never taste freedom again. He waited in
prison for his trial before Nero, the insanely
evil Caesar who relished torturing Christians
ful and grueling death bothered him, it is not at all
apparent in his little letter to the Philippian believers.
Throughout the epistle he speaks of joy, even at dying!
Nor did he allow his bleak prospects hinder him from
being grateful to this little community of believers who
remembered him in his lonely isolation.
from the lower strata of society, either desperately poor
or slaves. Following Christ often resulted in their pre-
carious financial condition worsening. Because Chris-
tians would not participate in pagan feasts nor offer
sacrifices to false gods, the all powerful trade guilds
blocked them from membership or expelled them if
they already belonged. Without trade guild certifica-
tion, shops were boycotted, goods not bought.
lippians unselfishly took up a
collection to provide for Paul's
needs in prison. Paul
was extremely grate-
ful for their thought-
fulness, but it
placed him in a very
awkward position.
The rules of friendship
in the Roman and even
Jewish world at this time
demanded that when a
gift was given, one of
equal or greater value was ex-
pected in return. Paul was obvi-
ously in no position to provide even a token gift.
While the Philippians were well acquainted with the
apostle's circumstances and knew full well he could
not return a gift to them, this cultural expectation
weighed heavily on Paul. How he handled it not only
surprised but pleased the Philippians: Paul called
on God to return their favor.
have been given to us in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19
NLT). Imagine that! Rather than a gift scraped to-
gether by a forlorn prisoner, the Philippians received a
blessing that draws on the infinite resources of God
Himself! This was more than the custom anticipated,
more than a mere human could pay back.
ple treating it as a blank check to draw on heaven's
bank accounts. It's not that this promise applied only to
the Philippians and not to believers today. But it is not
to be taken as an all-inclusive statement to be quoted
and dispensed under the title "God's big giveaway."
sacrificial gift. They gave unselfishly from their pov-
erty, with no expectation of any return. And this points
to a fundamental difference in viewpoint from the New
Testament days to the present in regard to giving. The
Bible is clear that all God's people were to contribute--
poor people living for the most part
those who give and the one who
The poorest, the widow and her mites if you will, are to
share from their poverty.
numerous other giving opportunities. In the agrar-
ian culture of the day, God demanded the first fruits.