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of the Letters of Paul |
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| 2 Timothy 4:18 |
| And the Lord shall deliver me from
every evil work, and will preserve me unto his
heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and
ever. Amen. |
This last section of Chapter 4 has seven [7] verses.
2 Timothy 4:16-22
16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all
men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid
to their charge.
17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and
strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be
fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear:
and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil
work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly
kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
19 Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of
Onesiphorus.
20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I
left at Miletum sick.
21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus
greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia,
and all the brethren.
22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace
be with you. Amen.
We will begin with the Barclay commentary:
LAST WORDS AND GREETINGS
2 Timothy 4:16-22 …paraphrased
At my first defense, no one was there to stand by
me, but all forsook me. May it not be reckoned
against them! But the Lord stood beside me, and he
strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation
of the gospel was fully made so that the Gentiles
might hear it. So I was rescued from the mouth of
the lion. The Lord will rescue me from every evil,
and will save me for his heavenly kingdom. Glory be
to him for ever and ever. Amen.
Greet Prisca and Aquila [AK-wih-luh], and
the family of Onesiphorus [on'uh-SIF-uh-ruhs].
Erastus [ih-RAS-tuhs] stayed in Corinth. I
left Trophimus [TROF-uh-muhs] at Miletus.
Exibulus [Ex-aw-bu-lus] sends greetings to
you, as do Pudens [POO-dinz], Linus and
Claudia, and all the brothers.
The Lord be with your spirit.
Grace be with you.
A Roman trial began with a preliminary examination
to formulate the precise charge against the
prisoner. When Paul was brought to that preliminary
examination, not one of his friends stood by him. It
was too dangerous to proclaim oneself the friend of
a man on trial for his life.
One of the curious things about this passage is the
number of reminiscences of Psalm 22. ‘Why have you
forsaken me? – all forsook me.’ ‘There is no one to
help – no one was there to stand by me.’ ‘Save me
from the mouth of the lion! – I was rescued from the
mouth of the lion.’ ‘All the ends of the earth shall
remember and turn to the Lord – that the Gentiles
might hear it.’ ‘Dominion belongs to the Lord – The
Lord will save me for his heavenly kingdom.’ It
seems certain that the words of this psalm were
running in Paul’s mind. And the lovely thing is that
this was the psalm which was in the mind of Jesus
when he hung upon his cross. As Paul faced death, he
took encouragement from the same psalm that his Lord
used in the same circumstances.
Three things brought Paul courage in that lonely
hour.
(1) Everyone had forsaken him; but the Lord
was with him. Jesus had said that he would never
leave his followers or forsake them, and that he
would be with them to the end of the world. Paul is
a witness that Jesus kept his promise. If to do the
right means to be alone, as Joan of Arc said, ‘It is
better to be alone with God.’
(2) Paul would use even a Roman court to proclaim
the message of Christ. He obeyed his own
commandment: in season and out of season, he pressed
the claims of Christ on men and women. He was so
busy thinking of the task of preaching that he
forgot the danger. Those who are immersed in the
task before them have conquered fear.
(3) He was quite certain of the ultimate rescue. He
might seem to be the victim of circumstances and a
criminal condemned by Roman justice, but Paul saw
beyond the present time and knew that his eternal
safety was assured. It is always better to be in
danger for a moment and safe for eternity than to be
safe for a moment and to jeopardize eternity.
~Barclay commentary
Now to the rest of the commentaries. We will begin
with general and move to the specific.
We will begin with the Matthew Henry Concise as the
Matthew Henry Main has nothing on verse 18. The
Concise covers verses 14-18.
There is as much danger from false brethren, as
from open enemies. It is dangerous having to do with
those who would be enemies to such a man as Paul.
The Christians at Rome were forward to meet him,
Acts 28, but when there seemed to be a danger of
suffering with him, then all forsook him. God might
justly be angry with them, but he prays God to
forgive them. The apostle was delivered out of the
mouth of the lion, that is, of Nero, or some of his
judges. If the Lord stands by us, he will strengthen
us in difficulties and dangers, and his presence
will more than supply every one's absence.
