And by covetousness, with deceitful words they will use you for gain, whose judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep
Truth to Learn
Not every message delivered from the pulpit comes from God.
Behind the Words
The word translated “covetousness” is the Greek word pleonexia, which means, “fraudulent practice driven by greed.”
The next expression is, “deceitful words.” This comes from the Greek words plastois logois. We have seen the word logos before, meaning “a word or a message.” The other word here is plastos, from which we get our English word “plastic.” This Greek word means “molded” or “purposely shaped.” Today we refer to this kind of language as “spin.”
The verb “will use you for gain” comes from the Greek word emporeuomai, which means “to travel about as a merchant or trader.” The way it’s used here it means “to make merchandise of people.”
Meaning Explained
We have been talking about false prophets of the past and false teachers of the present. Peter now tells us what is driving their actions and how they operate. His imagery is that of a snake oil salesman traveling about, taking advantage of uneducated people by way of well chosen but intentionally misleading words so as to make the message sound the way people want it to sound for the purpose of taking their money. These false teachers that Peter is talking about are presenting messages that will inspire and comfort people so that they will give to the ministry and meet the selfish desires of the false teachers.
Their deception is as old as sin itself, driven by the same selfishness that drove Satan to deceive Eve with molded words that may have sounded good but lead to destruction. Peter tells us (literal translation of the second half of today’s verse):
their long standing judgment is not idle and their destruction is not dozing-off
In other words, the same judgment that has been given concerning this type of deception from of old will be applied to these false teachers of today without fail. They may think that they are getting away with something, but their destruction is sure.
These false teachers are occupying many of our church pulpits today, delivering homilies and sermons that bless the hearts of the hearers, while leading them straight to Hell. Their messages are soothing and even inspiring, but they are not the messages that God wants delivered. The messages are intended to please the people rather than to proclaim the message of sacrifice, commitment, and submission. These are the deceptive messages that church members are willing to pay for. How sad!
Application
The next time you hear your pastor preach a message that is straight from The Word, one that pricks your heart, causing you to once again submit yourself to the God of all creation, tell him thank you for taking the road less traveled and being God’s instrument of righteousness.
But, perhaps you go to church on Sunday to be soothed and comforted. If so, you may be buying snake oil!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved