Especially Those . . .

The Lord knows how to . . .

• save

• rescue

• deliver

• redeem

“Rescued.” This is a word that we learned in our last post Cause & Effect:

2 Peter 2:7 (CJB)
⁷  but he rescued Lot,

a righteous man

who was distressed by the debauchery of those unprincipled people;

God rescued Lot from the destruction of S’dom. He rescued Lot because Lot was:

• Faithful

• Innocent

• Loving

• Kind

• Good

• Upright

• Just

In other words, Lot was righteous. The text above tells us Lot was righteous.

But even if the text didn’t tell us Lot was righteous, we could deduce that he was by the first verse of our study:

2 Peter 2:9 (CJB)
⁹  So the Lord knows how

to rescue the godly from trials

and how to hold the wicked

until the Day of Judgment

while continuing to punish them,

If we look at the word “godly” in the text above, we find the Greek word εὐσεβήςeusebēs. Phonetically, yoo-seb-ace’. It means: devout, godly, reverent, religious. Notice what the root of the word means in the Greek-English dictionary:

The root sebomai (4431) means “fall back before, shrink from.”

Thoralf Gilbrant, ed., “2133. εὐσεβής,” in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Delta-Epsilon, (Springfield, MO: Complete Biblical Library, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “2133. εὐσεβής”.

While the Greek word theophobes (fearers of God) is understood to be such, you could also say God-fearers for eusebēs in this instance as well based on the root explanation of the Greek word used above. Fall back before whom? Shrink from whom?

In Judaism, Gentiles that were willing to follow the 7 laws of Noah (Noahide Laws) were considered “righteous” gentiles or “God-fearers.” According to Wikipedia under Noahidism, those 7 laws which are listed in the Mishnah in Sanhedrin 56a are:

1. Prohibition of idolatry: You shall not have any idols or false deities.

2. Prohibition of blasphemy: You shall not curse the name of God in Judaism.

3. Prohibition of murder: You shall not murder. (Genesis 9:6)

4. Prohibition of theft: You shall not steal.

5. Prohibition of adultery: You shall not commit adultery.

6. Prohibition of cruelty towards animals: Do not eat flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive. (Genesis 9:4, as interpreted in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 59a))

7. Requirement to have just laws: Set up a governing body of justice (e.g. courts)

This being said, verse 5:

2 Peter 2:5 (CJB)
⁵  And he did not spare the ancient world;

on the contrary, he preserved Noach,

a herald of righteousness,

with seven others,

and brought the Flood upon a world of ungodly people.

and verse 7:

2 Peter 2:7 (CJB)
⁷  but he rescued Lot,

a righteous man

who was distressed by the debauchery

of those unprincipled people;

are not about Gentiles. They are about 2 righteous men – 2 godly men: Noach and Lot. We know they are godly because of the context:

2 Peter 2:9 (CJB)
⁹  So the Lord knows how

to rescue the godly from trials

and how to hold the wicked

until the Day of Judgment

while continuing to punish them,

Using context, who are the subjects used as examples of being rescued by God in the previous verses?

• Noach (v5)

• Lot (v7)

Using context, who are the wicked that will be held until the day of judgment while being punished?

• False Prophets (v1)

• False Teachers (v1)

• The people that follow their Licentiousness (v2)

• The angels who sinned (v4)

• The pre-flood world (v5)

• S’dom and ‘Amora (v6)

God rescues the “righteous” – God rescues the “godly.”

God punishes the “UN-righteous” – God punishes the “UN-godly.” They will be held until the Day of Judgment:

κρίσις krisis
Judgment, damnation, decision, verdict, justice, court (tribunal).

Thoralf Gilbrant, ed., “2893. κρίσις,” in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Zeta-Kappa, (Springfield, MO: Complete Biblical Library, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “2893. κρίσις”.

Punishes or κολάζω kolazō has an interesting meaning in the Classical Greek (secular) and in the Septuagint Greek:

Originally this verb was used to describe “cutting off” or “pruning” that which was of no value. Since punishment sometimes involved some sort of maiming, this word came to be used figuratively to describe the “punishment” of individuals.

Thoralf Gilbrant, ed., “2822. κολάζω,” in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Zeta-Kappa, (Springfield, MO: Complete Biblical Library, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “2822. κολάζω”.

They will be held until their court date – that day where they will receive the justice they deserve – the justice they have earned with their lawless deeds (works). He will “prune” and “cut off” those which have no value.

