Philippians 2:22

But ye know the proof of him, that, as a child serveth a father, so he served me in furtherance of the gospel Him therefore I hope to send forthwith, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me: but I trust in the Lord that I myself shall come shortly.

Ye know the proof of him ... The whole world of New Testament churches in those days knew the proof of Timothy. The word translated "proof" was used of gold and silver that had been tested and could be accepted as current coin."[56] Timothy had been with Paul in Philippi when that church was founded (Acts 16:1ff); he was in Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:1-14), and in Corinth and Ephesus (Acts 18:25; 19:21,22); and even at the time Paul wrote this letter he was standing by Paul in Rome (Philippians 1:1).

Him therefore I hope to send ... Implicit in these words is the fact that Paul could not, at the moment, send Timothy. Macknight believed that "This was because Aristarchus, Titus and Luke were all absent from Rome at this time,"[57] leaving only Timothy to look after Paul. Of course, Epaphroditus was available, and him Paul sent.

I trust ... that I myself shall come shortly ... "This hope, in all probability, was fulfilled (Titus 3:12)."[58] Lipscomb has a great paragraph on Paul's probable thoughts at this juncture:

We do not know what he meant by shortly. The uncertainty as to what whim might strike Nero was nothing to count upon. He no longer counts on going to Spain as he once had planned (Romans 15:28); his heart now turns to this old field of labor (Phlippians 1:1:22) ... those grievous wolves of whom he warned the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:29,30) had taken advantage of his absence and were causing much trouble and confusion among the churches of Asia.[59]

[56] John A. Knight, op. cit., p. 329.

[57] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 436.

[58] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 63.

[59] David Lipscomb, A Commentary on the New Testament Epistles, Vol. IV (Nashville: The Gospel Advocate Company, 1964), p. 194.