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2 Peter 2:15 – The Straight Path

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Will

having forsaken the true way, they went astray following the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

Truth to Learn

Follow the path God leads you on no matter how much fame and fortune are promised you.

Behind the Words

The words “having forsaken” are translated from planaō, meaning “to roam, to go astray, to leave the right way.”

“Following” is the translation of the Greek word exakoloutheō, a compound word made up of ex, used here as an intensifier, and akoloutheō, meaning “to accompany or to follow.” Hence this word means “to intensely follow” or “to imitate.”

Meaning Explained

In the close of the last verse and the first part of this verse, Peter said that these false teachers are “accursed children who have left the true way and went astray.” The way of righteousness in our traversing this world is often portrayed as walking down a path. We all have the option of following the straight path (true path) or of blazing our own path apart from the road God wants us to travel. These false teachers have gone one step farther. Not only have they left the path God has for them, but they have led others off the right way unto their own path. Though it may seem like a better way, it never works out so.

Instead, Peter says, these teachers have followed “the path of Balaam the son of Beor.” Let’s look at this prophet of the Old Testament and see what he did. This event occurred just as the children of Israel were about to enter into the Promised Land. You can read about it in Numbers 22:1-24:25. The Israelites were in the land of the Moabites just across the Jordan River from Jericho. Balak, the king of Moab, was afraid of the Israelites and called for Balaam to come and curse the Israelites so that the Moabites could attack them and destroy them.

Initially Balaam refused to come because Jehovah had instructed him that these were “blessed” people and they were not to be cursed. When Balak heard that Balaam refused to come, he offered Balaam great wealth and great honor if he would curse the people of Israel. Balaam then agreed to go with them knowing full well that God had forbidden him from cursing the Israelites.

Balaam was more persuaded by wealth and honor than he was by direct revelation from God himself. He was willing to “go along” with the evil doers even though he knew it to be wrong. It appears that Balaam’s intention was to not curse the Israelites, but he went along anyway because of his fleshly desire for fame and fortune.

There is a very real warning contained in this event. Do not stray from the path that God has laid out for you no matter what the price. Do not let the allurement of fame and fortune turn you from the straight way. Not only will the riches not satisfy you, but you will find that you are acting in direct opposition to God, and He will not bless your actions.

Application

The path of truth does not always appear to be the easiest or even the best, but we can trust God when he gives us direction. Let us learn to be sensitive to the prodding of the Spirit so that we can overcome the allurements of our own sinfulness and obey the One who knows the best path for us!

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Peter 2:25 – Soul Guardian

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Will

For you were like sheep going astray, but have now turned back to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Truth to Learn

Not only is God our Shepherd, He is the guardian of our soul.

Behind the Words

“Going astray” is translated from a form of planaō, meaning “to wander” or “to go astray.” This verb is expressed as a participle, implying continuous action. So, we could translate the first part of this verse as, “For you were like sheep continually wandering.”

The word translated “turned back” is from the Greek, epistrephō, made up of epi, meaning “upon” and strephō, meaning “to turn.” So, literally, it means “to turn upon” or “to turn around.” This verb is expressed in the aorist tense, implying a past action which occurred at a single point in time (you returned – not, you were returning.) That point in time is when you accepted Christ as savior and became a Christian.

The word “overseer” comes from the Greek word episkopos, meaning “one who oversees or takes care of others.” It is translated in some versions of the Bible as “bishop.”

Meaning Explained

Continuing from the previous verse, Peter now extends his reference to Isaiah:

All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of all of us. (Isaiah 53:6)

One of the characteristics of sheep is that without a shepherd they tend to wander aimlessly in an attempt to satisfy their most base desire (for food) with total disregard for their own present or future safety. Sometimes they will blindly follow the rest of the flock and sometimes they are oblivious even to them. What an apt description of our condition without our shepherd. We were lost and going astray, but when we got saved, we ceased straying and returned to our Shepherd.

To this metaphor of the sheep and the shepherd, Peter adds a subtle but significant descriptor. Not only is Christ our shepherd, but He is our overseer as well. In this verse, however, He is not just the overseer of the church, but of our very souls. With him now responsible for the safety of our souls, even to the prevention of our going astray, how could one possible believe that we who are now saved could ever lose that salvation and become lost. In order to believe that, we would have to believe that Christ is not a Good Shepherd nor is he overseeing our souls.

Application

Do you sometimes feel like you have committed such a terrible sin, or so many sins, that God could never forgive you? Do you feel like you have completely strayed from God? Peter tells us that not only has Christ paid for all our sins (past, present, and future), but he is constantly guarding our soul so that we can’t be lost ever again. Thank you, Lord, for guarding my soul!

