Lent 2010 #6

2 Peter 2:4-21 (The Inclusive Bible):


When the angels sinned, God did not spare them, but condemned them to the dungeons of the underworld to await the final judgment. Nor did the Most High spare the ancient world. God spared Noah, the paragon of justice, along with seven others, but flooded the ungodly world; God rescued the just Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of wicked people that he both witnessed and heard about as he lived among them; he suffered daily torment to his soul because of their lawlessness. But God knows how to rescue the godly from torment, and to incarcerate the unjust until the day of judgment. 

This pertains especially to those who succumb to the desires of the flesh, and to those who rebel against all authority. These bold and willful people are not afraid to revile the glorious angels - even though the angels, with all their superior strength and power, don't speak a word of judgment against them in the presence of our God. These people - who blaspheme anything they don't understand - are irrational animals, bred to be captured and killed, destroying themselves with their own destructive instincts. They will reap evil in reward for the evil they do. They revel in the daylight just for the fun of it. They are nothing but stains and blemishes. And they make amusement at your expense, even when you sit as a guest at their table. With their adulterous eyes they seduce the unstable because of their infinite capacity for sin. Their profession is greed - an accursed breed! They have abandoned the straight and narrow, straying onto the way of Balaam ben-Beor, who lusted for the wages of injustice. But he was admonished by a mute animal, a donkey speaking with a human voice, which put an end to the prophet's madness. These people are waterless wells and storm-driven mists. Utter darkness is reserved for them. With their hollow, arrogant talk about the pleasures of the flesh, they will seduce people who have only just escaped from those who live in error. They promise freedom, while they themselves are slaves to sin - for whatever dominates you makes you a slave.

If you've survived the enticements of the world through knowing our Sovereign and Savior Jesus Christ, you'll be ultimately worse off than at the start if you slip and are overcome a second time. Better not to have known the way of holiness, than to have known it and later reject the holy commandment.




THOUGHTS:

The first thing that strikes me about this passage is it's harsh language. "Irrational animals?" The traditional translations are even worse, using phrases like "brute beasts" in the NIV. What brings on these words? These are people who "blaspheme anything they don't understand." They are accused of "greed," and "make amusement" at others' expense. 

In today's world, multitudes are exploited daily in the name of greed and selfishness. Millions of people are daily treated like animals - or worse. The Bible tells us that people who do this are essentially behaving like animals themselves. "For with what judgment ye judge, so shall ye be judged..." If we treat others as less than human, if we do not give basic respect, we also disrespect ourselves, for we are human too.

A few questions to contemplate:

These days, many different cultures and types of people interact in unprecedented ways. How do we react to people who are different from us? 

How can we be more patient when others act in ways we find offensive? (This can range from big things like racism to relatively small things like being cut off when parking.) 

How can we be more self-aware and diffuse a situation if we find we have offended others (whether intentionally out of anger or accidentally)? 

How much greed do we act with? Are we often jealous of what others have? Do we take for granted the blessings that we are given? Do we waste not only money, but time, resources, or even friendships? (For example, by not taking opportunities to be a friend in the first place, or by treating a friend as worthless. )

Balaam needed something as crazy as a talking donkey to bring back his sanity so that he could do the work of God. May we need far less motivating to love as God has called us.

PRAYER:

God, help us learn to walk in love and patience as Jesus did, creating peace between ourselves and others.
May we learn to not take for granted the gifts you have given and the people you have placed around us. Amen

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Thoughts by Victoria Meixell, student at George Mason University

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These devotions for young adults are provided by:
Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran
Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/
DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/
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