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The apostle Paul exhorted the brethren in the letter to the Philippians, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:8, 9). In those words we find some worthwhile advice for the one who seeks to have a truly spiritual mind, and who desires the strength of mind to not allow the things of this world to distract him or her from the eternal.
So, for the next couple of articles, let us consider the things we are encouraged to “meditate on,” with a desire to understand what, exactly, “these things” are, and then the benefits of meditating on them. Then, let us consider his last exhortation: to follow his example and teaching. It should be noted that each of “these things” require discernment on our part that we might be able to know the difference between, say, the true and the false; we do ourselves no good if we meditate on the wrong things. We must also acknowledge that the Divine exhortation to “meditate on these things” demands we meditate on the things that are truly and fully named here; for example, God is not encouraging us to meditate on the things that are mostly true or mostly pure. As with God’s description of love (1 Cor. 13:4-8), if it is not the totality of love, then it is insufficient and we will be the worse for it. Mostly pure infers it is not always pure, and it will be that 1% that leads us astray.
Whatever Things Are True. Something is true if, and only if, it is in agreement with the actual state or condition, and conforms to reality or facts. Something that is false is otherwise known as a lie, and we must surely know that is not of God, for the devil is the origin of all untruths (John 8:44).
It would be easy to simply note that God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and that is what we should meditate on, but the meaning here is much broader than this. Disciples of Jesus Christ must make it their aim to be truthful, seek truth, and expect truth in all they do, else we lose any credibility with the world around us, who will be looking for any excuse to disbelieve. If we are not believable and truthful in every aspect of our lives, why would anyone want to believe us when we teach them God’s plan for their salvation?
Whatever Things Are Noble. This is a word we seem to now limit to those of royal lineage, but it is, in reality, a term that should apply to much more than this. The ESV and NASB both translate this as “honorable,” which is a more accurate rendering. The term is found in only three other passages (1 Tim. 3:8, 11; Titus 2:2), and all refer to honorable character.
The exhortation here is to meditate on things that we would not be ashamed to admit to having in our minds. In other words, we should be meditating on the things that would enhance and benefit others’ perception of us, rather than being a cause for disdain or shame. If we can make a modern-day comparison: It would be equivalent to leaving our web surfing history for all the world to see because there would be nothing found that we would be embarrassed about. So it should be with our thinking; when we think on honorable things, it points to us being honorable. [It should be noted here that we think on these things not to leave false impressions, either; our desire to meditate on these things must be from a genuine desire for what God demands of us.]
Whatever Things Are Just. This simply means those things that are upright, fair, equitable, or righteous. In all things, God’s people are to be righteous and just, and that has never changed. Under the Old Law, God’s people were admonished to “not show partiality, nor take a bribe” (Deut. 16:19) because it perverts justice, and to not withhold justice from strangers, the fatherless, or widows (Deut. 27:19), and the wise writer noted, “ Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 11:1).
As with the previous ‘thing’ to meditate on [whatever things are true], this points to the credibility we must have in everyday life that we may be an influence for good and a credible source for answers to spiritual questions and issues. Imagine the effect of one professing to be a Christian, but who was found to have scales weighted to his favor! Whatever influence he might have had prior to that discovery would be obliterated by the knowledge he was, at heart, unfair.
Whatever Things Are Pure. This is an exhortation to think on the things that are chaste [free from anything suggesting unlawful sexual relations and that which is sexually obscene]. On this point, the world would have us believe there is no such thing! The world tries to convince us ‘sex is natural’ and, thus, not a cause for shame. [The same line of reasoning is used to justify indecent clothing, arguing that ‘we were born naked, so we should not be ashamed.’] But our God does not demand of us the impossible or nonexistent; while it may be difficult in such a sin-polluted world to find that which is pure, it does exist and can be found. We may just have to dig a little deeper, go a little further, and try a little harder.
The psalmist gives us an answer to our current difficulty, writing, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes” (Psa. 101:3); Job adds, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?” (Job 31:1). The desire to be chaste must begin in the heart [mind], but it must be followed by practicing chastity, too. I cannot expect that I will be a worthwhile example of a Christ-like life if my lack of self-control in these things is what defines me. I must “meditate on” pure things, I must speak on pure things, and my life must be an example of sexual purity. Though the world does not follow God’s high standard of behavior in this, they certainly know His people should, and we bring shame on His name and His church when we fail.
Whatever Things Are Lovely. This is a word that can have a broad meaning; other translation render this as admirable, commendable, of good repute, and of good report. In its broadest sense, the exhortation is to think on things that are generally acceptable to society; this does not mean we compromise God’s standard of morality, but merely points to behavior and thinking that is generally pleasing to all men, such as kindness (Prov. 19:22), a cheerful disposition (Prov. 15:13), and graciousness.
Again, it is easy to think that such is a near-impossibility in a world that seems to be so overwhelmed with rude behavior, vulgarity, and vengefulness. While society generally desire these positive traits, we fail to practice these same behaviors on a personal level. It seems everyone wants kindness, graciousness, and mercy — from everyone but self. Just take a look in the comments section of just about any online post [no, don’t!] and you see what society is ‘meditating on’ — and it is not things that are lovely! Don’t be that person.
It should also be noted in this short study of “these things” that the exhortation to “meditate on these things” should naturally require that we avoid their counterparts or opposites. We cannot fill our minds with the good things and the bad and expect to speak and act in ways that God approves.
More next week. — Steven Harper
