Monday Miscellany
15 June 2026
Greetings!
Peace, mercy, and grace be with you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We’re not going to lie here; it’s been a struggle, and looks like it will continue to be a struggle. Some “when it rains, it pours” life things for ourselves, but mostly concerned for my mother-in-law. We solicit your prayers for God to strengthen and sustain her through all she is enduring. We hope all is well with all of you.
Sunday, June 14, 2026
The Voice 16.24: Contentment, Joy, and the Gift | Philippians 4:10-23
Paul generally follows the customs of Greco-Roman epistolary conventions when writing. One such custom involved presenting the final salutations and greetings immediately after exhortations were made (the latter known as perorations). You can see him doing this kind of thing in 1 Thessalonians 5 or Colossians 3-4.
When writing to the Philippians, Paul concluded his peroration at Philippians 4:9 and presented his final salutations and greetings, in a very truncated form, in Philippians 4:21-23.
And so we’re left with Philippians 4:10-20, a deliberate insertion into the standard formula, in which Paul tried to strike a balance regarding the financial support the Philippians had sent him.
He was happy for their concern and thankful for their spirit; he was thankful for what the gift would mean for their standing before God in Christ. Yet he also insisted upon how he did not need it and would find contentment in whatever circumstance in which he found himself.
Was he really being ungrateful, presenting a “non-thanks thanks” kind of message? Such goes a bit too far. He wanted to communicate appreciation but also to maintain a level of independence from any kind of reciprocity cycle and quite likely to discourage any future attempts at sending support while also making it clear he was not in it all for the support. A tricky balance to maintain.
Spent For You | 2 Corinthians 12:11-21 | Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians
Outline | Podcast | YouTube Conversation
Paul concluded his “Fool’s Discourse” and started gesturing toward his conclusion in 2 Corinthians 12:11-21, really hoping they would both stand up for him against those Jewish Christians from Jerusalem casting aspersions against him and for those who were still persisting in sexual sin to repent beforehand so he wouldn’t have to be humiliated, grieve, and mourn in their presence. That Paul would look at the persistence of such sin as a form of humiliation requiring grieving should prove instructive for us as we approach matters of sin among the people of God.
Perhaps what I think ends up being Paul’s best argument is one he somewhat introduces at the end: he would be coming to them for the third time soon, and he wanted “not yours, but you”; he had spent, and would continue to spend himself for the Corinthian Christians, even if he would be loved the less as he loved more (2 Corinthians 12:14-15). “Not yours, but you” reflects a healthy relational dynamic in which a person desires what is best for the person and to share in relationship with that person, and not make it all about what the person can obtain from the other (in contrast to Paul’s opponents, in context). And that willingness to be spent for people he otherwise would have never had any reason to meet, let alone establish association with, powerfully testifies to what it means to “love one another as [Jesus] loved [us]” (John 13:31-35). Very worthy of our meditation.
Bible Readings for June 15-21, 2026
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 21:8-21
God provided for Hagar and Ishmael. Sarah proved jealous of Hagar and Ishmael and wanted them out. God told Abraham to listen to Sarah; he sent Hagar and Ishmael out into the wilderness of Beersheba with some provisions. When the resources ran out, Hagar turned away from Ishmael lest she see him die. God heard her lament; an angel came and encouraged her. She saw a well of water, and gave Ishmael drink. God was with Ishmael; he grew up to be an archer, dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, and obtained a wife from his mother from Egypt.
What can we gain from how God treated Hagar?
The Psalm: Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17
David would have YHWH heed his supplications. David was poor and needy, and wanted YHWH to listen to him. He wanted YHWH to preserve his soul and to save the servant who trusts in Him. David cried out to YHWH and lifted up his soul to Him. The Lord is good and ready to forgive, abundant in covenant loyalty to those who call on Him. In the day of distress David would call on YHWH, and YHWH would answer him, for there are none like Him among gods, or works like His works. All the nations will come and prostrate before the Lord and glorify His name. YHWH alone is God, is great, and does wonderful things. David would have YHWH turn to him and have mercy on him, to give him strength and save him. He wanted to see a token of good from God so those who hate him would see it and be put to shame.
