2Pe 2:7-8 | KingComments | STEP | . The same God Who brings judgment on the ungodly, is the God who delivers the righteous. If you know the history of Lot as it is described in Genesis, then you must be rubbing your eyes to make sure that you’re not mistaken about what is said of Lot here, that he was “righteous”. It is even said three times. He was everything but a Noah, who preached righteousness. The righteousness of Lot had not become visible, it was not reflected, neither in his words and nor in his deeds. Still he was a righteous man, inwardly. Therefore we had to be informed by the Scripture itself, for else we would have never known. Of course it does not do credit to Lot. It also will do you no credit if no one knows that you are a believer or if other believers have to put a question mark on your faith because they do not see anything of it. . That Lot indeed was a believer, appears from the fact that he was truly suffering by what he saw around him. He saw immoral people living in lawlessness. He dwelled in their midst and came into contact with them day by day. He heard their dirty talking, he saw their filthy behavior and that all cut through his soul. He was filled with disgust by what he saw and heard. In that respect he is an example for Christians who are saying that it doesn’t affect them when they for instance watch sexually oriented scenes in a movie. Does it also cut through your soul when you see the immoral signs on the billboards along the road or when you hear filthy speech around you? . The examples that Peter has mentioned make clear that the Lord knows how to distinguish between “the godly” and “the unrighteous”. That appears from His dealings with them. His dealings with Godly people appears from their deliverance. His dealings with unrighteous people appears from the judgment that He brings on them. He knows the temptations that people are facing, who have respect for Him. These temptations are tests of faith: outer circumstances in which believers may find themselves, through which their faith is tested. The Lord knows how to deliver His own from it. He is able to change the circumstances or to help them through these circumstances, or even, like the case of Lot, to take away the believer out of those circumstances. The unrighteous are reserved for judgment. None of the unrighteous will escape judgment. No one can run away from God. For those who do not want to bow before God, black darkness has been reserved ( ). This forms a great contrast with the believers who are reserved for the inheritance, while the inheritance is reserved for them ( ). . After the examples that have demonstrated the inescapability of God’s judgment, Peter continues to expose the false teachers. Among them there is a category that operates more depraved than the false teachers already do in general. It is a category of men who surrender themselves to the filthy lusts of their flesh and who, in limitless arrogance, treat all authority given by God with contempt. Those people especially will be struck by God’s judgment. Today it is about ‘Christian’ teachers who, in order to satisfy their own dirty lusts, teach that you are allowed to have sex with whoever you want. In order to succeed they know how to manipulate the truth of God’s Word in such a way that they convince others of their freedom and that they can live out their lusts in that way. They have the audacity to defy any authority that makes them feel constrained. They are that arrogant and proud that they feel no hindrances to blaspheme and reject God’s authority. Blaspheming is falsely accusing and deliberately evil speaking of something or someone, in order to make the other despicable. An example of that you find in the feminist theology that rejects and disempowers God’s order of creation and refuses to speak about God as Father. . In their recklessness and arrogance these kind of people go that far, that they exalt themselves above the mightiest angels. Angels who in power and holiness go far beyond these void and through and through depraved people ( ; ), do not dare what these people dare to ( ; ). Their big words and blasphemy are proven to be completely reprehensible by the conduct of these powers who are many times greater. . The people who are guilty of that, are unbelievers who arrogantly call themselves Christians. They behave “like unreasoning animals” and therefore they are classified in line with them. Balaam is even classified below the animals, for he is lectured by an animal ( ). As less able as natural unreasoning animals, false teachers are able to ponder on these things with insight. They simply do not understand what they are talking about, even though they use such learned words. Just as unreasoning animals are born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, false teachers are caught and destroyed. They are acting after their evil nature and receive the result of their actions. They are not created for destruction as if they were destined to, but they will be destroyed in their own destruction. They bring themselves under destruction. In that way a person, who practices a sexually free way of living, may be infected by AIDS and in this way receive the wages that goes hand in hand with his life in unrighteousness. . They exercise their activities for wages and this is the way that God will repay them. By that I do not mean that all people who for instance have AIDS, have received this disease as wages for their life in unrighteousness. A person can also contract this disease by an inaccurate action of others. I heard about someone who was infected by a transfusion of contaminated blood. A person can also contract a disease while nursing someone with an infectious disease. “A pleasure to revel in the daytime”, when normal people are working, is the highlight of pleasure for them. Instead of being generous they are greedy and gluttonous. And consider thereby that Peter does not talk about their behavior in the world, but in the midst of the Christian company. They carouse “with you”. They succeeded in taking their place in the midst of Christians to mingle with them. There they take part in eating and drinking in a way that reveals where their life consists of. Exactly because of this kind of people, separation is needed. If we allow them to act their way freely, they will ‘blemish and spot’ the Christian community. “Blemishes and spots” are no adornment, but taint what is beautiful and clean. That’s why they must be removed as soon they become visible. . While they are feasting, their eyes go restlessly to and fro to lustfully look at beautiful women as much as they can (cf. ). In their mind they commit adultery ( ). They have no restraints on their consumption and no restraints on their sexual lusts. People who cannot control themselves when it comes to eating and drinking often also not able to control themselves in other areas either. They are constantly sinning, without any moment of pausing. They seek how they can entice “unstable souls”, people who are not firmly rooted in the Scripture (cf. ), to profit from them. This behavior comes forth from “a heart trained in greed”. They have developed a sense by which they know exactly who to make prey to their greedy desires. Peter succinctly calls them “accursed children”, or better, children of curse. They come from a curse and are a curse for all who come into contact with them. Their end is in accordance to that, for the Lord Jesus will send them to the eternal fire as accursed ones ( ). . False teachers have known the right way (cf. ; ), that is the way of obedience to God and His Word, but have abandoned it. Then they also distort the right ways of the Lord ( ). After the error of Balaam ( ) and the doctrine of Balaam ( ) they will end up on the way of Balaam and will follow his way. By speaking about “ the way of Balaam” Peter sets Balaam as the example of going a way that makes religion a merchandise. You find his history in Numbers 22-24. There it appears that he presented himself as a prophet of God, while he was planning to curse God’s people because he was offered a lot of money to do so. That is considered by God as ”wages of unrighteousness”. It is wages that is earned by doing evil works. . In a special way God hindered the foolishness of the prophet to curse His people. He gave the “mute donkey” that Balaam rode on, the ability to speak “with a voice of a man”. The donkey rebuked Balaam for his own transgression. He struck the donkey three times, while the donkey only carried him and protected him against calamity ( ). He proved by that that he was blind to the warnings and persistently continued his own way. By letting the donkey speak to him, God made clear how foolish the prophet was. Subsequently, God allowed Balaam to continue his way, while He forced him to bless His people. Also today God has His methods to speak to false teachers and He often does that in a way that makes stubborn, money-hungry false teachers despicable. It would be a good thing if they want to listen for their own well-being, otherwise they will partake of the fate of Balaam ( ). Now read 2 Peter 2:7-16 again. Reflection: Which characteristics of false teachers are given in these verses?

