Class Notes, Jer 2:1-6:30, Have we lost our effectiveness by losing our first love?

Jer 2:1-3 (NIV) The word of the Lord came to me: 2 "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:
"'I remember the devotion of your youth,
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the desert,
through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy to the Lord,
the firstfruits of his harvest;
all who devoured her were held guilty,
and disaster overtook them,'"
 declares the Lord.
• How does God start out?
• He reminds them of the past
• He reminds them of better times
• What is the implication of what was different between then and now?
• Then, they trusted God, at least better than now (actually, the sin then was unbelief, but now the sin is apostasy)
• Now, they have forgotten God
• APPLICATION:  As believers, while we do not lose our salvation, we can lose our effectiveness
• Rev 2:2-5 (NIV) I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.  //  4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
• The removal of the lampstand is not the lost of salvation for an individual, it is the removal of a church.  In essence, a person and group of people (a church) can lose their ministry influence by refusing to repent
Jer 2:13-14 (NIV) "My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14 Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth?
Why then has he become plunder?
• The first sin is the wickedness that was describe in chapter one -- Israel has forsaken God.  What does it mean to forsake?
• Forsaken means to abandon or leave
• Why does Israel leave God?
• Israel was looking for something that satisfied
• God did not satisfied them in the way they wanted to be satisfied, and so they went looking for a different type of satisfaction
• Sin promises satisfaction, but its promises are empty
• Sin can give that temporary boost, but it is immediately empty
• Some people buy things to fill the void, but quickly after the purchase is made, the feeling is gone
• Sexual desires gives instant gratification, but immediately feel hollow when outside of the bounds
• Food gives satisfaction, even eaten in large quantities but afterwards you wish you had not eaten so much
• Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth?  The answer is yes, which is why the second question is now so important
• Why then has Israel become plunder?
• If Israel is a slave then he(God uses the pronoun "he" here, it emphasizes a different sin from the use of "she") would have nothing to plunder
• The fact that Israel is plunder means two things
• He became free
• He became rich
• How did Israel become free and rich? 
• God did it for them
• God can provide what we need in the quantities that are good for our soul.  The problem is we believe that more would be better and so we don't want to wait on God
• APPLICATION:  When we don't wait on God, we, in essence, forsake God
Jer 2:18-19 (NIV) Now why go to Egypt
to drink water from the Shihor?
And why go to Assyria
to drink water from the River?
19 Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding will rebuke you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter it is for you
when you forsake the Lord your God
and have no awe of me,"
 declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
• Apparently there were opposing parties at the time.  Some were suggesting going to Assyria for help and others thought Egypt would be a better ally (Constable, 2010)
• What does God say about our attempts at to find our own source of water?  They backfire upon us
• "Consider" means (1) to know by observing and reflecting, and (2) to know by experiencing.  You could also say, put "two and two together" and what is the result?
• God says you should see how evil and bitter it is to forsake God.  Rather than getting the rush/satisfaction/desire you hoped for, which you do for a moment, the end result is quite painful
• APPLICATION: If the result is ultimately painful, why do we do it?
Jer 2:29-30 (NIV) "Why do you bring charges against me?
You have all rebelled against me,"
 declares the Lord.
30 "In vain I punished your people;
they did not respond to correction.
Your sword has devoured your prophets
like a ravening lion.
• While this question is very specific to Israel and result of failing to follow the mosaic covenant, it has applicability to today.  I hear even Christians say, if God is so loving and powerful, how can he let evils, like tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding to occur?
• When Adam and Eve rebelled against God's rule, mankind said that they wanted to be God and not to have a God
• We were never intended to die.  But in the fall, death started, and the decay of sin began to take its affect on all of creation
• Romans says that the earth is under decay because of sin
• The point is that we wanted what we have today.  It will not change until there is a new heaven and a new earth.  In the meantime, the wrong person to bring charges against is God.  We are the ones who should be charging ourselves
Jer 3:6-10 (NIV) During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, "Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. 8 I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. 9 Because Israel's immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense," declares the Lord.
• What is God's message and to whom is he giving it?
