Deuteronomy 9:13-16 - It is a stubborn people

9:13,14

What are we to make of this? The Lord is ready to destroy the people, and to make a nation out of Moses. Now there are a number of facts to take account of. First, Moses intervened as we shall soon see, and God knew that he would do this. Secondly, making a nation out of Moses would not have helped matters in the long run, for Moses too was a sinner. The sentiment expressed was real. The people were no good, and the only just decision was to destroy them. But that was not God's intention. And God involves men in what he is doing. He wanted Moses to intervene in the way that he did, and later on Jesus would intervene on our behalf in a much greater way.

9:15,16

Moses went down the hill with the stone tablets. This should have been a time of triumph, but instead was a day of sorrow and disaster. The mountain was still blazing with fire, then he saw that the people had indeed made a calf image. They had quickly turned away from the Lord's command. This was the nature of the people, and Moses wanted to remind them of this.

Philippians 4:1 - Stand firm in the Lord

4:1

We now come to Paul’s closing remarks, which include a significant amount of important teaching within them. “My brothers and sisters” as NIV, ESV and other versions have “my brothers”. However, ESV has a footnote saying “or brothers and sisters”. There are times where “inclusive language” corrupts the text, but others, such as here, where it does not. Whichever you prefer, it is clear that Paul has a close relationship with the church. Paul describes them as “my joy and crown”. Paul wanted to see people knowing and loving the Lord, this is what he lived for. He addresses them as “dear friends” and urges them to stand firm. Things happen to all of us that seek to challenge our faith. This can be outright persecution, hostile changes in society, or just events of life. Whatever the case, we must stand firm, and Paul refers back to all that he has said. He will also, shortly, give further guidance.

Deuteronomy 9:11,12 - Your people have acted corruptly

9:11

The Lord gave Moses the two stone tablets at the end of the period of fasting. This emphasises the holiness of God and the devotion of Moses, on the one hand, and this stands in stark contrast to the attitude of the Israelites.

9:12

God knew what the Israelites had been up to. So why did God go through the process with Moses? There are several possible reasons, all of which may be relevant to some degree. One is to draw the contrast between the way things should be and the way the Israelites were. If we look at the whole of the Bible, one of the key lessons that people need to learn is the depths of our own sinfulness. Moses needed to realise the nature of the situation, something he did become all too aware of. We also need to remember that all this is ultimately leading to Christ.

Philippians 3:20,21 - Our citizenship is in heaven

3:20

Our citizenship is in heaven. We are part of a different kingdom, and we need to live and think as such. This does not mean we are “other worldly” (i.e. divorced from reality), no one can imagine this is one looks at the life of Christ and the life of Paul. Both were firmly grounded. But we march to the beat of a different drum. If we are out of step with the world, then that should come as no surprise. Indeed, it is a positive indicator.

3:21

We are looking forward to the return of Christ, and He will transform our “lowly body”. We will die mortal but will be raised immortal (1 Cor 15:42-44). We will be raised to have a body like Christ’s glorious body. This will be achieved by the same power that enables Him to bring everything under His control.

Deuteronomy 9:9,10 - The Lord gave me two tablets of stone

9:9

Moses now outlines the events which happened there. Not everything that was recounted in the Exodus account is repeated here, but that should not surprise us. Moses is reminding them of this to impress upon them what their sinful nature is like. It is perhaps also worth remembering that most of the people who had taken part in that rebellion were now dead, but the nature of the people was still the same. Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. Moses fasted for forty days and nights, what was happening on the mountain was a holy time, a time 

dedicated to the Lord. What was happening down below was anything but.

9:10

The Lord gave Moses the two tablets of stone, and the Ten Commandments were inscribed upon them by the finger of God. God Himself wrote out the Ten Commandments. These commandments had been declared to the people out of the fire by the Lord. Atheists sometimes say that God hasn’t provided enough evidence. This is nonsense, any supposed lack of evidence (and see Rom 1:19) is not the issue. The issue is our rebellious heart

Philippians 3:18,19 - Many live as enemies of Christ

3:18

Having said whom they should follow, Paul now gives those whom they should not follow. Anyone who walks as an enemy of the cross of Christ should be avoided. It is on the cross that Christ won our salvation for us. The Judaisers were in effect enemies of the cross, for their teaching said that the cross was not sufficient to justify us. Paul told them this with tears. There could be three broad reasons why Paul said this with tears: (i) because their false teachings kept people away from the life giving gospel; (ii) because the false teachers themselves were heading to destruction; (iii) because of the pain they caused Paul directly.

