Philippians 2:9–11

"Wherefore" is the word with which His exaltation begins. It reminds us of our Lord's own words, repeated twice: "He that humbles himself shall be exalted" (Luke 14:11 and 18:14). And none ever humbled Himself as the Lord of glory: it is well indeed that He should be supremely exalted! "HE humbled Himself" — but notice, it does not say "He exalted Himself." No, "GOD supremely exalted Him." And we must not pass over that little word "also"… In Greek it stands in a very emphatic position. It is as if to contrast God's thoughts of His Son with man's treatment of Him.

"Supremely exalted" is one word in the Greek. The Spirit of God through Paul loves to add the little word "huper" to many words. It matches our word "super." So we read "super-intercede" in Romans 8:26 and "super-conqueror" in Romans 8:37… How well this word of "supreme exaltation" fits the position due to such supreme humiliation! It appears nowhere else in the New Testament, as though the Spirit of God had reserved it for this special passage.

We are only in new wonders when we read these words. For what, we may ask, could exalt Him? Before He began His path of sufferings and glories, He was in Himself infinitely great and blessed. Nothing could personally exalt Him, being, as He was, "the Son." His glory was divine, unspeakable and infinite. No other honours could ever increase His personal glory. Yet we still see Him walking a path that leads Him on to honour and glory.

Here God gives glory to Jesus, not because He was equal with God, but because He humbled Himself, appeared as a man, and became obedient to death. As God, all dominion and glory were His own; nor could anything be given Him. But as man He had voluntarily emptied Himself, taking the lowest place, and bowing even to the power of death, to carry out God's purposes of grace. God's righteous response, then, to this obedience and devotedness was to exalt Him in the same character in which He had humbled Himself.

"Bestowed" translates a Greek word formed from the word always used for Grace… The better reading is not "given him a name," but "the Name." It is a special Name, "the (Name) supreme above every name."… We may ask, what is "the Name"? Some think it to be the mystic Name JEHOVAH; others, that it may be "My new Name" in Revelation 3:12. But from what follows, "That in the Name JESUS every knee should bow," I cannot but think that JESUS is "the Name." And let us remember that the Name JESUS means JEHOVAH-the-SAVIOUR.

We cannot decide what "the name" is, or whether it is the name of Jesus… and indeed the Spirit of God would point us to the thing it stands for. The meaning, to say it again, is this: whatever exalted beings may surround the heavenly throne, the glorified Jesus is above and beyond them all. The name given to Him, because He humbled Himself, speaks of a dignity far above the highest ranks of heaven, and tells us more: He is supreme in every world of God's universe.

He made Himself nothing in becoming a man. Death to Him was the highest, fullest act of obedience and of confidence in His Father, as man. And therefore God highly exalted Him. Sinful man had sought to exalt himself and to be like God, and his disobedience cast him down. In this, then, we have the great doctrine of the exaltation of Jesus as the new man, the Second Adam, the Head of a new race.

The Name of Jesus expresses the fame of this lowly Man. It means, as we know, Saviour, and as such it is a Name that is above every name. May we not say it is the one Name that the Lord had to come down from the glory to a cross of shame to secure? Over the cross it was written, "This is JESUS". Men in their scorn said, "Let Him now come down from the cross." Had He done so, He would have left the Name of JESUS behind Him. He would still have been the Creator, the mighty God, but never more would He have been JESUS — the Saviour. Blessed be His Name! His lowly mind led Him to be obedient to the death of the cross, and as a result every knee will bow to the Name of Jesus, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In the Authorised Version and others, Philippians 2:10 is, as we all know, rendered "at" the name of Jesus. That rendering became the basis of a well known and widespread superstitious practice. The Revisers here say "in" (ἐν). If that is right, it means, as usual, that all creatures will bow because of His name.

It is not just a question of saints or of Israel. Every knee shall bow. This takes in angels and saints, and even those who are forever under the judgment of God, because "under the earth" carries the worst possible sense. So the lost, those in hell, come in here. The verse includes those who have rejected salvation, just as much as those who confess the Saviour. It is the universal subjection of all to Christ. Jesus has won the title even as man. If unbelievers despised Him as man, as Son of man He will judge them.

One sphere is excluded — the sphere of judgment. Yet even this — "the things under the earth" — is to bow at the name of Jesus according to Philippians 2:10. It must acknowledge Him, though cut off from Him and under the frown of God.

In the second chapter of Philippians it is a beautiful thing to see that what is due to God is going to be given to a Man. We read in the Old Testament: "By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance'" (Isaiah 45:23). Oh, but you say, that is God speaking, and He has a divine right to claim this subjection. Quite true, and He will have it. But notice, it is all going to be given to a Man — and that Man is the Man of sorrows, the lowly Nazarene. What He can claim as God, He is worthy of as Man.

It is a solemn thing to think that every knee must bow to Jesus in the day of His coming. But is it not a joy that when people bow now to Christ and accept His gospel, they are saved? When forced to bow in the day of God by power, they will not be saved. When divine power compels them, before the judgment seat of Christ, there will be no salvation.

Then comes the solemn declaration, backed by a divine oath: "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance." Jehovah, the Creator-God, has decreed it. Now turn to Philippians 2. There these words apply to the One who humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Two notable explanations are added. No one could have discovered them unless God had given them. The first is that "every knee" covers all in heaven, all on earth, and all under the earth. It means every intelligent being, whether in heaven, on earth, or in hell — demons as well as angels, saints, and men. Second, "every tongue shall swear allegiance" means the confession, to the glory of God the Father, that Jesus is Lord.

Jesus has won the title even as man. If unbelievers despised Him as man, as Son of man He will judge them. As man they must bow to Him. The lowly name that was His as Nazarene on the earth must be honoured everywhere; God's glory is concerned in it.

And the Spirit of God divides these into three classes: "The heavenly, the earthly, and the infernal" (or, those under the earth). Angels and demons, living and dead, saved and lost will all then acknowledge Him as LORD — and openly, for that is what the word suggests. The word "LORD" is in an emphatic position, so the emphasis falls on it: "JESUS CHRIST (is) LORD."

The Christian now confesses by the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ is Lord. Later this homage will be given on a far larger scale. But then it will be too late for salvation... No one confesses Him as Lord by the Holy Spirit unless he is a saved person. One day the time of grace will be past. God will no longer be only gathering out a chosen body, the Church; He will be putting down every opposing authority. Then the whole universe will own the name of Jesus — even those who do it under compulsion, and who by that very confession admit their own eternal misery.

No one speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit would call Jesus accursed... No demon would confess that Jesus is Lord. So if someone calls Jesus Lord under the influence of a spirit, that shows the Holy Spirit controls him. When Jesus was on earth, the evil spirits confessed that He was Son of God, but they never called Him Lord. The day is coming when they will be forced to own Him Lord. So will every tongue in the vast universe, to the glory of God the Father.

Our passage began, "God supremely exalted Him." It ends by telling us that this supreme exaltation of the Son is "to the glory of God the Father." He could say of all His earthly path of humiliation: "I have glorified You on the earth." How blessed to see the same thing in His path of exaltation. We know well that this is just as He would have it.

...the aim is practical. It is pressed home from One who came down from infinite glory and made Himself nothing. He is now exalted and made Lord of all, so that every creature must bow. This is put before the Philippians as the most powerful of motives and the weightiest of examples for self-denial, in love, to God's glory.