Philippians 2:12-18, Lights in a crooked generation, poured out like a drink offering

Letters were treated as standing in for the writer, and Jewish texts often paired fear and trembling (Keener and his notes; the cultural backgrounds notes). Grumbling recalls Israel in the wilderness, and the crooked generation comes from Deuteronomy 32:5 (Keener and his notes; the ESV and CSB Study Bibles; Wright). Shine like lights recalls Daniel 12:3, where the raised righteous shine like the stars (Keener and his notes; Heiser; Wright), and the cultural backgrounds article on resurrection reports Jews who pictured the raised body as fire, like the stars. Drink offerings were familiar from Old Testament worship (Leviticus 23:18, 37; Numbers 28:7-10) and among Gentiles, who poured them in memory of the dead and at banquets, usually wine (the cultural backgrounds notes; the Zondervan dictionary); Keener writes that "Ancient religions regularly poured out libations to the gods, usually wine but sometimes water". How the picture works is read differently: the CSB Study Bible makes Paul the substance poured out and the Philippians' faith the sacrifice, while Bailey stresses that poured is a word of worship, oil and wine being sacrificial elements.