Sevens, Eights, Twelves

A student, Kaleb Trotter, points out numerically significant lists and structures in Philippians. Paul, for instance, lists seven bases for his confidence in flesh (3:4-6). Paul is a full, sevenfold Israelite, as he says, a Hebrew of Hebrews. Yet he gives up that fullness for the sake of Christ, imitating Jesus (ch. 2) who did not seize glory but emptied Himself for His people in His death.

In chapter 4, Paul exhorts the Philippians to devote their minds to what is true and lovely, etc. The list in verse 8 is eightfold: true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, good repute, any excellence, anything praiseworthy. This is the mind of the new creation, the eightfold mind which surpasses the sevenfold Hebrew mind of the old creation.

Kaleb points out that there is an additional fourfold exhortation in verse 9: Paul orders the Philippians to practice things learned, received, heard, seen. The eightfold, new-creation mind of verse 8 is manifested in comprehensive, global, fourfold practice of verse 9. Together, verses 8-9 give us a 12-fold list: This is the mind of a true Israelite, not reckoning privileges of flesh but the fruits of the Spirit, not practicing the works of the law but doing what has been learned, received, heard and seen from and in the apostle Paul.