~Matthew Henry Concise
Notice this piece from the Biblical Illustrator:
Prayer and trust
This is the true inmost essence of prayer—not that
we should prescribe to Him how to answer our
desires, but that we should leave all that in His
hands. The apostle Paul said, in his last letter,
with triumphant confidence, that he knew that God
would “deliver him and save him into His everlasting
kingdom.” And he knew, at the same time, that his
course was ended, and that there was nothing for him
now but the crown. How was he “saved into the
kingdom” and “delivered from the mouth of the lion”?
The sword that struck off the wearied head that had
thought so long for God’s Church was the instrument
of the deliverance and the means of the salvation.
For us it may be that a sharper sorrow may be the
answer to the prayer, “Preserve Thy servant.” It may
be that God’s “bowing down His ear” and answering us
when we cry shall be to pass us through a mill that
has finer rollers, to crush still more the bruised
corn. But the end and the meaning of it all will be
to “rejoice the soul of the servant” with a deeper
joy at last. ~Biblical Illustrator
Quotes
on deliverance from evil:
“The
wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety
from danger, but deliverance from fear”
“Temptation is not his (Satan's) strongest weapon.
Despair is.”
"Those who leave everything in God's hand will
eventually see God's hand in everything."
"When the POWER OF GOD is present, healing and
deliverance are just like breathing."
“The nature of the enemy's warfare in your life is
to cause you to become discouraged and to cast away
your confidence. Not that you would necessarily
discard your salvation, but you could give up your
hope of God's deliverance. The enemy wants to numb
you into a coping kind of Christianity that has
given up hope of seeing God's resurrection power.”
This next one was mentioned by Garner Ted Armstrong
more than once in his preaching.
“Spiritual warfare is very real. There is a
furious, fierce, and ferocious battle raging in the
realm of the spirit between the forces of God and
the forces of evil. Warfare happens every day, all
the time. Whether you believe it or not, you are in
a battlefield. You are in warfare.”
Now to the specific commentaries.
The verse is generally in three parts:
1] And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil
work.
2] And will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.
3] To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1]
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work.
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work
- He does not say from “death,” for he expected now
to die; see 2 Timothy 4:6. But he was assured that
God would keep him from shrinking from death when
the hour approached; from apostasy, and from the
manifestation of an improper spirit when he came to
die. ~Barnes Notes
Quoted verse:
2 Timothy 4:6 [see
Lesson]
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of
my departure is at hand.
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work
- None of the evil designs formed against me to make
me unfaithful or unsteady, to cause me to save my
life at the expense of faith and a good conscience,
shall succeed; my life may go, but he will preserve
me unto his heavenly kingdom. A continuance on earth
the apostle expects not; but he has glory full in
view, and therefore he gives God glory for what he
had done, and for what he had promised to do.
~Adam Clarke
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work
- From wicked and unreasonable men, and all their
attempts upon him, and from all afflictions by them;
not but that he expected afflictions as long as he
was in the world, but he knew that God would support
him under them; and in his own time and way deliver
out of them; and at last entirely by death, when he
should be no more attended with them; and from all
the temptations of Satan, and his evil designs upon
him, and from sin and iniquity; not that he expected
to live free of Satan's temptations, or without sin,
but he believed that he should be kept from sinking
under the former [Satan’s temptations], and
from being under the dominion of the latter [sin];
and should not be left to deny his Lord, desert his
cause, blaspheme his name, and apostatize from him:
~John Gill
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work
- (Psalm 22:21), “will bring me safe to.” Jesus is
the Lord and the Deliverer (Philippians 3:20; 1
Thessalonians1:10): He saves from evil; He gives
good things. ~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown
Quoted verses:
Psalm 22:21
Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard
me from the horns of the unicorns.
Philippians 3:20
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also
we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
1 Thessalonians 1:10
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised
from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from
the wrath to come.
And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work -
Which is far more than delivering me from death.
Yea, and, over and above, preserve me unto his
heavenly kingdom - Far better than that of Nero.