• The message is to Judah (Israel, the northern kingdom is gone)
• The message is to learn from the mistake of her sister.  She disobey and God gave her a certificate of divorce
• God divorces Israel, later he will also divorce Judah for the same reason
• There is a question of remarriage
• Some think it will not happen because the old covenant is abolished
• Some think it will not happen because it is a defilement to remarry someone who has given themselves to another (see 3:1)
• This latter point is weak because technically she does not marry another, instead commits adultery (which is technically different)
• If a certificate a divorce was something Moses added to the law, which I don't think is what Jesus was saying at all, then it would not be a proper action for God
• There is a case for divorce and clearly faithlessness is a proper reason
• APPLICATION:  Finally, the argument is not about divorce but rather about learning a lesson from the example of others.  God can use another person's failures as a lesson to us
Jer 3:12-18 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:
"'Return, faithless Israel,' declares the Lord,
'I will frown on you no longer,
for I am merciful,' declares the Lord,
'I will not be angry forever.
13 Only acknowledge your guilt —
you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods
under every spreading tree,
and have not obeyed me,'"
 declares the Lord.
14 "Return, faithless people," declares the Lord, "for I am your husband. I will choose you — one from a town and two from a clan — and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land," declares the Lord, "men will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the Lord.' It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18 In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your forefathers as an inheritance.
• Who is this message to?  Israel, the northern kingdom
• When is the message for?
• A time when the ark won't even be remembered, nor missed, nor replaced
• A time when the people are re-gathered
• A time when the shepherds will have God's heart
• A time when the Lord will reign in Jerusalem from his throne
• CONCLUSION: the millennial kingdom
Jer 4:5-9 (NIV) "Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say:
'Sound the trumpet throughout the land!'
Cry aloud and say:
'Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!'
6 Raise the signal to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster from the north,
even terrible destruction."
7 A lion has come out of his lair;
a destroyer of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay waste your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins
without inhabitant.
8 So put on sackcloth,
lament and wail,
for the fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 "In that day," declares the Lord,
"the king and the officials will lose heart,
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled."
• Disaster would come from the north, a lion out of his lair.  One of the symbols for Babylon is a lion
Jer 4:10-18 (NIV) Then I said, "Ah, Sovereign Lord, how completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, 'You will have peace,' when the sword is at our throats."
11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, "A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments against them."
13 Look! He advances like the clouds,
his chariots come like a whirlwind,
his horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us! We are ruined!
14 O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved.
How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.
16 "Tell this to the nations,
proclaim it to Jerusalem:
'A besieging army is coming from a distant land,
raising a war cry against the cities of Judah.
17 They surround her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelled against me,'"
 declares the Lord.
18 "Your own conduct and actions
have brought this upon you.
This is your punishment.
How bitter it is!
How it pierces to the heart!"
• Verse 10 is an interesting comment.  It reflects the heartfelt response of Jeremiah to the situation.  Yet, nowhere in scripture is there any prophecy of peace during this time
• In fact the only ones declaring peace were the false prophets
• He may have not understand that the prophets of his day were false, since their prophecies were still unfulfilled
• What are the reasons for the destruction?
• Judah's own conduct and actions
• Punishment
• NOTE:  Deut 28 lays out the blessings and the curses of the covenant.  There are 14 verses of blessings and 53 verses of curses
• NOTE:  Deut 28:63-67 specifically lay out the punishment of Jeremiah's time
• What is Jeremiah's response to this coming punishment?
• It is bitter
• It pierces the heart
Jer 4:19-22 (NIV) Oh, my anguish, my anguish!
I writhe in pain.
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds within me,
I cannot keep silent.
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;
I have heard the battle cry.
20 Disaster follows disaster;
the whole land lies in ruins.
In an instant my tents are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 "My people are fools;
they do not know me.
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil;
they know not how to do good."
• This is the first of Jeremiah's lamentations, and why he is referred to as the weeping prophet
• Jeremiah felt the pain even before Israel experienced the punishment
• APPLICATION:  We need to ask God for a tender heart to feel the pain he has in his heart for people.  We don't want to be like the Pharisee who was vocally glad that he was not like those around him that suffered.  We need to empathize with the pain in the world, because that is God's pain
Jer 6:16-19 (NIV) This is what the Lord says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'
17 I appointed watchmen over you and said,
'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!'
But you said, 'We will not listen.'
18 Therefore hear, O nations;
observe, O witnesses,
what will happen to them.
19 Hear, O earth:
I am bringing disaster on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not listened to my words
and have rejected my law.
