These men are dry wells and clouds driven by a storm, for whom the blackest darkness is reserved.
Truth to Learn
The Bible is like refreshing, cleansing water to the soul.
Behind the Words
The word “clouds” is translated from omichlē, meaning “a mist, a fog, or a cloud.” Peter’s meaning is most likely “a cloud.”
“Driven” is from alaunō, which means “to carry or to drive.”
The word “storm” is translated from lailaps, meaning “a whirlwind or a storm.”
“Blackest” is the translation of dzophos, meaning “doom or blackness.”
Finally, the word “darkness” is from the Greek word skotos, which means “obscurity or darkness.”
Meaning Explained
Peter has said many unkind things about these false teachers; now he boils it down to a couple of very picturesque images. He says that they are “dry wells,” that is, wells without water and he says that they are “clouds driven by a storm.” These are both descriptions of something full of promise that never delivers. Imagine a person wandering in the arid wilderness who sees a well with the anticipation of securing a much needed drink of water only to find the well is dry. Likewise, imagine a farmer who has planted his crops in anticipation of a bountiful harvest seeing clouds appear with the promise of rain only to have the clouds blown away by a strong wind without dropping a bit of water.
Water is a necessity of life that is both soothing and refreshing, and it has a cleansing effect on dirty things. The Word of God is like water to us, refreshing and soothing our souls and cleansing us as we read and understand the message of the God of the Bible. Thirsty souls come to church to be refreshed and strengthened. However, when these false teachers get up to preach, instead of providing the refreshment and cleansing that the people need, they provide no water, only dried up words.
These false teachers promise the refreshing and cleansing effect of the Word of God, but what they deliver is “waterless,” like an empty well or a cloud without rain.
Peter then makes a proclamation about the end state of these false teachers. He says that the “blackest darkness is reserved for them.” The final state of these false teachers will be the enveloping darkness of eternity without the light of God. We often think of the fiery torture of the lake of fire as the worst punishment that can happen to a lost soul, but the total separation from the light of God (for God is light according to 1 John 1:5) with no prospect for reconciliation for all of eternity is worse yet. Blackest darkness, indeed!
Challenge
Let me encourage each of you to earnestly desire the light of the Word of God. Learn to crave it as you do food and water. Make it part of your every day diet, not just an occasional snack. Let me also encourage you to seek out a church where the word of truth is preached, holding fast to the fundamental truths contained in the Bible, where those who open up the Word to you each week do so because it is their ministry, not their source of income!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved