Day 298: Your Most Valuable Possession (Psalm 119:97-104, 2 Timothy 4:1-22, Jeremiah 51:15-64)

Introduction

As the novelist, historian and poet, Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), lay dying, he turned to his great friend and son-in-law, J.G. Lockhart – the man who was later to write his life story – and said, ‘Will you read to me from the Book?’ Lockhart wondered which of his many books he meant – for he knew he was a great writer. So he asked, ‘Which book?’

‘Which book?’ replied Scott, ‘There is but one book; bring the Bible.’ In his last moments on earth, he was comforted and encouraged by what God had to say to him. His last words were about his most valuable possession.

In the case of the apostle Paul, we don’t exactly know what his last words were. However, we do have his last recorded words; they are in our passage for today. As he comes to the end of this letter he writes, ‘The time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’ (2 Timothy 4:7). We see his passion for Jesus Christ and his word. His whole life has been about telling others the good news of Jesus. His last words urge Timothy to do the same.

Psalm 119:97-104

מ Mem

⁹⁷ Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
⁹⁸ Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
⁹⁹ I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
¹⁰⁰ I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
¹⁰¹ I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
¹⁰² I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴ I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

Psalm Commentary

Love God’s words

Without God, our lives make no sense. As we read his word we understand the meaning and purpose of our lives: ‘With your instruction I understand life’ (v.104, MSG). Nothing could be more important or more valuable than this.

At his coronation, at the start of his reign, King Charles III was handed a copy of the Bible with these words, ‘We present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords.’

The psalmist writes, ‘Oh, how I love your law!’ (v.97a). He says, ‘I reverently ponder it all the day long’ (v.97b, MSG). He writes, ‘Your words are so choice, so tasty; I prefer them to the best home cooking’ (v.103, MSG).

The effect of loving God’s word, and meditating on it, is to give you wisdom (v.98), insight (v.99) and understanding (vv.100,104): ‘I’ve even become smarter than my teachers’ (v.99, MSG). It makes you determined to keep your feet from every evil and wrong path (vv.101,104).

Prayer

Lord, thank you that your words give me wisdom, insight and understanding. Help me to love them, to meditate on them and to obey them.

2 Timothy 4:1-22

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage —with great patience and careful instruction. ³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Personal Remarks

⁹ Do your best to come to me quickly, ¹⁰ for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹ Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. ¹² I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³ When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

¹⁴ Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. ¹⁵ You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.

¹⁶ At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. ¹⁷ But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

¹⁹ Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. ²⁰ Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus ill in Miletus. ²¹ Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.

²² The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

New Testament Commentary

Proclaim God’s words

The apostle Paul urges, ‘proclaim the Message’ (v.2a, MSG). This passage is then full of practical advice on how to go about doing this.

Get involved

Paul writes to Timothy, ‘I give you this charge’ (v.1). His charge to Timothy is to be an evangelist and a preacher. According to the New Testament this is also the task of every Christian.
Speak about Jesus

Paul says preach ‘the Word’ (v.2a). The Greek word here is ‘logos’, which was used to describe Jesus in John 1:1. The good news is all about Jesus.

When we hear the word ‘preach’ we often think of a person in robes addressing a group of convinced believers within the precinct of the church. The word Paul uses here means a herald who delivers a message that has been given to them by the king. It is an ‘up-to-the-minute’ relevant message. You may not be a ‘preacher’ in the narrowest sense, but you can be a herald of the good news about Jesus.
Be prepared

It is important to be prepared and ready to take advantage of every opportunity God gives you to speak about your faith. Paul writes, ‘be prepared in season and out of season’ (2 Timothy 4:2) – that is, when it is convenient and when it is not. The word he uses for ‘prepared’ has military connotations. He is saying, stay at your post. Be on duty. On guard. Be ready. Be at hand.
Speak to the whole person

Paul’s message is holistic:

It appeals to the mind (v.5). He says ‘correct’ (v.2), which could be translated as ‘prove’. We are to teach the gospel with ‘careful instruction’ (v.2). Our presentation of the gospel should never be devoid of content. Paul’s message is based on evidence and reason. Indeed, Paul says to Timothy, ‘keep your head’ (v.5).
It is also an appeal to the heart and conscience. He says, ‘rebuke’ (v.2). Reason is not enough – a change of heart is required.
Finally, it is an appeal to the will: ‘encourage’. We need to get alongside people and help them with ‘great patience’ (v.2). This is a spirit that never gets irritated, never despairs and never regards a person as beyond salvation.