3:19

The destiny of these false teachers is not good, they are heading towards their own destruction. The reference to “belly” or “stomach” could be a literal reference, with greed being symptomatic of their earthly mindedness. Or it could be a more general reference to their fleshliness. Either way, they are not heavenly minded, they are not being led by the Spirit.

Deuteronomy 9:7,8 Do not forget how you provoked the Lord

9:7

Moses now reminds them of a key incident that demonstrated just how stiff-necked they were. In fact, they are told to remember how they had aroused the Lord’s anger. We need to be aware of what our godless nature is like. That by nature we are sinners. We need the cross. While Moses will focus on one particular incident, the golden calf, this was not a one off aberration, but a reflection on their true nature. For from leaving Egypt until arriving at the Promised Land they had been a rebellious people.

9:8

Horeb was where the Ten Commandments (or “ten words”) were given. It should have been a holy place, for God spoke to them, He met with Moses, yet instead it was a place of rebellion. This aroused the Lord’s wrath and He was ready to destroy them all. As it says in Eph 2:3 we are by nature objects of wrath. The wrath of God is what we deserve on our own merits.

Philippians 3:16,17 - Following my example

3:16

Paul then encourages them not to let go of what they had already attained. Paul had worked a lot with the church, and much had been achieved. They needed to remember how far God had already taken them, the changes that He had already made in their lives. It is a good practice to remember what God has already done.

3:17

Paul has told them that he does imagine that he has already reached the goal, but he urges them to join him in pursuing the goal. Moreover, they are urged to learn from those who have a similar attitude to Paul and his fellow workers. We are to learn from each other, and we are to be careful whom we follow. The key questions are (i) do they seek to honour Christ; (ii) do they have a humble attitude.

Deuteronomy 9:5,6 - Not because of your righteousness

9:5

Moses emphasises the point here. It was not because of any righteousness or integrity on the part of the Israelties, for they had none! It was on account of the wickedness of the current occupants, and to fulfil the covenant that God had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We can see here that we should beware of looking at anything from a one dimensional perspective. God was fulfilling the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but that was not all that He was doing. Nor was judgement upon the people all that God was doing. 

9:6

God makes it clear that the Israelites are totally undeserving and need to be disavowed of any notion that they are deserving. Far from being deserving, they are “a stiff-necked people”. Failing to accept this latter fact was a consistent failing of Israel, seen most clearly in the reaction of the religious leaders to Jesus. 

Philippians 3:14,15 - The prize for which God has called me

3:14

Instead of dwelling on the past, Paul pressed on towards the goal that God has called him too. The Law, and all human religious teachings, make us earthbound, but in Christ God has called us to look up towards heaven. Not in the “pie in the sky when you die” sense, but to be focused on what God has done in Christ, and is doing in our lives now in Christ.

3:15

Paul now calls on all the mature Christians to “take such a view of things”. Assuming that this refers to what he has just been saying, they should forget the past and press on towards the goal that they have been called to in Christ. Paul then seems to allow for the possibility that there may be some who think differently. If there have been disputes, there are always those who are most reluctant to let go of things. Paul is confident that God will “reveal that also to you”.  There is a time for seeking to win the argument, and a time to let God take care of winning the argument.

Deuteronomy 9:3,4 - He who goes before you

9:3

So looking at the enemy, at the task that lay ahead of them, things seemed bleak. The prospects were not good. But there was one other factor to be taken into account, and that was God. He would go ahead of them like a devouring fire. And He would subdue and defeat the opposition before them. “And you will drive them out ...” So yet again we see that when God does something, His people also do it. He involves us in almost everything that He does, but without Him we can do nothing. “You will annihilate them quickly”, this needn’t be seen as contradictory to the early word that they would conquer the land little by little. When it was time for a victory, the victory would come quickly,

9:4

So they need not, and must not, fear the external threat. But this would be followed by the internal threat. Once they had conquered the land, their hearts would tell them that it was because of their righteousness that the Lord had brought them to the Promised Land. Now this would clearly be a ridiculous thought, but we are all capable of it! The later part of this chapter will remind them how ridiculous a notion this would be, the people were anything but righteous. Notice that the thought does not discount God, but says He acted on their behalf because of their righteousness. We then get the reason why God was evicting the current occupants. It was because of the wickedness of the people in the land, it was a judgement upon them. Sometimes these conquests are viewed as “genocide”. This is wrong. It is judgement upon the current occupants because of their wickedness.