‏ 2 Peter 2:7-8

The Way of Balaam

2Pet 2:7. The same God Who brings judgment on the ungodly, is the God who delivers the righteous. If you know the history of Lot as it is described in Genesis, then you must be rubbing your eyes to make sure that you’re not mistaken about what is said of Lot here, that he was “righteous”. It is even said three times.

He was everything but a Noah, who preached righteousness. The righteousness of Lot had not become visible, it was not reflected, neither in his words and nor in his deeds. Still he was a righteous man, inwardly. Therefore we had to be informed by the Scripture itself, for else we would have never known. Of course it does not do credit to Lot. It also will do you no credit if no one knows that you are a believer or if other believers have to put a question mark on your faith because they do not see anything of it.

2Pet 2:8. That Lot indeed was a believer, appears from the fact that he was truly suffering by what he saw around him. He saw immoral people living in lawlessness. He dwelled in their midst and came into contact with them day by day. He heard their dirty talking, he saw their filthy behavior and that all cut through his soul. He was filled with disgust by what he saw and heard. In that respect he is an example for Christians who are saying that it doesn’t affect them when they for instance watch sexually oriented scenes in a movie. Does it also cut through your soul when you see the immoral signs on the billboards along the road or when you hear filthy speech around you?

2Pet 2:9. The examples that Peter has mentioned make clear that the Lord knows how to distinguish between “the godly” and “the unrighteous”. That appears from His dealings with them. His dealings with Godly people appears from their deliverance. His dealings with unrighteous people appears from the judgment that He brings on them.

He knows the temptations that people are facing, who have respect for Him. These temptations are tests of faith: outer circumstances in which believers may find themselves, through which their faith is tested. The Lord knows how to deliver His own from it. He is able to change the circumstances or to help them through these circumstances, or even, like the case of Lot, to take away the believer out of those circumstances.

The unrighteous are reserved for judgment. None of the unrighteous will escape judgment. No one can run away from God. For those who do not want to bow before God, black darkness has been reserved (2Pet 2:17). This forms a great contrast with the believers who are reserved for the inheritance, while the inheritance is reserved for them (1Pet 1:4-5).

2Pet 2:10. After the examples that have demonstrated the inescapability of God’s judgment, Peter continues to expose the false teachers. Among them there is a category that operates more depraved than the false teachers already do in general. It is a category of men who surrender themselves to the filthy lusts of their flesh and who, in limitless arrogance, treat all authority given by God with contempt. Those people especially will be struck by God’s judgment.

Today it is about ‘Christian’ teachers who, in order to satisfy their own dirty lusts, teach that you are allowed to have sex with whoever you want. In order to succeed they know how to manipulate the truth of God’s Word in such a way that they convince others of their freedom and that they can live out their lusts in that way.

