Albert Barnes Commentary Philippians 4:5

"Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." — Philippians 4:5 (ASV)

Let your moderation be known unto all men. That is, let it be such that others may see it. This does not mean that they were to make an ostentatious display of it, but that it should be such a characteristic of their lives that it would be constantly visible to others. The word moderation, epieikev—refers to restraint on the passions, general soberness of living, and being free from all excesses. The word properly means that which is fit or suitable, and then propriety, gentleness, or mildness. They were to indulge in no excess of passion, or dress, or eating, or drinking. They were to govern their appetites, restrain their temper, and to be examples of what was proper for people in view of the expectation that the Lord would soon appear.

The Lord is at hand. He is near (see Barnes' notes on Philippians 3:20 and 1 Corinthians 16:22).

This phrase appears to have been in common use among the early Christians, designed to keep a vivid impression of an event before their minds—an event which, by its anticipation, ought to produce an important effect. Whether, by this phrase, they commonly understood the Lord's coming to destroy Jerusalem, to remove them by death, to judge the world, or to reign personally on the earth, is impossible now to determine, and is not very important for a proper understanding of its use here.

The idea is that the expectation that the Lord Jesus will "come" ought to produce moderation in our passions, in our manner of living, in our expectations of what this world can provide, and in our desires for earthly good. For the one who feels that he is soon to die and to stand at the bar of God—for the one who expects soon to see the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven—this expectation cannot fail to have this effect.

People indulge their passions—are extravagant in their plans of life, and in their expectations of earthly good for themselves and for their families—because they have no true realization of the truth that a vast eternity lies before them. The one who has a vivid expectation that heaven will soon be his will form very moderate expectations of what this world can provide.