"Paul’s great joy and hope for victory was to have God with his people. Paul desired to have the joy of being with Christ in heaven [Phil 1:23; 3:20–21] and, before that, on earth [Phil 3:10–11]. He desired for believers to have the God of peace with them [ Phil 4:9] so that they could live lives of peace and joy no matter what the circumstances.
"Ever since Adam and Eve were sent from God’s presence in the Garden of Eden, humans had been longing for God to be with them once again. God’s repeated promise to Abraham, “I am with you,” hinted at a time of restored and unhindered divine presence. God dwelt with Israel in the tabernacle and temple, and through the Spirit, now dwells within Christian believers in a more intimate and complete way. The entire structure of Matthew’s Gospel begins and ends with the fact of God being with the believers (Matt. 1:23; 28:20).
"Paul’s desire for God to be with the Philippians [Phil 4:9] echoed a theme prominent in the entire Old Testament by implying more than simple redemption. Yes, God had redeemed the Philippians, and his Spirit was indeed with them. But Paul was speaking of the experience of God’s presence that comes from the “practice” [Phil 4:9] of truth, a firsthand experience of the sufferings and power of Christ [Phil 3:10; 4:13]. God has always desired to be with his people firsthand in the difficulties of life."
[Hughes, Robert B. ; Laney, J. Carl: Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2001 (The Tyndale Reference Library), S. 601]
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