• This is still the choice today.  There is a way that leads to life, but the path is narrow, and there is a wide road that leads to death
• One offers rest for our souls
• But we still rebel.  We don't to walk according to God's word.  We don't want to listen to God's word
• So God gives us the disaster that comes from ignoring his truth and the fruit of our schemes because we have rejected him

Class Notes, Jer 1:1-19

• Introduction:
• The composition and structure have led many to suggest the book had an editor or editors
• Baruch provided assistance, much like Timothy did for Paul
• The very last chapter (discusses events 25 years after previous even) could also have been written by Jeremiah, although he would be 83 (Constable)
• Jeremiah's birth is unclear, many believe 643
• Contemporary prophets: Zephaniah and Habakkuk before the exile, and Ezekiel and Daniel after the exile
Jer 1:1-3 (NIV) The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.
• Jeremiah's ancestral roots
• Jeremiah's hometown was Anathoth, a Levitical town in the territory of Benjamin three miles northeast of Jerusalem.  Jeremiah's father, Hilkiah, was evidently a descendant of Abiathar, a descendant of Eli (1 Sam. 14:3). Thus Jeremiah had ancestral connections to Shiloh, where the tabernacle stood during the Judges Period of Israel's history (the amphictyony). Jeremiah referred to Shiloh in his Temple Sermon (7:12, 14; cf. 26:6). Abiathar was the sole survivor of King Saul's massacre of the priests at Nob, also only a few miles northeast of Jerusalem (1 Sam. 22:20). Later Solomon exiled Abiathar to Anathoth, where Abiathar had property, because Abiathar had proved unfaithful to David (1 Kings 2:26). Jeremiah's father Hilkiah may have been the high priest who found the book of the Law in the temple during Josiah's reforms (2 Kings 22:8-10). Even though Jeremiah came from a priestly family (like Ezekiel and Zechariah), there is no indication that he ever underwent training for the priesthood or functioned as a priest. (Constable)
• Timeframe of Jeremiah's ministry
• Call to office, approximately 627 BC or around 20 years old (a year after Josiah begins his reforms, 628 BC)
• Ministry ended approximately 587 BC
• Uniqueness
• Jeremiah encountered more opposition from enemies than any other prophet (message was unconditional surrender to Babylon)
• Jeremiah is unique in recording his own feelings as he ministered
• Jeremiah was the "weeping prophet to a wayward people"  (Dyer)
Jer 1:4-10 (NIV) The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
6 "Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
7 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."
• What does verse 5 say about Jeremiah's calling?
• God had determined his destiny before his birth, even before his conception
• The scriptures do talk about God laying out good works in advance for us to do (destiny).  But the scriptures also clearly point out our free will.  We must choose to obey.  While God foreknew Jeremiah's obedience, Jeremiah still had to choose to obey
• What does verse 4 say about our personhood?
• Personhood exists even before conception (I knew you)
• How does Jeremiah respond to God's call?
• He does not feel qualified
• He feels he is too young (lacks knowledge and wisdom)
• He does not think he is a good speaker
• APPLICATION: these are the same excuses some use for not teaching
• How does God respond to Jeremiah's objection?
• He doesn't rebuke him, but he does dismiss both of his arguments
• As for too young (lacking knowledge and wisdom), God says for him to speak what he commands
• As for speaking ability, God touches his lips and put his words in Jeremiah's mouth.  God gives him the ability he lacks for the job he requires him to do
• Finally, God appoints him king-maker, placing him above all kings and nations
Jer 1:11-12 (NIV) The word of the Lord came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
"I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied.
12 The Lord said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."
• This is Jeremiah's first entre' into prophecy.  It is really simple, you must answer the question, "What do you see?"
• Nothing hard, just tell others what God has shown you
• Interestingly, God's explanation doesn't seem to fit the image
• Budding olive branch -- only obvious reference would be Aaron's rod
• Never used again as a type in Jeremiah, although Aaron's rod turns into a rod of discipline in Ezekiel
• There is a word play here. Almond tree in Heb. is shaqed.  It blooms the earliest in Israel.  So when you see an almond tree blooming, you know that Spring is near.  The phrase "will hasten" (KJV) or "watching to see" (NIV) in Heb. is shaqad, meaning to be alert, sleepless, on the lookout.  So God is on watch to see that his word is fulfilled.  And, that times are near for the fulfillment of his word
• Another interesting point is that God says he is watching to see His word fulfilled.  That places God in a passive-active role.  He is passive in that he allows the affairs of the world to proceed, but he is active when it is important to make sure some specific prophecy is fulfilled
• Rom 8:28 says the same thing
• Rom 8:28 (NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose
• In other words, the particular events are allowed but God but may not be his specific design.  But, he promises to bring "good" out of those events, although our definition of good is quite limited compared to God's definition of good
Jer 1:13-16 (NIV) The word of the Lord came to me again: "What do you see?"