Philippians 3:12,13 - I press on

3:12

Paul is not presenting himself as the “finished article” or someone who has already made it. Rather, he is describing the road that he is on, the direction in which he is travelling. There may have been some who claimed to have made it. And there have always been groups that have sprung up every now and then claiming some sort of sinless perfectionism. They never last long, because the absurdity and hypocrisy of their claim usually becomes obvious very quickly. Also Paul does not want the Philippians to become discouraged, but to join him in pressing “on to make it [their] own”. While sinless perfectionism is usually an easily identifiable piece of nonsense, subtler forms can arise. Any individual who claims to have made it in some way can make others feel guilty, and thus seek to establish some form of control over them.

3:13

Paul emphasises that he has not already made it, or “made it my own”. What he does do is forget what was in the past, in his case all his Jewish heritage, but only in the sense of the way he once sought to establish his own righteousness. In a more general sense he continued to value his Jewish heritage. This also involved forgetting the way that he once persecuted the church. Instead, “he strained forward to what lies ahead”. The Philippians were not to be weighed down by past failures.

Deuteronomy 9:1,2 - Hear O Israel

9:1

We now come to more warnings about the dangers they will face in the Promised Land, and these dangers are both external and internal, with the latter being the most serious. They would go to “dispossess nations greater and stronger than you”. The odds would seem to be stacked against them. “With large cities that have walls up to the sky”. This is another example of a warning against taking the Bible over literally. It is a use of hyperbole, it does not literally mean that the walls reached up to the sky, just that the walls were massive.

9:2

So the cities themselves would seem to be impregnable, but the people would also be fearsome. They were occupied by the Anakites, who had a terrible reputation. “You know about them and have heard it said ...” The common wisdom was that they could not be defeated. We need to beware of taking on board common knowledge. Such knowledge usually ignores God, and will ultimately prove to be nonsense.

Philippians 3:10,11 - I want to know Christ

3:10

The commentary by Silva puts the three verses 3:9,10 & 11 in the classes of justification, sanctification and glorification. The first and last of these fit very well, but I don’t think the fit is quite as good with this verse. Knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection is undoubtedly linked to our sanctification, but sharing in his sufferings and becoming like Him in His death seems a bit of a stretch. Dying with Christ does have links to our doing away with sin (see Rom 6), but I’m not sure that that is Paul’s emphasis here.  Earlier Paul has spoken of his own sufferings and how these helped to achieve God’s purposes, and that God has granted to us to suffer with Christ. The emphasis seems a little different.

3:11

Paul aims to “attain the resurrection from the dead”. Indeed, he will do so “by any means possible”. A much greater prize is on offer than any futile attempt to prove that we are righteous. In Christ we will be raised from the dead.

Deuteronomy 8:19,20 - I will testify against you

8:19

The people are then given the most clear and serious warning as to what will happen if they do forget the Lord, and bow down to worship other gods. It has often been said that when someone stops worshipping God, they don’t worship nothing, but will worship something else instead, maybe even worship anything. If they do do this, then God would destroy them. Obeying the gospel is not a matter of choice in the sense of choosing this or choosing that, rather it is a matter of choosing to obey or disobey the gospel, with the appropriate consequences. “I will testify against you”. In John 5:45 Jesus told them that it was Moses who accuses them.

8:20

Israel received the good things as a gift of grace. However, there was no favouritism. If Israel rejected God, then she would suffer the same fate as the nations that she had displaced. As the Lord had destroyed them, so He would destroy Israel. And the history of Israel demonstrates that this was the case.

Deuteronomy 8:15-18 - He led you through the dreadful wilderness

8:15,16

Moses then reminds them of what has happened to them after escaping from Egypt. They were led through the wilderness, a barren and dangerous place. Yet, in this barren place the Lord provided for them. He provided food and He provided water. God did this “to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you”.  Sometimes the Lord leads us through hard times, part of the reason may be to humble and test us, to teach us that He is the true source of all that we need.

