It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already become perfect. But I keep pursuing it, hoping somehow to embrace it just as I have been embraced by the Messiah Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have embraced it yet. But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus.
Phil 3:12-14
I left you with these phrases in the previous Gem to keep before you. They contain Paul’s analogy to running a race. We know it is likely that Paul has at the back of his mind the Pan Hellenic Games.
· I keep pursuing it
· This one thing I do
· Forgetting what is behind
· Straining forward to what lies ahead
· I keep pursuing the goal
· To win the prize
There are translations where “running the race” has been made specific and not just alluded to. Where the veiled references in Phil 3:14 have been turned into:
- I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize (ERV)
- I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize (NLT)
I will unpack for you the six strong word pictures Paul used related to running a race. The one that I have temporarily removed from the list is “Somehow to embrace or attain it”. I told you in the last Gem that Paul uses this concept five times in three verses. You can bet that is important. But I will hold on to that one until we return to Paul’s one thing, which is not running. He only uses running to create a parallel to something we know well.
There are a string of Important Words to Study:-
· [διώκω] – I pursue
· [ἐπιλανθανόμενος] – forgetting
· [ἐπεκτεινόμενος] – stretching out or straining forward
· τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω – the behind things
· τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν – the before things
· σκοπὸν – goal
· βραβεῖον – prize
Not only are these important words but Paul has skilfully woven them into a masterful balance of thought where he has set them in contrastive pairs. I will develop that thought as we go.
[διώκω] – I pursue
This is a very interesting word. I means literally to pursue a quarry, something you are hunting. In its original usage the term was a hunting term. To hunt, to track down and to kill. It is a fiercely aggressive word according to the Greek Lexicons as it was used in ancient Greek before Paul’s time. A word used in the context of hunting, to follow after, or even to persecute, to flush out. It also embodied a sense of strategising and having a plan to carry out. I am sure that Paul doesn’t mean it in the archaic sense of the word. But in the context of running you can imagine him thinking of chasing down the pack of runners ahead, with a plan or a strategy.
[ἐπιλανθανόμενος] – forgetting
Yes this is the verb in the phrase “forgetting what’s behind”. But like the verb to pursue it is a very interesting compound verb. ἐπιλανθανόμενος is made of two parts.
- ἐπι – is a prefix or preposition which carries multiple meanings but in this case the sense is of turning from one thing to another. To turn aside from “this” to “that”.
- λανθαναω – the main verb has the sense to forget one thing to focus on another. to be finished with, be done with, regard something as obsolete, to put aside, to deliberately ignore, purposefully disregard, to regard something as no longer useful or relevant.
[ἐπεκτεινόμενος] – stretching out or straining forward
From the root verb [ἐπεκτεινόμαι] – this word comes out of the realm of foot racing. The idea is to strain with every muscle and sinew to reach the finish line. At the end of the race to be thrusting your body forward, stretching forward and reaching with limbs and torso to ensure some part of your body is the one that crosses the line first. It involves leaning and straining to force your body forward in order to be first. Because we are talking about the Greek Pan Hellenic Games, including the Olympics then I figured a picture was worth a thousand words.
Yes, like that!
In order to address the things behind and the things in front I will resort back to the interlinearised Greek – English I gave you in the previous Gem.
τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω – the behind things
τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν – the before things
These are both very interesting grammatical constructions which are really cleverly constructed. Allow me to explain with the help of the segment I have given you already in Gem 1074. Literally Paul has “written” or said, “One thing I do” and then he followed it with what is below:
τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος
{the things} {on the one hand} behind forgetting {the things} {on the other hand} before {stretching forward to}
τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος
τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος
definite article on the one hand behind forgetting
no referent on the other hand in front straining forward to attain
Do you see how Paul has skilfully arranged the thoughts into contrastive pairs?
Greek normally puts the conjunction or the first introductory word in the sentence in the second place.
The first word in the sentences above are simply the definite acrticle “the” and nothing more. But the first one τὰ is neuter and stands for the things. The matching definite article of the second clause τοῖς is again just the definite article but in this case it could be neuter or masculine. In other words it could refer to the things or it could refer to people. Very clever Paul. The things ahead or the people or even the finish line. It’s ambiguous. Then finally take note of the closing words in each clause. Forgetting and straining toward. These both verbal participles and Paul has set them in contrast as well.
So we have four sets of contrastive pairs.
On the one hand the things behind forgetting
One the other hand the things/people before straining to attain
I think you will have to admit that makes a nice little package of thought which needs more attention paid to it in order to unpack it thoroughly. I have given you enough already for this Gem. I think the prudent thing to do is to give you the time to digest all that Paul intended with what we have covered so far. Oh there is more to come believe me. We haven’t even looked at the contrast between
- σκοπὸν – goal
- βραβεῖον – prize
Don’t worry about that Ian! You told us in Gem 1972 that it was needless to distinguish between goal and prize. Yeah right!
Ponder on that matter before the next Gem if you can hold all these things in your thinking at the same time.
This ability to conquer oneself is no doubt the most precious of all things sports bestows.
Olga Korbut
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
Muhammad Ali
To win, you have to risk loss.
Jean-Claude Killy
Never put an age limit on your dreams.
Dara Torres
The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.
Bob Knight