Final Instructions - 2 Timothy 4:1-23
Intro:
Point #1: Paul Charges Timothy to Stay Ready!
An oath sworn by a deity or deities was considered especially binding and dangerous to break; in the same way, a charge witnessed by a deity or deities was sacred and inviolable. A broken oath would be avenged by the god whose name was violated; for Jewish people and Christians, the ultimate judgment was in the coming day of the Lord.
Point #2: Paul’s Life Was All About Serving and Glorifying Jesus!
Ancient religions regularly poured out libations to the gods, usually wine but sometimes water or another substance. Paul is being poured out (cf. 2:7) as such a “drink offering” to the true God, a willing offering on their behalf that joined their own sacrifice.
Point #3: Paul Shares Insight into His Circumstances...
It was important for close friends to come by and visit a dying person a final time, and this principle applied above all else to a son, even an adopted or surrogate son (1:2). (Sons normally also buried their fathers, but the officials might be reticent to hand Paul’s body over to Timothy.) It was especially important to Paul that Timothy be with him before he died;
Most of Judaism contrasted this present evil age (Gal 1:4) with the age to come, often insisting that those who valued this age too much would have no part in the next one.
Tychicus is bearer of the letter (cf. 1 Tim 1:3), a mutual traveling companion of Paul and Timothy (Acts 20:4; Col 4:7). Because the only Roman mail service was by imperial envoys for government use, personal mail had to be carried by travelers.
Point #4: Paul Testifies to Our Lord’s Faithfulness!
Paul may allude to David’s or Daniel’s exploits of faith in the Old Testament (1 Sam 17:37; Dan 6:27; cf. 1 Macc 2:60); Daniel was sent to the lions by the decree of a king, albeit a reluctant one. The image of a lion in ancient literature is one of supreme strength, appropriately applied here to Nero’s court. Under Nero’s persecution in which Paul died, some Christians were literally fed to beasts in the arena, but Paul uses “lion” metaphorically, as often in the Old Testament (e.g., Ps 22:13, 21). The term translated “delivered” meant earthly rescue and safety (v. 17) but was also applied to ultimate salvation (v. 18).