"I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north," I answered.
14 The Lord said to me, "From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms," declares the Lord.
"Their kings will come and set up their thrones
in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
and against all the towns of Judah.
16 I will pronounce my judgments on my people
because of their wickedness in forsaking me,
in burning incense to other gods
and in worshiping what their hands have made.
• Jeremiah did so well in Prophecy 101, that he is ready to move onto Prophecy 102.  Incidentally, the Hebrew could be suggesting that this was another time.  God again asks him, "what do you see?"
• There is a pot
• It is in the north (kingdoms from the north)
• It is boiling (it is very hot).  KJV says seething
• God says that it will bring "ra'" which is the word for evil in Hebrew.  It can be translated as both natural or moral evil
• Here is a case where the phraseology is active "I am about to summon" and also passive "From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live …"
• Also, "the kings will come" (God is passive)
• "they will come against all" (God is passive)
• And, "I will pronounce judgment" (God is active)
• Bottomline: we have free will and yet God is in charge.  He works to bring about his will using creatures with free will
• God pronounces judgment on his people for their wickedness.  He describes the wickedness as expressing itself in three ways
• The first reason is the act of forsaking God. 
• To forsake means to abandon or to renounce, give up
• Israel gave up on their faith in God.  One can become too sophisticated, too knowledgeable to still believe.  More likely, and consistent with the next few verses, they found a faith that suited them better, that they were more comfortable with living
• God calls it wickedness.  The statement that there are many ways to God is another form of wickedness because it is untrue.  The God of the bible is the only way, and in these last days he has made himself known through his son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus is now the only way to the Father (John 14:6)
• God's second reason for judgment, also called wickedness, is the burning of incense to other gods
• To burn incense is most commonly associated with prayer
• The people sought to have their prayers answered by other gods -- maybe they didn't like the answers that God gave them.  Maybe they did not like all the "no's" in response to their selfish prayers
• Rather than exercising faith that God knows what is best, they chose another god
• God's third reason for judgment, also called wickedness, is the worship of what man's hands created
• God exists only -- he is not created
• There is no creation, no feasible work, no imagined beauty, that can encapsulate the greatness and glory of God
• Any work merely brings God down to our level.  Any work dismisses the glory and power of God.  We worship created things rather than the creator
• We need to reserve our worship for God alone
Jer 1:17-19 (NIV) "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land — against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.
• We get a hint at what Jeremiah's ministry will be like from these verses
• A lot of reason to be scared
• He will be one person against many
• His enemies will the include kings (executive / ruler), officials (legal), the priests (religious element), and the people (the popular vote)
• They will fight against you.  Essentially, everyone will be against you
• They will not overcome you
• God promises to rescue you.  Which is not very encouraging to realize that you will need rescuing
• APPLICATION:  Jeremiah cared deeply for his people.  God gave him a very unpopular message.  He lived during a very painful time in the history of Israel.  He is called the weeping prophet and it is easy to see why.  I'm sure there were some glimpses of joy in the midst of all the pain.  I don't see how anyone can survive without them.  But the overall tenor of his life had no similarity to middle class American Christianity.  How cheap and tawdry one feels when we think about the things we complain about ...

Class Notes, Philemon

• Background:
• Inhabitant of Colossae (Col 4:9)
• Wealthy.  Some disagreement.  Owned slaves.  Room for Paul to stay on a future trip
• Came to Christ through Paul's ministry, but not clear where
• Some suggest they met in Ephesus
• Others believed Paul actually did visit Colossae at some point in his travels
• Most estimate that as many as one-third of inhabitants of urban areas were slaves
• Roman slave law accepted the dual status of slaves: they were persons and they were property.  They had opportunity for social advancement.  They could buy their freedom
• The Jewish system treated slaves as contracted servants.  The later American system treated them as property
• Onesimus is (or was) his servant
• He was "unprofitable" either by theft or his escape (which would also be theft if a contract existed) or by his work ethic
• Colossians 3:22-24 makes it very clear how a slave should live his life -- as serving the Lord and not men; not when their eye is upon you but with sincerity (wholehearted effort)
• Paul meets Onesimus in Rome
• Paul leads Onesimus to the Lord
• Onesimus experiences a changed heart and life (some suggestion that Onesimus wants to return)
• The laws of Phyrgia allow a master to punish a runaway slave without applying to a magistrate
• The letter is written at the same time as Colossians due to the similarity of the people mentioned with Paul
• Time of writing: most estimate 62 AD
Philem 1-3 (NIV) Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• What do we learn from these verses?
