2 Peter 2:12
But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.
Truth to Learn
Those who do not respect God’s word will perish.
Behind the Words
The expression “brute beasts” comes from the Greek aloga zōa. Aloga means “one who does not reason” or “irrational” and zōa (from which we get our English word zoo) refers to “a living creature or “an animal.” Hence they are irrational animals.
“Creatures of instinct” is translated from phusikos, meaning “natural, yielding only to animal instincts.”
The words “destroyed” and “perish” are both from the root phthora, meaning “corruption, destruction, ruin, or decay.” It is a picture of a piece of rotting fruit sitting out in the hot sun; in fact, Peter uses words from this root three times in this verse. A literal translation of the end of this verse is “they shall utterly perish in their corruption.” In other words, “in their rottenness, they shall completely rot away.”
Meaning Explained
Peter now gives a very graphic description of these false teachers, what drives them, and what will ultimately happen to them. He says that they are “like brute beasts, creatures of instinct” In other words, Peter says that they are irrational animals who are totally controlled by physical impulses and desires without intellectual reasoning of any kind. And, like animals, they were born only to be caught and destroyed, which is precisely what God will do to them at the end of their lives.
He also says “these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand.” These teachers are not at all shy about condemning and speaking evil of others, even though they have no real understanding of the things about which they speak so disrespectfully.
Peter is not very kind at all in his description of these false teachers. He says they take the precious message of hope and peace from a loving God and turn it into a watered down, warm and fuzzy, feel-good-about-yourself message that is designed simply to provide for their own physical desires. These foolish people are totally missing the spiritual implications of what they are supposed to be doing. Peter says that they will rot like spoiled fruit.
We all have jobs to provide income to feed and clothe us and our families. These false teachers saw their ministry as simply a job, and they were just making a living. So what’s wrong with that? Anyone who teaches or preaches the Word of God should not be doing what they do because it is a job or to earn a living. They need to recognize that it is a ministry that they are entrusted with by God, the Creator of heaven and earth. It is a sacred responsibility with eternal consequences both for the minister and those being ministered to.
Application
How do you view the Word of God? Do you look at the Bible with respect and awe; a message for mankind from God Himself?
Keep in mind that God will not treat with kindness those who treat His message as anything but precious and sacred!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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