8:17,18

“My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” This is the danger for all of us when things seem to be going well. We think that we have managed all this by our own strength. This is a lie. We would not even exist unless the Lord had created us. Instead we should remember that it is the Lord who gives us the ability to produce wealth, to do good things. Things going well do not demonstrate that we can manage on our own, rather they are a confirmation of the Lord’s covenant with us, of His love for us. We are meant to enjoy living life together with the Lord.

Philippians 3:9 - The righteousness that comes from God

3:9

Having dealt with the negatives, i.e. the things he no longer considers to be of any value, he now turns to the positive, i.e. what is he pursuing in place of righteousness by the Law. He has already given the arguably the most important answer at the end of 3:8, “that I may gain Christ”. Paul wants to be “found in Him”. He contrasts the righteousness that comes from the Law, with the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. And this righteousness comes from God, and Paul emphasises again that it “depends on faith”. The so-called new perspective tends to emphasise the righteousness of God as God proving His righteousness, rather than the more traditional view that Christ makes us righteous. This verse is clearly focused on our being made righteous, indeed Paul being made righteous. Now the gospel does prove that God is right, for without the gospel the promises made in the Old Testament cannot be fulfilled, because we are an unrighteous people, incapable of making ourselves righteous. But in order for God’s plans to come to fruition we have to be made righteous.

Deuteronomy 8:11-14 - Be careful that you do not forget the Lord

8:11

On the negative side, they needed to beware of forgetting the Lord’s commands, thinking everything was fine and they could just do what they liked. This habit of forgetting the Lord when everything is going well is a human habit, even for Christians. I guess we all tend to pray more when we are in trouble. That is why it is vital to establish habits of prayer and Bible study.

8:12-14

Moses then outlines what will happen if they fail to do the things that he has commanded here. When they are satisfied, they have plenty of food and have fine houses, then their hearts will become proud. They will forget the Lord, thinking they can manage fine without Him. The most fundamental thing that they forgot was that it was the Lord who brought them out of slavery in Egypt. Without the Lord that is where they would have remained. Thinking we can manage without God is at the heart of our rebellion.

Philippians 3:7,8 - I consider everything a loss

3:7

So why, being such a well qualified Jew, was Paul now preaching and living the gospel? Paul goes on to explain why. First of all, all these “gains” he now considers loss, i.e. to be of no value, and he does so “for the sake of Christ”. Note the personal connection. The gospel is not a philosophy, it is about the person of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees and other religious leaders failed because they refused, or were unable, to recognise who Christ was.

3:8

Paul now considers Christ to be worth infinitely more than anything else at all. Christ is the pearl of great price (Matt 14:46). Paul now devotes everything to the goal of knowing Christ. He will give up anything if it means knowing Christ better. Indeed, Paul had lost much, following Christ has cost him dearly, but he considered everything he had lost as garbage (the Greek can actually be translated as “dung”).

Deuteronomy 8:8-10 - A land with wheat and barley

8:8,9

It was also with a plentiful supply of all sorts of resources. Crops would grow well in the land, so they would have no problems making bread. Bread was the staple food for most peoples in those days. There was also iron and copper in the hills, so they would be able to make tools and other implements. If you have read much of my blogs you will know that I have little time for so-called prosperity teaching, but we also need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water. God’s ultimate plan is for His people to be well provided for. That does have some consequences now, but we also need to remember that we are also called to share in Christ’s sufferings.

8:10

I mentioned earlier that there are two main areas of danger, one is turning to idols when threatened. Moses now turns to the second danger, and that is forgetting the Lord when everything seems to be going fine.  First, we get the positive answer to this danger, and it is not to hope that things don’t go well! When things are going well we should give thanks to the Lord. We should praise Him for the good things that He has done for us.

Philippians 3:5,6 - Persecuting the church

3:5

Paul now lists some of the qualifications he has for claiming to be a most Jewish Jew. First, he was circumcised on the eighth day, this was the commandment given to Abraham back in Gen 17:12. Paul was no Jewish proselyte, but a “pure” Jew. Benjamin was one of the “better” tribes in that they had stuck with Judah when the nation split in two, though the Benjaminites weren’t always perfect (Judges 20)! Paul knew the Law and adhered to it strictly, he was a committed Pharisee.

