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2nd Peter 2.9-11
February 14th 2016
Meat
Okay, Peter does not have a lot of nice things to say about the false teachers of his day.
Last week we left off with him telling us that if God did not spare the angels who rebelled against Him, and if He didn’t spare the unfaithful of Noah’s day, and if he didn’t spare the salacious people of Sodom and Gomorrah, then He would certainly not spare the false teachers of his day.
But amidst his examples he clearly pointed out that God did in fact spare a small number of people in each of those troubling times.
First the angels that were not cast down to hell, second Noah and seven others, and finally Lot and his two daughters from Sodom and Gommorah days.
This lead Peter to provide us with our text for today where, continuing he says of the faithful who the Lord spared:
2nd Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
Let’s talk about this verse because it sort of serves as an exclamation point to all Peter said last week.
In other words he seems to say after mentioning Noah and the Seven and Lot that God is able to deliver his people when tempted, and understands the best way in which it should be done.
Psalm 34:19 reiterates that:
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”
The promises are in scripture of his willingness and ability to protect all from temptations that draw us away. For example Paul says in 1st Corinthians 10
“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.”
The Greek word here for tempt or temptation is either
PI-RAS-MUS
Or
PI-RAD-ZO
And where the King James translates them to tempt or temptation they better mean experience, trial, test, or difficulty.
So it is related to tempted but from what I can see it best means the trial and difficult experiences we all face as followers of Christ.
So let me re-read Paul’s words but replace tempt or temptation with difficult trial –
“There hath no difficult trial taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tried above that ye are able; but will with the difficult trial also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
This is important because with it we are reassured that God will see us through the trials and provide ways to experience relief.
It is also important because it then makes the context of Paul’s words make more sense. Let me re-read verse 13 in context of the passages surrounding it. In chapter 10 of 1st Corinthians beginning at verse 9.
Listen to what Paul says to the beleivers and the things WE ARE SUPPOSED to do:
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, (1) as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye,(2) as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, (3) upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (4)
So Paul delivers four instructions about what believers are supposed to do before saying:
13 There hath no difficult trial taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tried above that ye are able; but will with the trial also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Now listen to what he adds after having said this –
14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. (so there is a fifth instruction that goes hand in hand with God being able to protect or deliver us amidst our trials).
Admittedly we have those times when God in his mercy steps in and just yanks us out of the fire – probably more of them than we will ever realize.
But there is evidence that we are to act and take action too.
I was called out recently to a man who was held on suicide watch and he was in some deep drunken despair when I got to where they were holding him.
That morning he went to church and heard the pastor quote this passage from over the pulpit that
God would not allow us to experience any temptation that we could not bear (was how he quoted it back to me) and then he said in tears:
“When is God going to give me a break? When is He going to keep me from being tempted beyond what I can bear?”
He was sincere but from what I could see he was sincerely mislead. What I mean by this is he was under the impression that God roams about like the bodyguard of a spoiled rock star. You know, that we can do what we want but He is always there to stop real problems from happening.
I took the liberty of telling this fellow that God would start extending His protection when He started making some good decisions.
He was shocked that they were connected.
It’s an interesting debate – just how much does God interfere and how much are we involved in how He chooses to interfere?
To me – and from what I can assess from scripture – God’s hands in some cases are tied (so to speak).
I realize that this sounds contrary to many passages of scripture but I do not believe that in this fallen world He interferes in every circumstance freely.
I think that the nature of the fall, His love for freedom and liberty and choice, His being a good and loving God prohibits Him from surreptitiously or willfully trampling over all circumstances and forcing things to happen or not.
There appears to be times where He does interfer but just as many where He doesn’t – and that includes protecting those who are faithful to Him and/or those they love.
I am however just as convinced that God is ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS available for all of us when and if we are in trials or difficulties and is there to see us through.
What appears to help in His assistance of us – again, appears – is our desire and willingness to trust in Him and follow Him.
I base this off the idea that God did NOT just save the world by snapping His fingers or willing it.
He actually became incarnate! He actually sent His only begotten to do get directly involved in the flesh and blood world.
That there is a reciprocated relationship, a give and take, an exchange between God in Man in the redemption and protection of Man is obvious.