They have the audacity to defy any authority that makes them feel constrained. They are that arrogant and proud that they feel no hindrances to blaspheme and reject God’s authority. Blaspheming is falsely accusing and deliberately evil speaking of something or someone, in order to make the other despicable. An example of that you find in the feminist theology that rejects and disempowers God’s order of creation and refuses to speak about God as Father.

2Pet 2:11. In their recklessness and arrogance these kind of people go that far, that they exalt themselves above the mightiest angels. Angels who in power and holiness go far beyond these void and through and through depraved people (Psa 103:20; 2Kgs 19:35), do not dare what these people dare to (Jude 1:9; Zec 3:2). Their big words and blasphemy are proven to be completely reprehensible by the conduct of these powers who are many times greater.

2Pet 2:12. The people who are guilty of that, are unbelievers who arrogantly call themselves Christians. They behave “like unreasoning animals” and therefore they are classified in line with them. Balaam is even classified below the animals, for he is lectured by an animal (2Pet 2:16).

As less able as natural unreasoning animals, false teachers are able to ponder on these things with insight. They simply do not understand what they are talking about, even though they use such learned words. Just as unreasoning animals are born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, false teachers are caught and destroyed. They are acting after their evil nature and receive the result of their actions.

They are not created for destruction as if they were destined to, but they will be destroyed in their own destruction. They bring themselves under destruction. In that way a person, who practices a sexually free way of living, may be infected by AIDS and in this way receive the wages that goes hand in hand with his life in unrighteousness.

2Pet 2:13. They exercise their activities for wages and this is the way that God will repay them. By that I do not mean that all people who for instance have AIDS, have received this disease as wages for their life in unrighteousness. A person can also contract this disease by an inaccurate action of others. I heard about someone who was infected by a transfusion of contaminated blood. A person can also contract a disease while nursing someone with an infectious disease.

“A pleasure to revel in the daytime”, when normal people are working, is the highlight of pleasure for them. Instead of being generous they are greedy and gluttonous. And consider thereby that Peter does not talk about their behavior in the world, but in the midst of the Christian company. They carouse “with you”. They succeeded in taking their place in the midst of Christians to mingle with them. There they take part in eating and drinking in a way that reveals where their life consists of.

Exactly because of this kind of people, separation is needed. If we allow them to act their way freely, they will ‘blemish and spot’ the Christian community. “Blemishes and spots” are no adornment, but taint what is beautiful and clean. That’s why they must be removed as soon they become visible.

2Pet 2:14. While they are feasting, their eyes go restlessly to and fro to lustfully look at beautiful women as much as they can (cf. Job 31:1). In their mind they commit adultery (Mt 5:28). They have no restraints on their consumption and no restraints on their sexual lusts. People who cannot control themselves when it comes to eating and drinking often also not able to control themselves in other areas either. They are constantly sinning, without any moment of pausing.

They seek how they can entice “unstable souls”, people who are not firmly rooted in the Scripture (cf. Col 2:7), to profit from them. This behavior comes forth from “a heart trained in greed”. They have developed a sense by which they know exactly who to make prey to their greedy desires.

Peter succinctly calls them “accursed children”, or better, children of curse. They come from a curse and are a curse for all who come into contact with them. Their end is in accordance to that, for the Lord Jesus will send them to the eternal fire as accursed ones (Mt 25:41).

2Pet 2:15. False teachers have known the right way (cf. 1Sam 12:20-24; Hos 14:9), that is the way of obedience to God and His Word, but have abandoned it. Then they also distort the right ways of the Lord (Acts 13:10). After the error of Balaam (Jude 1:11) and the doctrine of Balaam (Rev 2:14) they will end up on the way of Balaam and will follow his way.

By speaking about “the way of Balaam” Peter sets Balaam as the example of going a way that makes religion a merchandise. You find his history in Numbers 22-24. There it appears that he presented himself as a prophet of God, while he was planning to curse God’s people because he was offered a lot of money to do so. That is considered by God as ”wages of unrighteousness”. It is wages that is earned by doing evil works.

2Pet 2:16. In a special way God hindered the foolishness of the prophet to curse His people. He gave the “mute donkey” that Balaam rode on, the ability to speak “with a voice of a man”. The donkey rebuked Balaam for his own transgression. He struck the donkey three times, while the donkey only carried him and protected him against calamity (Num 22:22-33). He proved by that that he was blind to the warnings and persistently continued his own way. By letting the donkey speak to him, God made clear how foolish the prophet was. Subsequently, God allowed Balaam to continue his way, while He forced him to bless His people.

Also today God has His methods to speak to false teachers and He often does that in a way that makes stubborn, money-hungry false teachers despicable. It would be a good thing if they want to listen for their own well-being, otherwise they will partake of the fate of Balaam (Num 31:8).

Now read 2 Peter 2:7-16 again.

Reflection: Which characteristics of false teachers are given in these verses?