3:6

He also demonstrated great zeal. He had been active in persecuting the church. Indeed, on the day of his conversion he was on his way to Damascus to persecute a few more Christians. In terms of “righteousness based on the Law”, in Jewish terms, he met all the requirements (though not God’s requirements!).

In short, if Paul was to be judged as being a committed Jew no fault could be found in him, and he could out do any of his accusers for “Jewishness”. As it says in 3:5 he was “a Hebrew of Hebrews”.

Deuteronomy 8:6,7 - Observe the commands of the Lord

8:6

The instruction to obey is repeated, just in case the people haven’t got the point. They are to walk in obedience and to revere the Lord. It is not just a matter of following some rules, or complying with some requirements. It is a heart matter, a whole life matter. We are to love the Lord, to respect Him, and living according to His ways is to be a way of life.

8:7

The Lord was bringing them into a good land. The people had whinged their way through the desert, complaining that things were much better in Egypt (they weren’t!). But God was bringing them into a good land. It had brooks, streams and deep springs gushing out of the valleys and hills. Living in Scotland I don’t appreciate to the same level the importance of water, but water was vital, and often in short supply. Not so in the Promised Land, it was well supplied with water (no pun intended).

Philippians 3:3,4 - No confidence in the flesh

3:3

The Judaisers were putting “confidence in the flesh”. They were doing this literally, and it can also be taken as putting confidence in human effort. “It is we who are the circumcision”. In the Old Testament  circumcision was the sign that they belonged to the covenant. Things have now changed. It is those who serve by the Spirit (rather than the flesh), who put their confidence in Christ (not in themselves or their observance of the Law) who belong to the covenant, these are the signs of belonging to the covenant with God.

3:4

Paul was not saying this because he was a “failed Jew” If Paul was going to enter a “confidence in the flesh” contest he would win hands down. He could outdo anyone in these terms, but he had no wish to do so. Most importantly, he knew that it was futile, for the only one who needs to be satisfied is God, and our own efforts are utterly inadequate for the task.

Deuteronomy 8:3-5 - He humbled you

8:3

“He humbled you ...” There were times of no water nor food, what God was doing was showing them that He was the one who supplies everything. We all need to learn this lesson. The manna from heaven demonstrated that the Lord could provide in all circumstances. In John 6 we read that Jesus is the true manna from heaven. Jesus, of course, quoted this verse when He was tempted by the devil (Matt 4:4). Note that this is not saying that material needs don’t matter, but that it is the Lord who is the ultimate provider of all things. Most of the time we receive things by “natural” means, i.e. we work and receive the fruit of our labour, but when the natural means fail for some reason, that does not affect God’s ability to provide. The lesson is that we need to look to the Lord above all things, this does not come naturally to fallen mankind.

8:4,5

Moses then points to other ways in which the Lord provided. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. What would normally be expected to happen did not happen. Now all this, all this miraculous provision, happened to a sinful people. They are reminded that the Lord was disciplining them. Jesus said we can only enter the kingdom of God as a child (Mark 10:15). When we talk about this it tends to be in a sentimental way, but it also means that we are disciplined and we need to learn from the Lord’s discipline (Heb 12:4-11).

Philippians 3:1,2 - Rejoice in the Lord

3:1

Some seem to think that this verse forms a natural end to the previous section, not resuming until somewhere in the early part of chapter 4, and so see 3:2 onwards to about 4:2 (or 3 or 4) as an interjection, possibly another piece of writing being added in. Quite frankly these ideas are garbage. First of all there is no manuscript evidence for it. Moreover, there is a natural lead on to what follows in 3:2 onwards. Paul is concerned that they have the right attitude, having just emphasised humility. But this is not to be a “miserable humility”, but a joyful humility. They are to rejoice in the Lord. Paul then says that he is happy to write to them about things he has told them before, and he does this as a safeguard. So the warnings against Judaisers are a natural follow on.