~John Wesley Explanatory Notes
And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work -
Future middle. Recall the Lord’s Prayer. Paul is not
afraid of death. He will find his triumph in death
(Philippians 1:21.). ~Robinson's Word Pictures
Quoted verse:
Philippians 1:21
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work -
That thought, deliverance from evil, whether within
or without, is more precious to the apostle than any
deliverance from danger. The words in the Greek
remind one so strongly of the clause ‘Deliver us
from evil’ in the Lord’s Prayer, that we may well
think of this as an echo from the familiar form. So
far as it is so, it is in favor of the general,
rather than the personal, application of that
petition. The doxology [of praise to God]
also, no less than the prayer, may come from the
form as it was used liturgically [public worship].
In any case, it is noticeable that here we have,
beyond the shadow of a doubt, a doxology addressed
to Christ as the Lord, i.e. the fullest recognition
of his Divine nature. ~Popular commentary
Related verses:
Genesis 48:16
The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless
the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the
name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them
grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
1 Samuel 25:39
And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said,
Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of
my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept
his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned
the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David
sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him
to wife.
Psalm 121:7
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he
shall preserve thy soul.
Matthew 6:13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Luke 11:4
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every
one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into
temptation; but deliver us from evil.
John 17:15
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the
world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the
evil.
1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear it.
2 Corinthians 1:10
Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth
deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver
us;
2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you,
and keep you from evil.
2]
And will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.
And will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom - So
keep me from evil that I shall reach his [Kingdom];
see 2 Timothy 4:8. ~Barnes Notes
Quoted verse:
2 Timothy 4:8 [see
Lesson]
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearing.
And will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom -
the ultimate glory and happiness of the saints in [The
Kingdom]; so called, both because of its nature
and place, and to distinguish it from the church,
which is Christ's kingdom in this world, though it
is not of it; and from his personal reign with his
saints on earth, for the space of a thousand years;
whereas this will be for ever: and unto this the
apostle believed he should be preserved, as all the
saints will be, notwithstanding the persecutions of
the world, the temptations of Satan, and their own
corruptions; for they are secured in an everlasting
covenant, and in the hands of Christ; and have not
only angels to encamp about them, and salvation, as
walls and bulwarks to them, but God himself is a
wall of fire around them, and they are kept by his
power unto salvation: and besides, this heavenly
kingdom is prepared for them, and given to them;
they are chosen to be heirs and possessors of it;
they are called unto it, and Christ is gone to
receive it in their name, to prepare it for them,
and will come again and introduce them into it:
~John Gill
Related verses:
Psalm 37:28
For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his
saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of
the wicked shall be cut off.
Psalm 73:24
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward
receive me to glory.
Matthew 13:43
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in
the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear,
let him hear.
Matthew 25:34
Then shall the King say unto them on his right
hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world:
Luke 12:32
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 22:29
And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath
appointed unto me;
John 10:28-30
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than
all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my
Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and
I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
James 2:5
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen
the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of
the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love
him?
1 Peter 1:5
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Jude 1:1
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of
James, to them that are sanctified by God the
Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
Jude 1:24
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before the presence of
his glory with exceeding joy,
3]
To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
To whom be glory forever and ever - Paul was
accustomed to introduce a doxology in his writings
when his heart was full (compare Romans 9:5),
and in no place could it be more appropriate than
here, when he had the fullest confidence that he was
soon to be brought to [The Kingdom]. If man
is ever disposed to ascribe glory to God, it is on
such an occasion. ~Barnes Notes
Quoted verse:
Romans 9:5
Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning
the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed
for ever. Amen.
To whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen - of the
present deliverance, and of all others he had, or
should receive, as well as of the provision of the
heavenly kingdom for him, and of his preservation to
it. ~John Gill
To whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen - Greek,
“to whom be the glory unto the ages of ages.” The
very hope produces a doxology: how much greater will
be the doxology which the actual enjoyment shall
produce! ~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown
Related verses:
Galatians 1:5
To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:17 [see
Lesson]
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the
only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and
ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:16 [see
Lesson]
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light
which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath
seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power
everlasting. Amen.
Hebrews 13:21
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is wellpleasing in his
sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for
ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:11
To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
Jude 1:25
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.
Amen.
You are a firstfruit of God.
He will deliver you from every evil work.
He will preserve you to the Kingdom of God and
eternal life.
To God be glory forever and ever.
These are the lessons of verse 18. |
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