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Slaves and Election
“He sent Moses, his servant;
And Aaron, whom He had chosen, with him.”
(Psalm 105:26)
There are several aspects of this verse that ought to be noted. First, the term עבד (‘ebed), which is commonly translated in our Bibles as “servant,” can also be very naturally translated as “slave.” The Greek word δουλος (doulos — servant, slave, bond-servant) is used in the LXX when translating this word. It is a reminder that our position before God is not as peers but as humble servants/slaves before Him (Matthew 25:21). It is also a reminder that the Apostle Paul, who regularly used the term δουλος (doulos) to describe his relationship to God (and by extension, ours) as similar to that of the relationship Moses had with God (e.g. Romans 1:1; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Galatians 1:10).
The second point of note is that God chose Aaron to accompany Moses (whom God also clearly chose). The Greek equivalent of בחר (bachar), again found in the LXX, is εκλεγομαι (eklegomai), which literally means “to elect.” Once again, we see a picture of God’s divine election to bring about His purposes. In this case, it is the deliverance of Israel from the oppression of Egypt.
What is the practical outworking of this? To deliver Israel from their slavery in Egypt, the strongest nation in the known world at the time, God elected to send a shepherd and his brother. Two men to stand against armies. Indeed, it was two humble men to stand against the proud forces of Pharaoh. This is God’s way. He confounds the worldly-wise for the explicit purpose of demonstrating His power through the weak things of this world (1 Corinthians 1:27). In God’s judgment against Egypt given through the prophet Isaiah, we see God utter these words:
Nevertheless, fools are the princes of Zoar,
The wise counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
‘I am the son of wise men, I am son to kings of old?’”
(Isaiah 19:11)
Will you have wisdom or be stupid? If you want the former, it begins by becoming a servant of the Living God. If you rise up in the power of men, you will grow stupid and dull and pride will well up within you which will prevent you from submitting yourself to a mighty God. It is one or the other. God will not be shown up by those He counts as slaves, nor does He seek our counsel (Romans 11:34).
An Apostle
“Now, I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and comrade in arms — also your apostle and a minister to my needs — for he was longing and anxious to be with you because you heard that he was seriously ill.”
(Philippians 2:25-26)
We are introduced to Epaphroditus; we don’t know much about him apart from what we read here, yet from that we can infer that Epaphroditus was the representative of the Philippian church who brought the love gift and stayed on for a season to help care for Paul. We also see that he had become ill — seriously ill — during that time, and Paul speaks further on that in the verses which follow.
What strikes me is the term that Paul uses to describe Epaphroditus…he is called an “apostle.” Some of our translations use the term “messenger” here, but that isn’t entirely accurate. Were Epaphroditus simply a messenger, we might expect Paul to use the term a¡ggeloß (angelos) or were he more of a courier, we might expect the term specoula/twr (spechoulator). Yet, in ancient times, an apostle was more than just one who brings a message on behalf of others; an apostle also carried with him the authority of the one who sent him — much like the modern notion of a political envoy.
The question is, are we then to understand Epaphroditus as an apostle in the same way that Paul was an apostle. The answer to that question is, ‘no.’ The reason for this answer is because we must also ask of whom a person is an apostolic representative. Paul refers to himself as an Apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1, etc…). In turn, Paul refers to Epaphroditus as “your apostle.” Thus, Epaphroditus is serving as an apostle, an authoritative representative, of the church in Philippi. In addition, Epaphroditus is also a believer, a servant of Christ, which makes him Paul’s brother in Christ and a comrade in arms — spiritual soldiers against the powers and principalities of this world.
What is worth noting is that while some people call themselves “Apostles” in our modern times, that office has ceased with the establishment of the church and the close of the Canon. None of these so-called apostles speak with the authority of Jesus Christ and if they claim to, we must be wary. Indeed, they might claim to be apostles of their church if that authority is so given to them, but the Biblical term for those of us who lead churches is that of Shepherd — Pastor. And a Pastor is a servant first…terms like Apostle (at least when used today) only tend to reflect a person’s ego. Better to be called a fellow-worker.
Notice too, how important these people are to Paul. When one is incarcerated, to have contact with others is a gift of God’s grace. I would encourage you that if you know someone who is in prison — write them a letter today or make a plan to go visit them. Be that Epaphroditus to them; it will mean the world to them as they serve their time behind bars…and what a wonderful opportunity to witness the grace of Christ.
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