COMMENTARY

Old Testament: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Jeremiah writes a letter to the exiles in Babylon. The first wave of deportees have arrived in Babylon. They are now held as hostages so that the remaining Jews in Jerusalem would obey and pay their taxes to Babylon. False prophets were among the exiles who were admonished to rebel. They predicted a downfall of Babylonia and a return to Jerusalem in the near future. In opposition to this Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles urging them to settle down for a stay of 70 years and to resume a normal family life. They were to pray for the nation and seek her prosperity.

Epistle: 2 Timothy 2:8-15
Though Paul is fettered, the Word is not and Timothy is urged to rightly handle it. This passage certainly impresses one that it is authentically Pauline…