How did the hope of David find its fulfillment?
Gospel Reading: Matthew 10:24-39
Jesus continued to prepare His disciples to go out and proclaim the coming Kingdom. They should not fear: all hidden things will be made known, so they should say in the light what He told them in darkness. Their foes might be able to kill the body, but not the soul; they ought to fear Him who can destroy body and soul in Gehenna. God noted the life and death of sparrows; the hairs of the head are numbered; the disciples are of greater worth than many sparrows. Those who confess Jesus before men Jesus will confess before His Father; those who deny Jesus before men Jesus will deny before His Father. Jesus’ coming and message would not bring peace among many; He predicted enmity within households from those who would not believe. Anyone who would love relatives over Jesus is not worthy of Jesus. He who does not take his cross to follow Jesus is not worthy of Him. He who would want to find his life will lose it; he who loses his life for Jesus will find it.
How can we go out and faithfully proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom?
New Testament Reading: Romans 6:1-11
Paul described the ground on which Christians have died to sin. Paul anticipated an objection to what he declared in Romans 5:12-21: should Christians sin more so grace would abound? Paul firmly rejected the premise, for Christians have died to sin. Christians died to sin when baptized in to Jesus, for they were baptized into Jesus’ death. They were buried with Christ in baptism to be raised to walk in newness of life. If Christians have been united with Him in the likeness of His death, they will also be united in His resurrection. The old man was crucified with Jesus so Christians would not be in bondage to sin: those who have died are set free from sin. Jesus is now in the resurrection body; He will never die again, because death has no dominion over Him. He died in death to sin once for all; the life He lives is given to God. Thus Christians must consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.
Is Romans 6:1-11 about baptism, or is baptism a means of conveying a greater point? What can we learn about Jesus’ death and resurrection from Romans 6:1-11?
This week’s cat tax is Bucky in a box. Because…a box. Cats cannot resist boxes.
Book Reviews
The article series exploring Philippians has ended. Therefore, the time has come to consider the commentaries read behind the scenes in preparing for said articles.
Reading Philippians: A Theological Introduction by Nijay Gupta (affiliate link). This is part of the Cascade Companions series, and while it does serve as an introduction, such does not at all mean the work itself is basic. The author presented all the contextual information - dating, authorship, historical context, etc. In chapters according to the chapters of Philippians, the author provided his own translation of the text in sections, with short but profound commentary on the text, and then at the end presented overall issues and points of application. The work wrapped up by considering theological implications of Philippians, and a healthy bibliography was suggested. Don’t sleep on this as just some kind of generic basic flimsy type book; overall it presents a most well-rounded introduction to all things Philippians.
Philippians: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching by Fred Craddock (affiliate link). I do tend to appreciate the Interpretation series for balancing the quality of the exegesis of the text with how to well present it for instruction and application. This becomes all the more compelling when the author is the justly famous Fred Craddock. This is the commentary a lot of commentaries will quote at times, and for good reason. The spirit of the text is well captured and, as expected, encouragement in its preaching and teaching is presented in high quality ways.
Philippians: A New Covenant Commentary by Linda Belleville (affiliate link). I have found the New Covenant Commentary series to be effective at presenting quality exegesis of the text which is well informed by scholarship without going into the excessive detail which can define series like the New International Commentary, etc. This is a great and serviceable commentary in that regard: the author well presents the historical contextual information, explains the text well, and provides helpful and useful historical and linguistic background information.
Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary by Ben Witherington III. I deeply appreciate Witherington’s socio-rhetorical commentaries on New Testament texts. Yes, he does present exegesis of the text in general, but he well focuses on the ways in which the text is presented, arguments are made, etc., in light of what we know about Greco-Roman rhetorical conventions (and we have quite a few texts on these subjects preserved for us). It’s a helpful perspective on the text, and his installment for Philippians is high quality. The socio-rhetorical lens assists in our understanding of why Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians as he did and what he was trying to accomplish by it.
Thanks again for your interest, support, and prayers.
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits.
Ethan