3:2

Galatians is the primary letter that warns about Judaisers, about adding the Law on to the gospel. There is also material in Romans, and some lesser warnings elsewhere. Paul is quite clearly talking about Judaisers here, and their demands for circumcision, and he does so in no uncertain terms. We need to ensure that we understand the term “dogs” correctly. To us it is just a derogatory insult, but the Jews used it of Gentiles, of people outside the covenant. So Paul is saying that the Judaisers are outside the covenant. Galatians gives the full argument on this. “Mutilators of the flesh”, their demand for circumcision far from being a call to greater holiness, is a mutilation of God’s creation. We should note that Paul is quite happy for Jews to be circumcised, it is the demand for Gentile believers to be circumcised that is the issue.

Deuteronomy 8:1,2 - Be careful to follow every command

8:1

The people are reminded yet again of the importance of and reason for being careful to follow all the commands of the Lord. The reason was that they would live in the Promised Land, and increase in numbers there. And prior to that, that they would “enter and possess” the land. This was the land promised to their ancestors. Now we know that the people did enter the land, and the land did belong to Israel. So in that sense the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was fulfilled. However, we also know that they then repeatedly disobeyed the Lord, and were eventually thrown out of the land. The old covenant was based on Israel obeying the Lord, and so was weakened by this.

8:2

They are then called upon to remember the years spent in the wilderness. They were supposed to learn from them. Likewise, we should consider the things that have happened to us in life, and how the Lord has looked after us at all times. They were led through the desert in order to humble and test them. In refusing to enter the Promised Land at the first time of asking, they looked to themselves instead of looking to God. So they needed to be humbled. Testing them is strange in a way. Abraham was tested when told to sacrifice Isaac, but Abraham passed the test. The Israelites here manifestly failed the test. What happened in the desert showed that they would not obey the Lord’s commands.

Philippians 2:28-30 - He nearly died for the work of Christ

2:28

So Paul is keen to send Epaphroditus to the Philippians so that they can see that he was indeed fine. There are some commentators who seem to suggest he was a second best option. The text does not support such a notion. Paul wants the Philippians to be relieved of as much stress as possible.

2:29,30

Paul urges them to welcome Epaphroditus with “great joy”. They should not be disappointed that it was not Paul or Timothy. He is also an example of the sort of person Paul desired all of them to be. He was the sort of person worthy of honour. Churches can sometimes fall into the trap of honouring the wrong sort of characteristics. Epaphroditus almost died because of his commitment to Christ.

Deuteronomy 7:23-26 - Do not bring a detestable thing into your house

7:23,24

“But the Lord ..” The Lord would deliver them into the hands of Israel, and would throw the enemy into confusion. Because of the Lord’s involvement, no one would be able to stand up against Israel. The problems arise if we start to think that we can manage without God, that we can define the rules. This perhaps happens most commonly today when we think that if we follow a particular programme or method then “revival” will surely happen. This is a serious mistake.

7:25,26

The chapter finishes with a severe warning from God. They were to completely destroy all the idols of the people’s that they conquered. If they did not, then the idols would ensnare the people, they would be taken in by the apparent attractiveness of the idols. All idols, and anything associated with them, was to be considered as utterly repulsive, and treated accordingly. In particular, they were not to bring them into their houses.

Philippians 2:26,27 - He was ill

2:26

Epaphroditus had a personal concern for the Philippians. He had apparently fallen ill. Just as Paul was concerned about what the Philippians were making of his current circumstances, so Epaphroditus was concerned about what they thought of his situation, his illness.

2:27

Epaphroditus had indeed been seriously ill, and had almost died. As a side note, any notions that Christians should never fall ill if they have enough faith should be swept aside by this. God does miraculous healings, and Christians get ill, both statements are true. If you believe God doesn’t do miraculous healings anymore you are wrong, if you think faithful Christians never get ill, you are also wrong. God had mercy on Epaphroditus. This was good for him, but also for Paul, as it meant that Paul did not have additional sorrow to deal with in addition to his own predicament.

Deuteronomy 7:21,22 - Do not be terrified by them

7:21

So Israel is not to be afraid of the opposition, for God is among them, and He is a great and awesome God. We live in an age when society is becoming increasingly godless and hostile to Christianity. In these circumstances we too should not be afraid, for God is amongst us, and He is great and awesome. We need to learn from Him and follow His instructions.

