What is the meaning of 2 Peter 2:15? They have left the straight way “Straight” pictures the clear, unobstructed road of God’s revealed truth and righteousness. Peter has been exposing false teachers (2 Peter 2:1–3) who once heard that way but chose to abandon it. • Proverbs 4:26–27 urges us to “survey the path for your feet… do not turn to the right or to the left.” • Jesus describes the “narrow road that leads to life” in Matthew 7:14; stepping off it brings destruction (v. 13). • Psalm 119:105 shows what keeps us on course: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Rejecting that light is never passive; it is a deliberate departure. and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor Balaam’s story (Numbers 22–24) illustrates how someone can appear spiritually gifted yet be morally compromised. • God told Balaam not to curse Israel (Numbers 22:12), yet he maneuvered for a payday from Moab’s king. • Jude 11 warns of those “who have rushed headlong into Balaam’s error,” linking him to latter-day deceivers. • Revelation 2:14 connects Balaam with teaching Israel to embrace idolatry and immorality (cf. Numbers 25:1–3; 31:16). Key lessons: – Spiritual knowledge does not guarantee obedience. – Covetousness blinds a person to obvious danger. – When leaders drift, they often drag others with them (2 Peter 2:18-19). who loved the wages of wickedness At the core is appetite for profit at truth’s expense. • Peter already warned, “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated words” (2 Peter 2:3). • Titus 1:11 speaks of those “ruining whole households for dishonest gain.” • 1 Timothy 6:9-10 describes the snare of loving money, echoing Balaam’s downfall. • Micah 3:11 indicts prophets who “prophesy for a price,” showing this pattern is recurring. The phrase “loved the wages” exposes affection, not merely action; their hearts are set on reward, not righteousness. God allowed Balaam to be checked by a donkey’s rebuke (Numbers 22:28-30), yet the prophet pressed on. Likewise, present-day deceivers may receive warnings but prefer income over repentance. summary 2 Peter 2:15 paints false teachers as people who once saw the right road, chose to abandon it, and now imitate Balaam—gifted yet greedy, persuasive yet perverse. Their hallmark is affection for material gain that eclipses loyalty to God’s word. For believers, the verse is a beacon: stay on the narrow way, measure every voice by Scripture, and guard the heart from the lure of “wages of wickedness.” |
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