Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...
Slander. Slander. Slander. Peter is talking about slander again! He sees slander as a very serious matter. He's mentioned it in 1 Peter 2:1-2, telling one and all to "be rid" of it. I've dealt with this in The Dangerous Duo blog entry. Peter comes at it again in 1 Peter 2:13-17, teaching his readers to show proper respect and that this type of ignorant talk be silenced. In 1 Peter 3:15-16 he says the people who engage in slander should be ashamed of it. So you can see this issue was very much a problem a way back then as it is today.
Here in 2 Peter 2:11-22, the subject pops up again and he does not have good things to say about the type of people who engage in slander; who make "slanderous accusations". He says that even angels, or rather "celestial beings" don't even dare to slander other celestial beings in the presence of the Lord, yet these human beings have no problem whatsoever rolling it off their tongues wherever they are. These people "follow corrupt ways and lustful desires of human nature" (vs18).
The description Peter gives us of those who bring "slanderous accusation" is rather ugly. It includes: they "carouse in broad daylight"; they are "blots, blemishes (not on them but they themselves are the blemishes); they are "full of adultery"; they "never stop sinning"; they "seduce unstable people"; they are "experts in greed"; they "love wages for wickedness"; are "springs without water"; "their mouths are empty and have boastful words"; they "entice people who live in error" and are "slaves to depravity".
This is an abominable list. But, do we ourselves engage in slander? We cannot point our fingers at others in this matter. We must examine ourselves. If we do find ourselves slandering others, we'd best get right with God over it. Be ashamed of it and repent. Confess to God and He will forgive and cleanse us of it when we are sincerely sorry and repentant (1 John 1:9).
Verse 19 says, "A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him." If we feel we have been mastered by slander, there is a way out; that is the repentance and confession to God mentioned above. We may even need to ask forgiveness of those we have slandered. Maybe the person (s) will or will not forgive you but you have at least done your part in seeking their forgiveness. "A brother wronged is harder to win back than a fortified city." (Proverbs 18:19).
You may have a life-long habit of slandering and criticizing others and so may need others to help you be accountable to break the habit. The seeking forgiveness for your actions could be a start. Seek God's help too. By God's grace you can. If you don't break the habit, you may well go back into it and it'll be worse than ever. "Don't be entangled and overcome" (vs20) or you will be "worse off at the end than at the beginning".This is true of any and all the above mentioned vices, not just the slander. Addiction of any kind: substance abuse; slander; sexual immorality; negative thinking; bitterness and others. Ask for God's help and the Holy Spirit's to overcome them and to live victoriously in Christ. Be mastered only by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let Him alone be your God.
Who were the people doing these awful things? Peter mentions that they were the false teachers that had secretly come among the people of God. They were masquerading as teachers of God's Word but they were false! How horrendous is this!? We are responsible for obeying what we know of God's Word.
Otherwise, the people following the awful practices, teaching them and alluring others into them, who are the false teachers, may well be just that! Peter gives the examples of the dog returning to its vomit and the sow to its mud puddle. People may learn much about God's Word and His righteous ways but turn away from them. They know it in their heads but have not truly accepted it in their hearts for themselves. They are not true followers of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament the Israelite people were taught that the dog and the sow (pigs) were unclean animals. The use of these two particular animals' names here cannot be brushed aside as picking the names out of a hat. They are not random choice. The impact is that the false teachers are not children of God; they are unclean. Thus, after having learned much about God and His ways, they did not accept it for themselves, they were only in it for the money and/or the power or for some other nefarious reason such as being used by Satan to cause division and to turn many away from the Lord.
Let us all examine ourselves and pray for God's intervention in our lives, that we will be sincere teachers of the truth and abhor any teeny tiny iota of slander. May God so help us all by His unlimited grace working freely in our lives.
~ERC 2016~
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