I have never really noticed this before, but I am struck by Paul’s confidence in 2 Timothy 4. He writes that he is being poured out as a drink offering. Drawing from the illustration of a drink offering in the book of Numbers, Paul knows his death is imminent. In the next verse, he writes that his departure (literally the loosing of the anchor) is near.
“The apostle’s death was imminent, unavoidable this time, as the second metaphor of departure suggests (compare Php 1:23). Yet his death as his final token of worship was no senseless defeat. Timothy was to draw from this model the motivation to carry on the struggle, to bring his own worship to God.”
IPV Commentary
Was he defeated? Absolutely not. He had already written in Philippians that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Paul is fully confident. He has no regrets.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7 ESV
How many of us could say this? How many of us would have the assurance to be able to say we have done everything that God has asked of us in this life? The conclusion of Paul’s life was not a “happily ever after” ending. He suffered. He was in chains. He had been abandoned by friends. His opponents had damaged his ministry.
But through all this, his testimony is strong. The Lord strengthened him. Paul is urging Timothy to follow his footsteps. His confidence in his own future has never been stronger.
So, let’s put this all together. Paul is close to death. He has struggled through mental, physical, and emotional turmoil. His future, from a worldly perspective, looks hopeless. Yet, spiritually, he has never been stronger!
“It seems that it is when circumstances least warrant hope in God that the conviction and experience of God’s promises to stand near and deliver grow most clear to the righteous. Paul’s hope of salvation was never more certain than when he wrote these final words.”
IVP Commentary