Scooby -Doo Series

Philippians 4

Scooby Doo

April 25- Roger Miller

Introduction: Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the

same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

2Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3For it is we

who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and

who put no confidence in the flesh— 4though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of

Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for

legalistic righteousness, faultless.

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I

consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my

Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Philippians 3:1-8

Paul gives us a real shocker in Verse eight with the word Rubbish as translated by most modern translations. The word rubbish in the Greek is Skuvbalon, this is the only place it is used in the

New Testament! There is two schools of thought, of what this rare Greek Word means. .. .

1. non-excrement used by the rubbish’ (ESV, NRSV, NKJV, NIV, NAB, REB) or ‘garbage’

(TEV, NJB, TNIV) for the term.

a. rubbish, refuse

b. table scraps, leavings

2. excrement (KJV, ) Filth (Darby Trans)

a. dung (without strong shock value)

b. crap, the s- word (with strong shock value)

“Skuvbalon took on the nuance of a vulgar expression with emotive connotations (thus, roughly

equivalent to the English “crap, s**t”) is probable. . .” http://bible.org/article/brief-word-study-

skuvbalon. If you study the use of this word outside the Bible especially in the first Century it is

most often used as a general term for excrement! Second Paul in several places uses shock to

make a point. Lastly, Paul uses terms as word plays. In verse two Paul starts current contexts by

calling false teachers Dogs- then in verse eight uses general term for excrement. But what is the

worst type of excrement? What type of animal is being talked about in context? Dog! I believe

to shock the philipi church into how serious this threat of false teaching about human effort-Paul

is saying it is dog-do-it is Skuvbalon.

It is my theory that Skuvbalon, is where the creator of Skooby-Doo, got the cartoons name! How

many remember the cartoon Skooby Doo? How well do you know your Skooby doo?

Scooby Doo was always solving some mystery. The mystery to me is after the reality of human

weakness, and how little life makes us-How we still act like human goodness can save us! To that Paul

would say Skuvbalon! So let’s look at What Paul would have us trust in.

Look out for Scooby-doo Philippians 3:1-11

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to

you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

2Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3For it is

we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ

Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4though I myself have reasons for such

confidence.

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew

of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for

legalistic righteousness, faultless.

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I

consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus

my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain

Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the

law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and

is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of

sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the

resurrection from the dead.

Exposition

These “dogs” and “wicked men” were very likely Judaizers—Jewish Christians who wrongly believed

that it was essential for Gentiles to follow all the Old Testament Jewish laws, especially submission to