Useful Bible Studies > Philippians Commentary > chapter 2
God gives honour to humble people; he rewards the person who willingly chooses to obey him (Luke 14:11). God’s people may suffer the loss of many things in this world (3:7-8). In the end, however, God will give them something much better (Romans 8:18; Philippians 1:23). Revelation 21:1-7 describes their final reward: a place with God, as his children, in the New Jerusalem.
In the same way, Christ, God’s Son, suffered the greatest shame and loss as he obeyed God the Father. He left his wonderful home in heaven, to live as a servant on earth. Then, he suffered an awful and shameful death on the cross. It was the kind of death that criminals suffered as their punishment (Isaiah 53:1-9). He did not deserve that death; he was not guilty of any wrong or evil act. He suffered the punishment that we all deserve (Isaiah 53:4-6). He did it so that we can turn from our evil deeds to receive a right relationship with God.
Christ suffered loss to obey God the Father; but in the end, God gave to Christ the greatest reward. God caused Christ to rise, firstly from death (Acts 2:24). Then Christ rose from this world into heaven (Luke 24:51). There, Christ received the place of greatest honour in heaven, on the right side of God the Father (Acts 7:56; Hebrews 1:3).
The ‘name above every name’ is the name of the person with the greatest authority, rank and honour. He is the person whom everybody else must respect. As God the Son, Christ has always deserved that honour because of his greatness. After his life on earth, however, Christ deserved that honour for another reason too: because of his humble attitudes. He became humble; so God the Father gave to him the greatest honour.
Next part: Christ's rule over all (Philippians 2:10)
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© 2020, Keith Simons.