Think of the relationship or exchange like this:
He created our hair type We choose Grooming style and length
Our facial beauty or unattractiveness Make-up and hygiene
Our body configurations Fitness and heath
Our intelligence Information/knowledge gained
Core personality traits Attitude and behaviors
Our height Posture
Number and look of teeth Hygiene and upkeep
Our strengths and propensities Application, honing and enhancements
Our gifts Use and improvements upon
Accidents Our response to them
Blessings Our response to them
Life Our handling of it
(SPIRITUALLY)
He reveals Himself We choose to believe
God sent His Son We choose to receive
He calls We choose to respond
He knocks We choose to open
He speaks We choose to listen
He Commands We choose to obey
He Blesses We choose to glorify Him or self
He allows trials We submit or rebel
And He Gives gifts
(His Son, the Spirit, the Word)
And use them or refuses them
I cannot for the life of me seeing Him as imposing His ways upon anyone who refuses to respond.
So getting back to Peter he seems to be telling the faithful readers of his day that they need not worry – God would deliver them – just as He has delivered others out of the mouth of lions and furnace fires.
And while He may do this through sending angels to support them (and us), or interrupt evil attempts on our persons, or cast our tempter out, or bring in earthly brothers and sisters to help us – and (listen) even sometimes taking us to heaven just at the right moment – He also is able . . . (Peter says)
“to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.”
He knows how to deliver the godly out of trials AND AND AND “He knows how to
“reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.”
Now, the Greek for punish here is kolodzo and it is derived from the root word, Kolos which means
“dwarf.” So God knows how to
“reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be dwarfed?”
In a way, yes. Cut short. Curtailed.
Remember last week my hypothecation where I suggested that even though Christ has had the victory that God is just and how I believe that both His mercy and His justice will be meted out in the respective resurrections of every individual?
Well, instead of reading the English translation of these words I believe God how to
“reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be cut short” . . . damned, perhaps? Curtailed?
Admittedly this could relate to their existence, to the functions of their resurrected bodies, or to what they are able to experience after this life – we don’t know.
But I do not believe it means destroyed like the King James intimates.
The next verse begins in the King James with, “but chiefly . . .” but we might better understand it as saying:
“Especially . . .” (referring to those unjust beings that God has reserved unto the day of judgement) And then he says, “Especially (at verse 10 through to verse 16.
And these are the verses that echo the contents of Jude.
) and lets read through to verse
“them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government.
10 Presumptuous are they, self-willed – they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
So let’s go back to verse 10 and thresh our way through the text.
God knows how to “reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be cut short”
“Especially . . . “
. . . them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness”
We mentioned last week how Peter accuses these false teachers of living and drawing people away through sexual licentiousness and here he refers back to the charge.
He goes on and says that they
“despise government.”
The Greek word is “koo ree ot ace” and it means they despise to have Lordship or dominion over them.
So where it really doesn’t mean “governments” it may include them, but it really means they hate being under the directions of anyone.
Now, we could react to this the way I used to an believe that all who hate being under the control of others are going to hell but we have to believe that the people Peter was talking about would not be under apostolic rule.
And the follow-up question is had we lived in that day and age fit this bill?
Additionally, Peter could have been saying too that these types would not even allow the Lord to Lord over them. And the follow-up question (again) is
Are we of the same ilk and attitude?
I used to read Peter’s descriptions here and just shutter because they really can describe much about my own person.
But I want to be fair – both to myself and to others who hate to be lorded over – would we or do we presently refuse to be Lorded over by the Lord?
And would you allow yourself to be Lorded over by the Apostles that He chose?
This is where things can get a little sticky because there are men (and women) today who will quickly assign these passages to those who reject their authoritai . . . but I find their demands to be obeyed unsupported.
Also, I do (desire and at least try) to allow the Lord to Lord over me – because He is worthy. Men are not.
Would I have been rebellious to the Apostles? That is an admitted concern, and so reading these passages go a long way in keeping my rebellious nature in check and at least striving to get along with those who believe they have the right to Lord over me.
Peter continues his rant against these fallen ones and adds more description of them, saying:
“Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
More words that tend to describe my nature:
Presumptuous (tol-may-tace) daring
are they
Self-willed