7:22

This is an interesting verse. First it tells us that “The Lord will drive out ...”, then it says “you will not be allowed to eliminate ...” One of the things it teaches us is that when the Lord does something it does not mean that we don’t have any part to play in it. It is a bit like Ps 127 where it says “unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain ...” Everything is ultimately dependent upon God, but He involves us in all things. The reason given here is that otherwise the wild animals would multiply around them. When regimes like Iraq, or Communist Russia collapse, we see that chaos reigns and all sorts of criminal and other unsavoury groups arise.  Maybe that is what God is talking about here.

Philippians 2:23-25 - I hope to send him

2:23,24

So Paul hopes to send Timothy as soon as possible, but he wants to wait until his own situation is clearer. I.e. whether he will live or die! Paul also hopes to visit them himself soon, and is confident that he will do so. Depending on the date given to the letter, it seems unlikely that he ever was actually able to see them again.

Why does Paul go to such lengths to commend Timothy to them? It is possible (likely?) that the selfish teachers would seek to cast doubt on the goodness or worthiness of Timothy, so Paul is making it clear that Timothy is a faithful servant of Christ.

2:25

Paul is unable to send Timothy immediately, and definitely cannot come himself. However, he is desperate to have direct input into the church, and, perhaps more so, to receive direct information on how well they are doing. So he is sending Epaphroditus, describing him as his “brother, co-worker and fellow soldier”.  Epaphroditus had apparently been sent by the Philippians, so it seems that he had connections both with the Philippians and with Paul. Note that he is not just a brother, not just a worker, and not just a soldier, but all three.

Deuteronomy 7:19,20 - You saw with your own eyes

7:19

The people had seen the miracles, or heard the tales of them if they had not been alive at the time. These were not one-offs, God would do the same again, He would defeat the enemies that they would face in seeking to conquer the Promised Land. That is why we should remember the things that God has done for us, for these were not one-offs, they were not aberrations, but indicators of how God loves us.

7:20

“The Lord will send the hornet ...” He would even seek out those who seemed to escape the first wave of the attack. The goal is to completely destroy the enemy, something Israel frequently failed to do.  One day we will be completely free.

Philippians 2:21,22 - They all seek their own interests

2:21

“For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ”. This is an example of where “all”, or “everyone” does not mean literally “all” or “everyone”, for Paul knows that there are some good people of whom this is not true, such as Timothy, and various members of the Philippian church. The positive lesson to be taken from this verse is that we should be looking to the interests of Jesus Christ. We should be Christ centred. 

2:22

Timothy had proved himself to be of a different spirit, and the Philippians had seen evidence of this for themselves. Timothy had worked together with Paul for the gospel. And he had done this as a son working for his father. It was not a mere work-relationship, but a heart relationship. They were both focused on Jesus Christ. 

Deuteronomy 7:17,18 - How can we drive them out?

7:17

Many of the warnings given in Deuteronomy come from one of two different angles. One angle is that of becoming complacent, or thinking that they deserved to enter the Promised Land, and that they can manage on their own. The other, and the one dealt with here, is thinking that the opposition is too strong. “How can we drive them out?”. This latter danger had already manifested itself when the Israelites refused to enter the promised land at the first time of asking.

7:18

They were not to be afraid. “Fear not” is a frequent command in the Bible. We will see things that put fear in our hearts, but we must not give in to the fear. God then reminds them how He brought them out of Egypt, He freed them from a force that was far too strong for them. All of us can think of times when God has rescued us from situations that were too much for us. We need to learn from these memories.

Philippians 2:19,20 - I have no one like him

2:19

We now get an interlude in the “theological” stuff, with Paul talking about Timothy and Epaphroditus. However, it is not unrelated. Both Timothy and Epaphroditus are examples of the sort of servant behaviour and heart that Paul has been advocating. The material here is also related to Paul’s and the Philippian’s current circumstances. Paul desires to send Timothy to the Philippians soon. Paul cares for them and wants to hear good news about how they are responding to the current circumstances (i.e. persecution and self-centred “evangelists”). 

2:20

Paul speaks very highly of Timothy. Timothy had worked with Paul over a long period. The two pastoral letters to Timothy testify to the relationship between the two. Moreover, Paul knows that Timothy will have genuine concern for the Philippians. Earlier he has spoken of those who preach the gospel from false motives, and maybe Paul is concerned that some such teachers may seek to take advantage of the Philippians.