Keep speaking the truth

You may be tempted to change the content to what your hearers want to hear, or to what you think they are more likely to respond to, but keep passing on the same message that has been handed down to you. In spite of the fact that some people may prefer ‘spiritual junk food – catchy opinions that tickle their fancy’ to ‘solid teaching’ (v.3, MSG) – keep proclaiming the truth of the gospel.
Keep going

Paul writes to Timothy, ‘do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry’ (v.5c). Telling others is your responsibility before God. Jesus is coming back to judge and reign (v.1). What you do now has eternal consequences. You are going to have to give an account.

Therefore, be willing to endure hardship (v.5). If you pass on the message, you will be misunderstood, misrepresented and misinterpreted. Paul has been deserted by Demas (v.10). He has been strongly opposed by Alexander, the metal worker who did him a great deal of harm (v.14). No one stood up for Paul in his hour of greatest need (v.16).

Never give up. Listen to Paul’s words to Timothy as if they were addressed to you: ‘make the spreading of the good news your life work’ (v.5, JBP). This is what Paul did. He was willing to be poured out like a drink offering (v.6).

Now he says to Timothy, ‘You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting – God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming’ (vv.6–8, MSG).
Know that the Lord is on your side

In spite of all the opposition and difficulties, one thing makes all the difference: ‘The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength’ (v.17). This is so that ‘the message might be fully proclaimed and all Gentiles might hear it’ (v.17). Paul is confident about his future, even though he is facing the immediate threat of death (v.18). His greatest desire for Timothy and the other believers with him is that they are intimately connected to Jesus. His final words are, ‘The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you’ (v.22).

Prayer

Lord, thank you that I am not on my own as I tell others the good news about Jesus – you go with me by your Spirit. Help me to do it faithfully, to fight the good fight, to finish the race and keep the faith.

Jeremiah 51:15-64

¹⁵ “He made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
¹⁶ When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

¹⁷ “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;
they have no breath in them.
¹⁸ They are worthless, the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
¹⁹ He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance —
the Lord Almighty is his name.

²⁰ “You are my war club,
my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter nations,
with you I destroy kingdoms,
²¹ with you I shatter horse and rider,
with you I shatter chariot and driver,
²² with you I shatter man and woman,
with you I shatter old man and youth,
with you I shatter young man and young woman,
²³ with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
with you I shatter governors and officials.

²⁴ “Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.

²⁵ “I am against you, you destroying mountain,
you who destroy the whole earth,”
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.
²⁶ No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
nor any stone for a foundation,
for you will be desolate forever,”
declares the Lord.

²⁷ “Lift up a banner in the land!
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
summon against her these kingdoms:
Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a commander against her;
send up horses like a swarm of locusts.
²⁸ Prepare the nations for battle against her—
the kings of the Medes,
their governors and all their officials,
and all the countries they rule.
²⁹ The land trembles and writhes,
for the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand—
to lay waste the land of Babylon
so that no one will live there.
³⁰ Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting;
they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
they have become weaklings.
Her dwellings are set on fire;
the bars of her gates are broken.
³¹ One courier follows another
and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
that his entire city is captured,
³² the river crossings seized,
the marshes set on fire,
and the soldiers terrified. ”

³³ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvest her will soon come. ”

³⁴ “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us,
he has thrown us into confusion,
he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
and then has spewed us out.
³⁵ May the violence done to our flesh be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.

