bright lights shining

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmuring and arguing, 15so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. 16It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labour in vain. 17But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you— 18and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me.

Given the overall pastoral concerns that Paul has for this young church, especially his desire that they be unified and reconciled to one another, it is not surprising that we would encounter the exhortation "to do all things without murmuring and arguing". The phrase uses a word that echos Old Testament language, referring to the period of Israel's life when they grumbled and murmured in in the desert (Paul also uses the same word in 1 Corinthians 10:10, invoking the same period of Israel's life, as a sober warning to the Corinthians to take stock of their need for renewed faith and repentance).

Paul often, in shorthand fashion, retells Israel's story in order to help the church understand her mission as a continuation of Israel's vocational calling, to be a light to the world. However, each time he does so he retells the story so as to make a particular point within a specific context. In the context of his overall concerns in his letter to the Philippians it is likely that Paul was concerned about what impact persecution and suffering would have on the community with regard to their relationships with each other. The pressures that come with suffering in general, and persecution in particular, often tempt those who are in pain to be suspicious towards everyone - even their friends, to allow cynicism to replace faith, and to doubt God's promises and goodness. Israel, even right on the heals of the Exodus, doubted God's gracious promises and wished to return to slavery in Egypt because at least in Egypt they knew what they would eat and where they would live. Paul anticipates this temptation to come upon this community and wishes to head it off by reminding the Philippians of the great promises of God in the gospel, promises for now and the world to come that have been ratified in this broken world through Jesus' resurrection from the dead. To drill this point home he evokes the Israel story again when he calls the Philippians bright lights shining in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Interestingly, "the crooked and perverse generation" language was originally applied to Israel in Deuteronomy 32 but the Philippians are referred to instead as bright lights and not a crooked and perverse generation. This kind of retelling of Israel's story prompted the theologian Karl Barth to refer to it as something like a triumphant parody of the Deuteronomy narrative. New Testament scholar Frank Thielman puts it this way: "Pauls' language seems to be formulated to signal the Philippians' status as the newly constituted people of God, who unlike Israel of old unblemished and who rather than constituting a crooked and perverse generation, stand in contrast to it (From Story of Israel, ed. Marvin Pate)." In the gospel God has brought his promises of redemption to a climax in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, who has succeeded where Israel (and you and I) have failed; any crookedness and perversity that remains in the world remains because it has not yet been conquered by the gospel. So, in the end Paul's pastoral concerns for the interior life of the Philippian church community prompt him to remind them of their mission to demonstrate the gospel in word and deed even to those who may become their persecutors, for in so doing they will, in turn, experience God's grace and love themselves.
Questions for discussion:

1. Why is it so tempting to run from the freedom of the gospel back into slavery?

2. What, in Paul's retelling of Israel's story, is particular encouraging to you?

3. If the gospel is always triumphant why do we need to be encouraged to keep on track? Does the passage about "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling knowing that it is God at work in you" help you answer this question?

4. How does being reminded of our mission to be bright lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation help us keep focused on the gospel? Do you think Paul calls those outside of the Christian community a crooked and perverse generation in order to make the Philippian Christians feel superior to those outside of the church? Why does their attitude to outsiders matter - what difference does this make?