Day 8 – Philippians 2:6-11

Tues 19th May – Read Philippians:2:6-11

V6-7: His example is now opened out and applied, in these tremendous verses. He who was God from all eternity, One with the Father, Who became “God-with-us” (see also Colossians 1:15 ) did not cling on to that status properly His, but laid it aside in His great redeeming love, ( There may be an implied contrast here with Adam and Eve, who fell to the temptation to “grasp at” a status that was not theirs ( Genesis 3:5 ) Jesus laid aside the glory that was His eternally ( “emptied Himself” ) to be born as a human baby, and as a man accepted even humanly a “low condition” ( ” a servant” ). “Likeness” here does not mean He was only “like a man”, of course – He became man, was truly human.

V8: And in this true human nature, He humbled Himself even more – He accepted death! For death had no claim on His sinless life – He obeyed its claim on OUR sinful humanity,( and in this also obeyed His Father’s will and purpose ) as He bore our sins – we do not “obey” the call of death, we have no choice. And He accepted even the death on the cross – a death that the OT calls accursed. ( Deuteronomy 21:23 – and see Galatians 3:13.) He bore the curse for us!

V9-11: But after His self-humbling in such a way, God raised Him up in even higher exaltation, giving Him ” the Name above every Name”. One day the whole universe will acknowledge that He is Lord – every knee will bow, every tongue confess. In the wonder of God’s grace, those who trust in Him as Saviour do that now, as His saved people, willingly, thankfully and in love to Him who first loved us. Praise God if that is true of you! These verses surely suggest that as Redeemer of His people, He returned to His Father exalted even more highly. (Though we can not fully fathom these things.) And all this is to the glory of the Father, Who gave His Son for us!