Philemon 1:21-22
21 Having confidence [peitho] in thy [sou] obedience [hupakoe] I wrote [grapho] unto thee [soi], knowing [eido] that [hoti] thou wilt [poieo] also [kai] do [poieo] more than [hos] [huper] I say [lego].
22 But [de] withal [hama] prepare [hetoimazo] me [moi] also [kai] a lodging [xenia]: for [gar] I trust [elpizo] that [hoti] through [dia] your [humon] prayers [proseuche] I shall be given [charizomai] unto you [humin]. KJV-Interlinear
21 Having confidence in your
obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I
say. 22 And at the same time also
prepare me a lodging; for I hope that through your prayers I shall be given to
you. NASB
There is a great deal
of difference of opinion as to the dates in Pauls life, but in general, most
agree that the date of his arrest in Jerusalem was in the late 50 s A.D., possibly
in 57 or 58 A.D.His arrival in Rome was
around 60 A.D. and during his stay in Rome, his trial was constantly delayed.
Paul spent his time
while awaiting trial, in prison and was later released, for two years, to a
private residence, but still under house arrest. Some historians believe that he was allowed
to travel during this time, but most don t accept that theory. More likely Paul
remained in Rome for the rest of his days, and was finally executed in 67 or 68
A.D., just prior to the death of Nero, who died within six months of Pauls
death.
Pauls last books that
he wrote were Philippians, Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians (not in that
order), and were written in the early to mid 60 s A.D. These books are commonly called the Prison
Epistles for obvious reasons.On this point
there is virtually no disagreement.Most
historians believe that the book of Philippians, which is the book of
inspiration, was his last book.
Whether Paul had known
Philemon in person, is not known.In
verse five, Paul speaks of hearing of Philemons character and through that
hearing, he came to accept and believe in Philemon as a good and generous man.
Simultaneously, while
all of this was happening in Pauls, and Onesimus s, and Philemon s life, back
in Judah, anarchy, rebellion, and all kinds of trouble are brewing. Factions are fighting factions for control of
the region and for Jerusalem, and everyone is fighting Rome.
In the late 60 s A.D.,
Rome is making preparations to send an army into Judah, and shortly after Pauls
death, in approximately 68 to 69 A.D., Rome prepared and shipped off its
legions to bring Jerusalem and the entire region of Judah, back in line. Many millions died and the Levitical Priesthood
formally and finally ended.
Paul and those who were
with him almost certainly were aware of the news coming out of Judah.
And yet, Paul remained optimistic. He was in prison and knew that his chances
were slim with respect to regaining his freedom. But his focus was on a slave, of whom not
many had ever heard of.His focus was on
the activities of the scriptures, and the advancements that many were making in
other regions.
And his confidence was
in the belief that Philemon would not only agree with and grant his request,
but do even more than that.
If Paul regained his
freedom, he would have most certainly traveled back to Greece, and Philemon
would have received him as he would receive any guest.
So without complaint,
or even the hint of it, Paul looked forward to better times, if God would so
grant it.And if not, then that only
means that God had something better in mind for everyone.
My wife reads a great
deal, and she recently finished a book called The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. This seems to be a very worthwhile book to
read.And though it is fiction, it
presents a very good view of life, of life s problems, and how people deal with
life and with their relationship with God.
Often times we read or
hear about the trauma s that other people have in life, and we try to be
sympathetic, but what if these trauma s happened to us. How would we deal with them?
Often times we cannot
know how we would react until the actual disaster strikes us. Most would believe that they would pass the
test with flying colors, but God has a sense of humor and often times, He can
draw out the pain of an event, just to see where our breaking point will be.
Paul was optimistic all
the way to the executioner.Onesimus was
optimistic all the way back to the confrontation with his master. Paul was taken involuntarily. Onesimus went back to face his destiny,
voluntarily.
Where would you fit in
this picture, if life and the world suddenly turned against you. What if this economic recovery does not take
place and the economy continues to spiral downward to 20 and 30 percent
unemployment?What if you lose your
business, your job, your home?What will
you do?Where will you go? How will you eat?
Who will you blame?
If there ever was a
time to gain and hold, a relationship with God, it is certainly now. And who knows, God may lead us to the
executioner, or to a new life.