In God's service, for His glory,

James 5:19 – Wandering from the Truth

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Will

My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth, and someone should turn him back,

Truth to Learn

We need to lovingly reach out to those who have strayed from the truth.

Behind the Words

There are a couple of words we want to look at in this verse. The first is “stray.” Some translations have this as “err” or “wander.” The Greek word is planaō which means “to stray,” “to roam,” “to wander,” or “to be out of the way.” The implication is that this person knew the truth and has since changed direction and has wandered into something that is not the truth. This word is expressed in the subjunctive mood as part of a 3^rd class conditional clause, indicating that it is possible, but there is no assumption as to whether it is true or not.

The other word we want to look at is “turn” which comes from the Greek epistrephō, which is made up of epi, meaning “upon” or “over” and strephō, meaning to turn. Hence, epistrephō literally means “to turn upon” or “to turn toward.” Here it carries the meaning “to turn back around to the original way.” This again emphasizes the fact that the person was originally going the correct way, has since turned away, but has now turned back around to the truth.

Meaning Explained

This verse does not stand on its own, but needs the next verse to make complete sense. We as Christians need to be ever on the guard against seducing doctrines that draw us away from the truth. That’s why it is so important for us to be reading the Bible daily and listening to doctrinally sound preachers, always seeking confirmation from the Spirit of God and the Bible itself as to the things that are being taught. Look at what was said of the believers in Berea concerning the teaching of Paul and Silas. These believers went directly to the Word to verify what they were being taught.

And the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who having arrived went into the synagogue of the Jews. And these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:10,11)

Today’s verse is not talking about salvation, even though the word “convert” is used in some translations rather than “turn … back.” It is talking about a believer who has been led into false doctrine.

People who are trained to spot counterfeit money are not taught what all the various fakes look like, instead they are taught in excruciating detail what the real thing looks like. Likewise, we will be able to detect false doctrine only when we know without a doubt what true Biblical doctrine is. In the next verse we will see that James speaks very strongly about the effect of false doctrine.

Application

You obviously want to know the truth of God’s Word, otherwise you wouldn’t be going through these daily devotional verse studies. But it can’t stop here. You need to be reading your Bible daily and regularly hearing good sound preaching based on God’s Word and nothing else. Only by thoroughly knowing the true doctrines taught in the Bible will you be able to detect false doctrine.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:16 – Perfect Love

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Will

Do not be led astray, my beloved brethren.

Truth to Learn

Seek the truth and do not let yourself be led astray, because God loves you with a perfect love.

Behind the Words

The word translated “be led astray” is a form of planaō which means “to cause to roam or wander about.” This verb is in the passive voice indicating action that is being done to the subject (my beloved brethren). Also, this verb is in the imperative mood, indicating a command. In the Book of the Revelation this word is used with regard to Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet, leading people astray from the true faith unto idolatry (Revelation 12:9; 19:20; 20:3).

In the Greek text the word order of this verse is “Do not be led astray brethren of mine, beloved ones.” Paul is not saying that his Christian brethren in Galatia are beloved by him (though they surely are), but that they are beloved by God. The reason for this is two-fold. First, is the fact that the word “beloved” comes from the Greek word agapē which is a self-sacrificing type of love. This is the word the apostle John used to describe what God is in 1 John 4:9. The second reason is the fact that in the next verse Paul will talk about the gifts that are bestowed by God; gifts that flow out of God’s love for us.

Meaning Explained

James has just been talking about trials and temptations. In verse thirteen he told his readers:

Let no one being tempted say, "I am tempted by God"; for God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself tempts no one.

He then went on to inform us that the source of these temptations is our own desires which have gotten out of control. He now returns to his comments about God. Believing that God tempts us to sin is heresy and James wants to make a strong point of the fact that not only does God not tempt us, but He loves us and is the source of all good things for us.

When we go through trying times, it is easy to roam from God, to get “weary in well doing,” to blame God, and to basically quit trying. James is encouraging us to hang in there during such times, not allowing ourselves to be led astray, because as brothers and sisters in Christ we are all loved by God.

This epistle (letter) is clearly addressing all of us who have been born again and who are loved by God. This agapē love has as its focus the good of the one being loved. God wants the best for us. He is not a mean ogre who wants to trick us into sinning. After all, that breaks our fellowship with Him. He wants us to grow from our trials so that we will be more like His Son, Jesus.

Application

I encourage you my brothers and sisters in Christ, in spite of whatever trials and tribulations you are going through right now, continue to walk facing God, keeping your focus on Him alone. When we are in the middle of trials one of the best pieces of advice we can receive is what James tells us later in this letter;

Be humbled before the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:10)

In God's service, for His glory,