Deuteronomy 7:14-16 - You will be blessed more than any other people

7:14,15

The Lord’s commands are good, and if they had been followed, then the people would be blessed more than any other people. There would also be an absence of curses. So there would be no childlessness, neither for people, nor for livestock. They would be free from disease. None of the diseases that God inflicted upon the Egyptians would affect them. But they would be inflicted on those who hate Israel. The latter is a fulfilment of Gen 12:3, “whoever curses you I will curse”.

7:16

So Israel was to destroy all the peoples that they conquered. They were to destroy them along with all their idols. There would be a strong temptation not to do so, but failure to follow God’s instructions in this area would prove to be a snare to the people. Now, we need to be honest here. We find this command objectionable, and while “destroying people” is most definitely not part of the gospel, we do need to realise that sin has to be taken most seriously.

Philippians 2:17,18 - Be glad and rejoice

2:17

Paul’s focus on himself continues, and does so because of the close relationship he has with the Philippians. The Philippians knew that Paul was in a perilous situation, and he reassures them again that this should in no way discourage them. They must continue to devote themselves to Christ. Even if the result for Paul is death (“being poured out like a drink offering”), he is glad and rejoices with the Philippians.

2:18

So Paul is coping fine with his circumstances, the Philippians should be able to do so as well. The key is to focus on Christ, and carrying out His mission. The Philippians should be glad and rejoice.

Deuteronomy 7:12,13 - If you pay attention to these commands

7:12

The “old covenant” was based on the principle that if Israel obeyed the commands then everything would go well. The Lord would keep the promises that Hehad made to their ancestors. Jer 31:32 states that the people broke the covenant, and this point is highlighted in Hebrews 8:7-13.

7:13

If they had obeyed the covenant, then God would love them and bless them, increasing their numbers. They would be fruitful in every way. They would have many children, their crops would be fruitful, their livestock would be fruitful. So what is going on? Why did God say all this, knowing full well that the people would prove to be incapable of keeping the covenant, of living according to God’s ways? Maybe it was to demonstrate beyond all doubt that man needs a saviour. We are so convinced that if only we are shown what to do, then we will do it and everything will be fine. But the history of Israel provides all the proof that we need that that is not so. And individually we have demonstrated the truth of this time and time again.

Philippians 2:15,16 - Shine as lights in the world

2:15

2:14 gives the instruction, we now get the motivation. It is so that we will “become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky”. Not grumbling goes directly against the spirit of the age. The goal is that we live like children of God, and that we stand out in our generation. We are to stand out as different, shining for Jesus. We should be clear that this is not “nice”, it may well lead to persecution!

2:16

They were to do this holding “firmly to the word of life”. The Christ centeredness and word focused nature of all this is vital. So often we see churches or Christian organisations that start out on some venture or mission from a Christ perspective, but as time goes on the task becomes more important than Christ. They then start compromising with the world. 

Paul then draws attention to himself again, pointing out that if the Philippians did these things then Paul would know that his work had not been in vain. Our task is to bring people to Christ, and then to ensure that they remain in Christ.

Deuteronomy 7:9-11 - He is the faithful God

7:9

So any sense of self-reliance is doomed to lead us to failure. Instead the proper grounds for our confidence are (i) the Lord is God; (ii) He is a faithful God, we can rely on Him and trust Him; and (iii) He keeps His covenant of love. Note also that it says “those who love Him and keep His commandments”. We do not earn our salvation, but loving God and keeping His commandments are important.

7:10,11

“But those who hate Him ...” will receive their just reward, or rather their just punishment. Even with Jesus, we see that there is salvation for those who repent and believe, but judgement for those who refuse to do so. This is a consistent pattern throughout the Bible, and one that we need to face up to. The ones who most need to take this lesson on board are the Israelites themselves, and to do so by being careful to obey the commands of the Lord.

Philippians 2:13,14 - It is God who works in you

2:13

But while we have responsibility, we can only achieve ever increasing Christlikeness because God Himself is at work in us. And He works in us to lead us to live to fulfil “His good purpose”. Any view of salvation, or anything to do with Christianity or the Bible, needs to be utterly God focused, otherwise it is likely to be misguided.

2:14

When the Israelites came out of Egypt the defining characteristic of them was grumbling. They grumbled and moaned their way through the desert, and this repeatedly led to their sinning in many and various ways. Grumbling is something we need to be on our guard against, for it is very dangerous.