in the arena, before
antagonists and spectators, like a horse that takes fright and bolts.
The warning against such unworthy conduct might be rendered--
"In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of life,
Be not like dumb driven cattle,
Be a hero in the strife."
+Which is to them an evident token of perdition.+--When once they
have discovered that all their artifices have not the least power to
alarm you, will not this be a clear indication that they fight on
behalf of a failing cause? +But to you of salvation, and that of
God.+--The Christian gladiator does not anxiously await the signal of
life or death from the fickle crowd. The great President of the
contest Himself has given him a sure token of deliverance
(_Lightfoot_).
Ver. 29. +It is given in the behalf of Christ.+--God has granted you
the high privilege of suffering for Christ; this is the surest sign
that He looks upon you with favour (_Ibid._). The veterans in
Philippi would understand well enough that a position involving
personal danger might be a mark of favour from the prefect to the
private soldier.
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 1, 2.
_Christian Greeting_--
+I. Addressed to a fully organised Church.+--"To all the saints in
Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons"
(ver. 1). Christianity, which began with the quiet meetings in the
humble Jewish proseucha, or oratory, by the river-side, had so far
spread in Philippi as to settle down into a stable and permanent
Church organisation. This is the first instance in which bishops and
deacons are mentioned, and specially addressed in the apostolic
salutation. The former are sometimes called elders, presbyters,
rulers, or presidents, and were empowered to take the oversight of
the whole Church, to instruct, exhort, and rule the members; the
latter were chosen to take care of the poor, and to manage the
finances of the Church. The bishops attended to the internal, the
deacons to the external affairs of the Christian community. The title
presbyter implied the rank, the bishop the duties of the office. As
the apostles by their frequent absence were unable to take the
personal oversight of the Churches they founded, they appointed
officers in each Church. As the Churches multiplied, and the
Church-life developed, the organisation became more compact and
complete. It is noticeable in this instance that the apostle
addresses the whole Church more than its presiding ministers. It
should be ever remembered that the minister exists for the Church,
not the Church for the minister. The clergy are not the Church, but,
under God, the servants and religious guides of the people. The
Christian Church is the glory and stability of a nation. When at
Brussels Lord Chesterfield was invited by Voltaire to sup with him
and Madame C----. The conversation happening to turn upon the affairs
of England, "I think, my lord," said Madame C----, "that the
Parliament of England consists of five or six hundred of the
best-informed men of the kingdom." "True, madame, they are generally
supposed to be so." "What, then, can be the reason they tolerate so
great an absurdity as the Christian religion?" "I suppose, madame,"
replied his lordship, "it is because they have not been able to
substitute anything better in its stead; when they can, I do not
doubt but in their wisdom they will readily adopt it."
+II. Valued as emanating from distinguished Christian
pioneers.+--"Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ" (ver.
1). The significance and worth of a salutation depend upon the
character and reputation of those from whom it comes. Paul was
honoured by the Philippians as their father in the Gospel, and as one
who had won a high distinction by his conspicuous abilities and
labours in other spheres; and Timothy was well known to them as a
devoted minister and fellow-helper of the apostle. Words coming from
such a source would be gratefully welcomed and fondly cherished. Paul
does not give prominence to his apostleship, as in the inscriptions
to other epistles. The Philippians had already sufficient proof of
his apostolic authority and power. Paul and his colleagues were
reverenced as "the servants of Jesus Christ." They acknowledged
subjection, not to the man, but to Christ; they lived to advance His
interests and honour, and found their highest joy in His service,
though attended with hard toil, unreasoning persecution, and
unparalleled suffering. The Baptist Missionary Society adopted for
its motto a device found upon an ancient medal representing a bullock
standing between a plough and an altar, with the inscription "Ready
for either, for toil or for sacrifice." The service of Christ is a
life of self-sacrifice; but that is the pathway of duty, of blessing,
of reward, of glory.
+III. Invokes the bestowment of great blessings.+--"Grace be unto
you, and peace" (ver. 2). Grace and peace are Divine gifts,
proceeding from "God the Father," as the original and active Source
of all blessings, and from "the Lord Jesus Christ" who is now exalted
to the right hand of the Divine majesty to bestow those blessings
upon His people. Grace, the unmerited favour of God, is the
exhaustless fountain of all other blessings, and includes the
ever-flowing stream of the Holy Spirit's influences; peace, the
result of grace, is the tranquillity and joy of heart realised on
reconciliation with God. The very form of this salutation implies the
union of Jew, Greek, and Gentile. The Greek salutation was "joy,"
akin to the word for grace. The Roman was "health," the intermediate
term between grace and peace. The Hebrew was "peace," including both
temporal and spiritual prosperity. The great mission of the Gospel is
to spread peace on earth, peace with men, following on peace with
God. The believer enjoys peace even in the midst of trial and
suffering. One of the martyrs, exposed to public derision in an iron
cage, is reported to have said to a bystander, who expressed surprise
at the cheerfulness he manifested, "You can see these bars, but you
cannot hear the music in my conscience."
+Lessons.+--1. _Religion teaches the truest courtesy._ 2. _The
unselfish heart wishes well to all._ 3. _That greeting is the most
genuine that recognises the claims of God._
_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._
Vers. 1, 2. _The Apostolic Greeting._--1. Unity and concord amongst
ministers in giving joint testimony to the same truths and weight to
what they preach. Preachers are in a special manner the servants of
Christ as being wholly and perpetually dedicated to His service.
2. As to make a man internally and spiritually holy it is necessary
he be in Christ by faith, so to make him externally holy requires a
visible and external union with Christ in professing truths relating
to Him. 3. The dignity of a minister or of any Church officer does
not exempt him from the necessity of being taught, exhorted,
reproved, and comforted. 4. God's grace is the fountain from which
peace with God, with our own conscience, and all sanctified
prosperity and peace among ourselves do flow. In seeking things from
God we look to Him, not as standing disaffected to us and at a
distance, but as our Father.--_Fergusson._