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Philemon 1:15-16
15 For [gar] [dia] perhaps [tacha] he [chorizo] therefore [touto] departed [chorizo] for [pros] a season [hora], that [hina] thou shouldest receive [apecho] him [autos] for ever [aionios];
16 Not now [ouketi] as [hos] a servant [doulos], but [alla] above [huper] a servant [doulos], a brother [adelphos] beloved [agapetos], specially [malista] to me [emoi], but [de] how much [posos] more [mallon] unto thee [soi], both [kai] in [en] the flesh [sarx], and [kai] in [en] the Lord [kurios]? KJV-Interlinear
15 For perhaps he was for this reason parted from you for a while, that you should have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. NASB
Paul arrives at the core of the letter. The word for servant, ‘doulos,’ means one who serves another in a subordinate role. Within the context, Onesimus ran away from his subordinate role. Onesimus was afraid to return. Onesimus was initially described as worthless and unreliable.
And though the term servant here can refer to involuntary or voluntary service, it is clear from the context that Onesimus was not voluntary or hired help. If voluntary then he would have no obligation to return.
Paul writes as though he is speculating as to the reasons for the history of Onesimus. Why he belonged to Philemon in the first place? Why he ran away? Why he happened to meet Paul, who was not in a position to be met by anyone really.
Paul was not out in the public eye, meeting people in the town square, visiting churches and such things like that. Onesimus would have had to have been following an unusually set of circumstances (we call this providence), that would eventually bring all of these events together.
This is not uncommon in human affairs.
All things work together for good. Often times the question can be asked, ‘Why does God allow this or that to happen?’ And the better question to ask is, ‘What good will God develop out of this situation?’
The former is from a bitter pessimist. ‘Why did God do this to me?’ The latter is from the optimism of faith. ‘What plans does God have for me?’
Long ago and many times along the way in our study, we have discovered that this universe was created to be inhabited. Obviously along the way that has not and will not occur. That won’t occur until this human history period reaches its conclusion, and the next historic period, eternity, begins.
You were placed on this earth in order to decide the angelic conflict. You were placed in harms way, as it were, placed in an evil world run by Satan, so that God could be glorified. That is to say, so Gods plan and wisdom and truth can outshine and are the better of, Satan’s plans.
Along the way you will be distracted. You will get involved in politics, in your social activities, in your hobbies, in your day to day life, and all of these and more, are there to either enhance you life as supplements to your spiritual growth, or to distract you away from doctrine.
More often than not, they keep people from their spiritual life.
But God has a sense of humor. He can place obstacles in your life to get you to where He wants you to be. Whereas on your own, you will veer off in the fog of life and get horribly lost.
History is full of dramatic examples. People were conquered in Africa in centuries past, chained into slavery and sold in auctions across the world. God brought them to doctrine. God turned a bad situation into eternal life in heaven.
In my genealogy, one line of my family came out of Virginia and the other line came out of Pennsylvania. They shot at each other in the Civil War. One wrong bullet could have ended my existence and this online Bible Study.
People lose their jobs and are forced to move, to relocate. Illness changes the lives of people. Death, hardship, disaster, many things in life come along that change the course of ones life. More often then not, we get taken advantage of, and even that becomes a good training tool for shaping your poise, forgiveness, for shaping your personality.
When you are young, you are bullet proof and have plans that are certain to leap you forward in your life. Then life happens and Gods plan for you seems to cancel everything else. And, more often than not, those changes come with a great deal of foreboding, pain and suffering.
In this world, our day-to-day life is never certain. And even though we get up each morning and go to bed each night with some regularity of repetition, our next moment, our next day, our next year is always uncertain.
There is only one thing certain in life, and that is doctrine. In this life, there is only one thing that will guarantee your future, and that is through Christ.
A long time ago we put together a spiritual checklist study. Most folks ignore it and most don’t even bother to look it up or take the time to find it. And they wonder why their spiritual life is less than working for them?
Sometimes, and actually more than sometimes, God will bring along a set of events to wake people up, or purge them from the world. That could be from a war, from an economic downturn, from an illness, it could be from almost any number of things in life.
Why would you push your life to the brink of disaster or worse, when you could so easily get your life together? What are you not doing that you should be doing?