Serious stuff, huh?

To be godly is to fear God – to fear displeasing Him – to fear being cut off – to fear being pruned – to fear having no value to God. Notice the following teaching by Yeshua (Jesus) to his talmidim (disciples):

John 15:5-6 (CJB)
⁵  “I am the vine and you are the branches.

Those who stay united with me,

and I with them,

are the ones who bear much fruit;

because apart from me you can’t do a thing.
⁶  Unless a person remains united with me,

he is thrown away like a branch and dries up.

Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire, where they are burned up.

This teaching from Yeshua is about pruning and cutting off the branches which are of no use to Him . . .

Now comes the kicker . . . “especially those…”

2 Peter 2:10 (CJB)
¹⁰  especially those …

2 Peter 2:10 (NIV)
¹⁰  This is especially true of those …

2 Peter 2:10 (AMP)
¹⁰  And particularly those …

2 Peter 2:10 (TEV)
¹⁰  especially those …

2 Peter 2:10 (KJV)
¹⁰  But chiefly them …

2 Peter 2:10 (NASB)
¹⁰  and especially those …

The Greek word μάλιστα malista which means: Especially, most of all, particularly and literally has the meaning:

This word is used as the superlative of the adverb mala, “very, very much,” in Greek literature. It can mean “especially, most, most of all, above all, particularly, (very) greatly, chiefly.”

Thoralf Gilbrant, ed., “3094. μάλιστα,” in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Lambda-Omicron, (Springfield, MO: Complete Biblical Library, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “3094. μάλιστα”.

Above all – most of all – very very much so who?

2 Peter 2:10 (CJB)
¹⁰  especially those

• who follow their old natures in lust for filth and

• who despise authority.

Presumptuous and self-willed,

these false teachers

do not tremble at insulting angelic beings;

Old nature = your condition before.

Before what?

Before you trusted – before you pursued righteousness – before you pursued godliness.

When you were UN-righteous – When you were UN-godly – When you were secular (worldly).

When you longed for the flesh – longed for the unspiritual – when you craved it – when you lusted after it. When your deeds were evil – when your works and thoughts were based upon human standards and not godly ones (the very definition of worldly in the text):

1 Corinthians 3:3 (CJB)
³  For you are still worldly!

Isn’t it obvious

from all the jealousy and quarreling among you

that you are worldly

and living by merely human standards?

“Presumptuous and self-willed”

has the meaning of

audacious (lack of respect and willing to to bold risks) and arrogant (self-pleasing, self-willed).

These audacious and arrogant people do NOT tremble:

τρέμωtremō
In its earliest extant appearances tremō meant “to shake or quiver” or “to shiver with the chills” (associated with malaria) (Liddell-Scott).

It came to be used of shaking in fear, as of the woman with the issue of blood when she approached Jesus (Mark 5:33; Luke 8:47).

Saul trembled on the Damascus Road when he asked, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6).

Tremō is the proper (but absent) emotion of those who blaspheme dignitaries (2 Peter 2:10).

Thoralf Gilbrant, ed., “4981. τρέμω,” in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Sigma-Omega, (Springfield, MO: Complete Biblical Library, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “4981. τρέμω”.

These audacious and arrogant people do NOT tremble (shake with fear – get the chills) at what?

Blaspheming . . . slandering . . . insulting . . . speaking abuslivley . . . speaking evil of . . .

To blaspheme is to insult . . .

For example, to say God lies is to blaspheme God because there is no lie in Him.

To say God lies is slandering His Reputation – His Name.

To say God lies is an insult aimed at God because He does not lie.

To be worldly – to love the world and worldly things

To lust after and follow our former natures while proclaiming to be his children,

Slanders His Word and slanders His Reputation – His Name.

It is an insult to Him and all that He is. It is blasphemy.

Blasphemy could be said to be the opposite of fearing God.

Think about that for a minute . . . would you really slander or insult someone that you feared?

Do you fear God? Do you REALLY?!?

Do you deeds (works) show this fear of God? This AWE of who He is?

OR

Do you insult and blaspheme Him?

Do your deeds (works) show an arrogance and complete lack of respect for His commands, which are evident in your chasing after the things you loved in your old nature such as R-rated movies, sex before marriage, doing drugs, etc?

Do you live your life by a “human standard” or a “godly standard?”

Last question, according to the text, which standard will God rescue and which standard will He especially cut off because they are of no use to Him?

Shalom!

 

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