But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly
The apostle proceeds to the last part of this epistle, and to
take notice of the present which these Philippians had sent him,
on account of which this his rejoicing was; and which was not
small but great, and was not of a carnal but spiritual kind; it
was a joy in the Holy Ghost, which is opposed to meats and
drinks, and earthly enjoyments; it was a joy in the Lord; "in our
Lord", as the Syriac version renders it; it was not so much on
account of the nature, substance, quantity or quality of the
things sent him, and the suitableness of them to his present
necessity; but because this thing was of the Lord, he had put it
into their hearts to do it, and had given them not only ability,
but a willing mind, and had wrought in them both to will and to
do; and because what they did they did for the sake of Christ,
and to him as an apostle of his, and in obedience to Christ, and
with a view to promote his cause and interest, honour and glory:
that now at the last your care of me hath flourished
again;
which supposes that they had formerly, at the first preaching of
the Gospel, showed great respect to him, and took great care of
him, as appears from ( Philippians
4:15 Philippians
4:16 ) , but that for some time past, and it seems for a
considerable while, they had dropped it, or at least had not
shown it; but that now it revived again, and was seen in the
present they had now sent him. The allusion is to trees, which in
the summer season bear much fruit, in autumn cast their leaves,
and in the winter are entirely bare, and in the spring of the
year revive again, and put forth leaves and fruit: and just so it
is with the saints, they are compared to trees, and are called
trees of righteousness, ( Isaiah 61:3 ) , and are
fruitful ones, ( Jeremiah
23:3 ) ; but they have their winter seasons, when they are
barren and unfruitful, and look as if they were dead; but when it
is a spring time with them they revive again, as in the exercise
of their faith and hope in Christ, so of their love to him, and
to one another, and the ministers of the Gospel; when the south
wind of the Spirit blows, the sun of righteousness arises, and,
the dews of divine grace fall upon them; and such a revival was
now in this church; and this was what the apostle so much
rejoiced in, not so much for the gift bestowed on him, as for the
fruit that appeared in them; see ( Philippians
4:17 ) ; but whereas he had said that this care of him
flourished again, "at last"; lest this should be thought as
finding fault with them, and bringing a charge against them, he
corrects himself by adding, wherein ye were also careful,
but ye lacked opportunity;
signifying that he believed they had entertained the same
sentiments of him, had the same affection and inward care for him
all along; but they had no opportunity of showing it, he being at
such a distance, and they having no convenient or proper persons
to send to him; or were hindered through multiplicity of business
on their hands, that they could not attend to him; and so the
Vulgate Latin version renders it, "but ye were busied", or taken
up and employed in business; or it was for want of ability; for
the words will bear to be rendered, "but ye lacked ability"; and
to this sense does the Syriac version render it, (Nwtywh Nyqpo al ala) , "but ye were
not sufficient"; or had not a sufficiency, were not able to do
it, and therefore to be easily excused.