³⁶ Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“See, I will defend your cause
and avenge you;
I will dry up her sea
and make her springs dry.
³⁷ Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
a haunt of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,
a place where no one lives.
³⁸ Her people all roar like young lions,
they growl like lion cubs.
³⁹ But while they are aroused,
I will set out a feast for them
and make them drunk,
so that they shout with laughter—
then sleep forever and not awake,”
declares the Lord.
⁴⁰ “I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats.

⁴¹ “How Sheshak will be captured,
the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate Babylon will be
among the nations!
⁴² The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring waves will cover her.
⁴³ Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and desert land,
a land where no one lives,
through which no one travels.
⁴⁴ I will punish Bel in Babylon
and make him spew out what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the wall of Babylon will fall.

⁴⁵ “Come out of her, my people!
Run for your lives!
Run from the fierce anger of the Lord.
⁴⁶ Do not lose heart or be afraid
when rumors are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
rumors of violence in the land
and of ruler against ruler.
⁴⁷ For the time will surely come
when I will punish the idols of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.
⁴⁸ Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north
destroyers will attack her,”
declares the Lord.

⁴⁹ “Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain,
just as the slain in all the earth
have fallen because of Babylon.
⁵⁰ You who have escaped the sword,
leave and do not linger!
Remember the Lord in a distant land,
and call to mind Jerusalem.”

⁵¹ “We are disgraced,
for we have been insulted
and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the Lord’s house.”

⁵² “But days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will punish her idols,
and throughout her land
the wounded will groan.
⁵³ Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
I will send destroyers against her,”
declares the Lord.

⁵⁴ “The sound of a cry comes from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction
from the land of the Babylonians.
⁵⁵ The Lord will destroy Babylon;
he will silence her noisy din.
Waves of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
⁵⁶ A destroyer will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
he will repay in full.
⁵⁷ I will make her officials and wise men drunk,
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep forever and not awake,”
declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.

⁵⁸ This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Babylon’s thick wall will be leveled
and her high gates set on fire;
the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labour is only fuel for the flames.”

⁵⁹ This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign. ⁶⁰ Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. ⁶¹ He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. ⁶² Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’ ⁶³ When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. ⁶⁴ Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.’”

Old Testament Commentary

Declare God’s words

Do you ever feel powerless to do anything about your situation? Sometimes it appears that the forces raging against God and his people are so much more powerful than us. This was the situation in Jeremiah’s day when the people of God were confronted by the most powerful empire of its time – Babylon.

Into this time of difficulty, Jeremiah kept on declaring the word of the Lord – right to the end of his life (vv.25–26,39,48,52–53,57–58). We have read the apostle Paul’s last words. Now we come to Jeremiah’s last words: ‘The words of Jeremiah end here’ (v.64).

Jeremiah’s message was this: God is all-powerful. ‘By his power he made earth. His wisdom gave shape to the world. He crafted the cosmos’ (v.15, MSG). This all-powerful God is on your side: ‘I’m on your side, taking up your cause’ (v.36, MSG). Therefore, he says, ‘Don’t lose hope. Don’t ever give up’ (v.46, MSG).

The Babylonian empire, which seemed so powerful at the time, was about to collapse – like every other empire before or since. But God’s people not only survived, they continued to grow and flourish.

Jeremiah wrote down the message on a scroll. He commanded, ‘see that you read all these words aloud’ (v.61). Jeremiah was a faithful prophet who heard the word of the Lord and kept on telling others the messages throughout his life.

Prayer

Lord, thank you that the message about Jesus has changed my life and thank you that I have the privilege of seeing it change so many people’s lives. Help me to keep on speaking your words boldly right to the end of my life.

Pippa adds

2 Timothy 4:6-8 says:

‘For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award me on that day.’

Three things I hope I’ll have done at the end of my life:

Fought the fight.

Finished the race.

Kept the faith.

Verse of the Day

Jeremiah 51:46, MSG

‘Don’t ever give up...’

References

David M. Atkinson, Leadership – By the Book (Xulon Press, 2007), p.xiv

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.