Paul seems to have intended the references in these verses to previous gifts that the Philippians had sent him to dispel any doubts they may have had about the genuineness of his gratitude.
4:15 The Philippians had been very thoughtful and generous with Paul when he left their town after planting their church on his second missionary journey. He had travelled south into the province of Achaia. Probably the gift to which he referred in this verse is the same one he mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11:8, the gift that reached Paul in Corinth.
4:16 Even before Paul arrived in Corinth the Philippians had sent him gifts in Thessalonica, the next town he visited after leaving Philippi (Acts 17:1). Perhaps these were smaller gifts since they were not as memorable.
"There is good evidence from the Greco-Roman world that the actual expression of thank you' was not a part of friendship as such. As strange as it may seem to us, true friends did not need to express thanksgiving directly in order for it to be received. What Paul is most likely doing here in keeping with social convention is thus expressing his thank you' indirectly, but even more tellingly, by rehearsing their history in this way."177
4:17 However the most important thing to Paul was not the gifts themselves. It was the spiritual reward that would come to the Philippians because of their financial investments in his ministry.
"They themselves will be Paul's eschatological reward' (2:16; 4:1); their gift to him has the effect of accumulating interest' toward theireschatological reward.'"178
Throughout this section dealing with gifts Paul used common business terminology (i.e., "the matter of giving and receiving,"v. 15; "profit"[NASB] or "credited to your account"[NIV], v. 17; "received . . . in full"[NASB], v. 18). Paul was very aware of business matters. Perhaps this reflects his Jewish heritage. His writings reveal a consistent concern over good investments that he regarded mainly as investments yielding eternal rewards.
4:18 Paul felt fully satisfied. He had received the Philippians' recent gift in full. This acknowledgment was his written receipt for their donation as well as a thank you note. He also viewed their gift as an offering ultimately made to God that was acceptable to Him. Sweet savor offerings in Israel were sacrifices made in worship more than to atone for sin. The Philippians were serving as believer-priests by sending their gifts to Paul.
Other sacrifices Christians can make to God beside our material possessions (v. 18) include our bodies (Rom. 12:1-2), our converts (Rom. 15:16), our praise (Heb. 13:15), and our good works (Heb. 13:16).
4:19 This promise harmonizes with previous revelation concerning how God supplies the needs of His people (cf. Prov. 11:25; Matt. 5:7; 6:33). Note that it is needs that He will meet, not "greeds."God will supply them all. He will do so commensurate with His riches in glory, not simply out of them. As His riches are lavish, so He will give lavishly.
Why do so many Christians suffer because they lack food, clothing, or money in view of this promise? Perhaps it is because some of our greatest needs are not material. To meet these needs God sometimes does not make us rich or even financially comfortable. Remember too that God gave this promise to generous and sacrificial givers. We may be able to think of examples that appear to be exceptions to this promise. However, I believe if we could see things from God's perspective we would realize that God has been completely faithful to His Word.
Note too that the supply of our needs comes through Jesus Christ. They come through His sovereign control, through His vast resources, through His infinite wisdom, through His loving heart, and through our union with Him.
4:20 Paul closed this section with a doxology in which he praised God for His providential care. God's care comes to us through His Son, and He often uses His people as His channels of blessing. Nevertheless ultimately God is the provider of His people's needs. May we ever be mindful of this truth and be grateful to Him!
We cannot read this pericope (vv. 10-20) thoughtfully without appreciating the apostle Paul's sensitivity to his Philippian readers. He was careful to balance what he said. He wanted them to understand his genuine gratitude for their gifts on the one hand and his contentment with whatever God sent his way on the other. In our day we tend to go to one of these extremes or the other in dealing with those who give us gifts. We may give these people the impression that we do not appreciate their gift, or we may lead them to conclude that we are greedy. A proper balance must rest on genuine contentment and must communicate both appreciation and faith.
William Dalton identified four elements common in both the prologue (1:3-26) and the epilogue (4:10-20). The return to these ideas in the epilogue ties the book together and gives it unity.
". . . we seem to have evidence of an inclusion which binds the whole letter into one unit. First of all, the idea of partnership is strongly expressed at the beginning and the end. Thus in 1:5 Paul is thankful for your partnership (koinonia) in the gospel'; and in 4:15 he records that no church entered into partnership in giving and receiving except you only.' This partnership is reiterated in another parallel: in 1:7 the Philippians are sharers (sugkoinonous) of grace with Paul; in 4:13 they are sharers (sugkoinonesantes) with him in his trouble. At both beginning and end we have the same idea expressed in different ways: the long-standing partnership of the Philippians with Paul: from the first day until now' (1:5), and in the beginning of the gospel' (4:15). And finally the reciprocal attitude of sympathy between Paul and the Philippians is expressed in the same phrase; in 1:7 he says it is right for me to feel this about you' (touto phronein huper panton humon), and in 4:10, You have revived your concern for me' (to huper emoi phronein)."179
