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"I hope to send him at once..."

Text: Philippians 2:23

PRACTICAL DETAILS OF LIFE

There is no question that the apostle Paul was a deeply spiritual man. However, it must also be said that he was a down-to-earth practical man. He was just as concerned about the practical details of life.

“Therefore I hope to send him at once,
as soon as I see how it goes with me.
But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.”

Philippians 2:23-24

1. “Therefore I hope”

a) The word “hope” here is the same word in Philippians 2:19 (translated “trust”).

b) This is the usual translation of the word “elpizo” (Greek text).

2. “To send him at once”

a) Paul was not hesitant about sending Timothy to minister to the Philippians.

b) There were a number of things that he needed to attend to first.

i) This is the practical part of Paul that stood out.

ii) The details were not disclosed in this text here though.

iii) But when Paul had sorted out his affairs, he would send Timothy without delay

3. “But I trust”

a) The word “trust” is not the same word we read in Philippians 2:19 (Greek “elpizo” usually translated “hope”).

b) The word “trust” is a different word (Greek “peitho”).

i) This word is usually translated “persuaded”.

ii) Paul was expressing a certain sense of assurance here.

iii) This word has a Greek perfective tense aura about it.

iv) Paul was saying that he had become fully convinced that he would be seeing the Philippians in the not-too-distant future (Philippians 2:19).

4. “I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly”

a) This sense of “trust” was “in the Lord”.

b) A special grammatical construction is found in Philippians 2:23-24.

i) On the one hand (Greek “men”) Paul “hoped” to send Timothy.

ii) On the other hand (Greek “de”) Paul “hoped” that he would see the Philippians soon.