• The greeting is similar to Colossians (again, they were probably written and sent at the same time).  In Colossians, Paul emphasizes his apostleship but here he emphasizes his status as a prisoner (most likely in Rome)
• The letter is personal.  Paul knows Philemon
• The Colossae church meets in Philemon's home (suggests he was wealthy ; the early church was dependent upon the hospitality of its wealthy members who would furnish their house for that purpose; larger cities might have multiple assemblies)
• Apphia -- most likely a family member, possibly his wife
• Archippus -- also a family member, possibly his son (or his brother) and also pastor/elder of the church
• Fellow soldier
• Col 4:17 (NIV) Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord."
Philem 4-7 (NIV) I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
• What do we learn from Paul's prayer?
• Philemon's faith was strong
• Philemon loved the saints and he was a refreshment to them
• Paul prays that he might be active in sharing his faith, which suggests that it is a weakness.  But why does sharing your faith allow a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ?
• One, it is an action of obedience.  God gives more to those who use what he gives them
• Two, you learn of the incredible joy in leading another person to Christ
• Three, in helping a convert to be a disciple, we need to be growing in the Lord as well.  Discipling pushes us farther in our faith
• E.g. effect of being a Commander on personal appearance standards
Philem 8-11 (NIV) Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul — an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus —  10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
• Now we get to the heart of the letter, it is a personal appeal.  Why does Paul say could "order" him?
• His authority as an apostle
• Because he is his spiritual father (vs 19)
• Because his request is the right thing to do
• He could appeal as an old man (his elder)
• He could appeal as a prisoner (his suffering in the gospel for their sake)
• He appeals on the basis of love versus an order.  Why is that characteristic of the New Covenant (NC)?
• The Old Covenant was based on the law, and even more specifically, the letter of the law
• The NC focuses on the heart and the spirit of the law, which is sometimes in opposition to the letter
• Onesimus became Paul's son while Paul is a prisoner.  His name literally means useless, so Paul is using a play on words
• Why is Onesimus going back and what is the basis of Paul's argument for Philemon to accept him?
• Onesimus has an obligation, a contractual obligation.  His faith does not change that status
• Philemon has an obligation to listen to Paul as his spiritual leader
• In both cases, something is owed which must be paid back
• APPLICATION:  In the Christian life, our obligations and debts are requirements not optional
Philem 12-16 (NIV) I am sending him — who is my very heart — back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
• The Christian view of slavery is much different than is often painted by critics.  While Paul does accept the social convention of slavery (different from what America would implement), here he argues that as a believer a slave's status changes to that of a brother in the Lord
• Does Onesimus want to go back?
• It is not clear, but Paul could have hardly forced him to go back
• It is the right thing to do, so I believe Onesimus chooses to go back
Philem 17-21 (NIV) So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back — not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
• What does it mean to be a partner?
• The root of the Gr. word is to share or to have certain things in common
• Philemon and Paul, would have common interests, common feelings, common work, and a common brother (Heibert)
• Paul challenges Philemon to welcome Onesimus as he would welcome Paul.  This puts Onesimus on the same level as Philemon and Paul (Deibler)
• Why does Paul ask to pay for any expense or wrong?
• Once again, this is an issue of obligation.  Our status as believers does not negate our obligations, commitments, or promises
• Also, it is possible that Onesimus stole before he ran away.  In either case, some transaction of money was involved in his service
• Usually, Paul let someone write out his letters.  Verse 19 suggests that Paul wrote the entire letter by hand or at least the statement in verse 19.  Since Paul was around 60 years old, it is possible that he could not see well to write or that he had an eye affliction (as some have suggested)
• The statement, "not to mention that you owe me your very self," is a paraleipsis.
• A pretended or apparent omission; a figure by which a speaker artfully pretends to pass by what he really mentions. From <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Paraleipsis>
Philem 22-25 (NIV) And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
• Paul didn't say for sure that he would be released, but it was his hope.  Many people believe that he was released.  In Acts 26:32, Agrippa's legal opinion was that he could have been released, having done nothing wrong, if he had not appealed to Caesar