Be Smarter Than Your Donkey

A Sermon By Jim Hammond from 2 Peter 2: 10-16

Part of the “Make Every Effort” 2 Peter Series

The Bible story of Balaam and the donkey who talked to him is a delightful story found in Numbers 22.  On the surface, it sounds like Balaam is a good guy who refuses to curse the Israelites even though King Balak, enemy to the Israelites, is willing to pay him to do so.  But the story goes deeper than this.  Balaam’s actions were “going the straight way” of obedience, but his intentions were wayward from the beginning, and his intentions, his wayward heart eventually took him off the path, and many with him.

Though at first Balaam says he cannot curse what God will bless, his greed makes him desire to see what he can do.  He keeps asking God for permission to go.  God is angry with the bent of Balaam’s heart and sends a destroying Angel to put Balaam to death when Balaam is on his way to see what he can do to earn some wealth.  It is Balaam’s donkey that sees the destroying angel and veers off the path.  Balaam beats the donkey and forces it back on the path.  The Angel then stands on the path where there was a wall and the donkey veers away from the angel and crushes Balaam’s foot against the wall.  The donkey is beaten again.  Finally in a spot so narrow the Donkey cannot go around the angel, it just stops, squats down under Balaam and refuses to budge.  Balaam, who is not alone and is both injured and has his pride injured, is raging mad by this time and beats his donkey mercilessly.  He’s so mad that when the Lord opens the donkey’s mouth to answer Balaam’s question, Balaam speaks back to the donkey.  Now that’s mad!  He comes to his senses quickly as the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes to the Angel.  God gets Balaam’s attention.  Balaam is told to say only what God reveals to him about the Israelites.  As a result this pagan sorcerer[1] named Balaam is used by God to bless the Israelites repeatedly. 

What is difficult to tell from the Numbers 22 passage alone is that Balaam wasn’t happy about this situation.  He didn’t get his money.  But we discover later (in Jewish Tradition and in Numbers 31:8, 16 and Revelation 2:14) that Balaam did get his money and we discover how.  We learn that the disaster recorded in Numbers 25 was as a result of Balaam’s counsel.  Since Balaam couldn’t curse the Israelites to gain the wealth he wanted, he came up with an alternative plan.  He advised the King how to bring the Israelites low by causing then to compromise their morals and their loyalty to Yahweh.  He figured if you can’t curse them or successfully oppose the God who is for them, what he needed to do was cause them to bring the curse on themselves by their opposition to God.  He counseled the King to send in their beautiful women to bring about the desired compromise.  These women led the Israelites into sexual immorality and idolatrous Baal worshipping practices.[2]  John also makes mention of Balaam’s advice in Revelation 2:14[3] 

Rev. 2:14  Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.

Peter draws a humorous parallel between the false teachers as “brute beasts” but who are dumber than Balaam’s donkey.  Just as Balaam was dumber than the donkey and was rebuked by the donkey, so these teachers are dumber than their donkeys because they also are bent on leaving the straight way to pursue what is wrong. 

2 Peter 2:15-16  15They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey--a beast without speech--who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

The false teachers in Peter’s day were motivated by sensuality and greed.  They saw spirituality as a means for their personal gain.  Balaam was motivated by a passion for money and he acted on instinct—when a mere animal, his donkey, knew better!

There are many ways of teaching and therefore many ways to be “false teachers”.  If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a teacher’s lifestyle, the way he lives, teaches more than his words do.  That may have been the case with these false teachers Peter condemned.  Their lifestyle was false and disastrous leading many astray.

Focus:  How to be sure that Peter’s depiction of the false teachers as dumber than donkeys does not describe you. 

2 Peter 2:10-16   (10b)…Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12But 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.

13They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed--an accursed brood! 15They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey--a beast without speech--who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

I.  There’s No Room for Arrogance in Spiritual Warfare

2 Peter 2:10…Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.

These arrogant puffed up false teachers showed some kind of careless regard for celestial being, most likely demonic beings.  They failed to realize that even angels who have greater might and power don’t dare to revile the lower ranking demons the way these arrogant teachers did.  Jude 1:8 speaks about the same problem. 

Jude 1:8-9  In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. [9] But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

What is translated “celestial beings” here refers to Angels of both kinds--Good Angels, and bad angels, otherwise known as demons or powers, and principalities, or rulers of this world.  Even fallen angels, have higher rank than human beings have right now.  The false teachers promoted an arrogance that denied this fact.  We dare not stand arrogantly in our own authority against demonic beings.  There’s no room for arrogance in spiritual warfare.

A.  Ignorance Does Not Excuse Arrogance

12But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand.

Ignorance does not excuse such arrogance, because often ignorance is willful ignorance.  Willful ignorance is the refusal to understand God’s truth. 

I was told about an arrogant pastor who went into a Hindu temple in India to cast out the demons.  That man returned home and has been battling multiple complicated health problems with unusual tumors and cancers.  You don’t do Spiritual battle alone like this.  There’s no room for arrogance in spiritual warfare.  God is bigger than these celestial beings, but we are not, and we dare not venture into these matters with spiritual arrogance.  We must rally the troops for prayer, and do the battle of powerful prayer, by addressing God not the demons.  The main point here is to make sure we don’t become too demon focused on the one hand, or too casual toward the powerful dark forces on the other.

1.  Condemn only Sparingly

These false teachers were reviling where they had no knowledge.  We must control ourselves to bring words of condemnation only sparingly where we are knowledgeable and qualified to do so.  Be careful to condemn only sparingly.  This is the way of humility.

B.  Don’t Let Your Instincts Be Your Guide

12But 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.

Would you write down another word for instincts.  The word “feelings”.  Don’t let your feelings be your guide for life either.  They will often lead you astray.  We have been created with a dimension that is higher than animals are capable of.  We are guided by something better than instinct or feelings.

1. Like an Animal (12)

Should we be surprised that we see animal like predator type behavior from people who have been thoroughly trained to believe we are animals who have evolved through Evolutionary processes instead of creatures created in God’s image? No.  But once you learn who you really are, and what God has designed us for, all the animalistic way of operating must come to an end.

Living by your own instinct, or feelings,  is another form of arrogance.  It is self directed, self-ruled living.  Man’s present instincts reflect the corruption of our nature by sin, and thus are no trustworthy guide to godly living. Man’s corrupt instincts call for pleasures that stimulate and deaden, as modern drugs and alcohol (v. 13). Man’s corrupt instincts lead to adultery (v. 14), and are expressed in a greed that wrongfully deprives others (v. 14).  Don’t listen to folks who tell you that since certain desires are “natural” they must be all right. What most men do by instinct is wrong. As Christians, we’re called to judge our instincts, and to choose what is right. 

Let’s look more carefully at the phrases that describe the results of living by instinct rather than God’s revealed will.

2. Destined For Slaughter (12)

“born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.”

Both Testaments use the metaphor of “brute beasts” and “creatures of instinct” to describe unbelievers who are actively hostile to God. They have completely abandoned the spiritual quest, and chosen to live like animals, in that this present world alone exists for them.

We human beings can choose to live like animals. We can seek to satisfy every craving, without standing in judgment on whether our desires or actions are morally right. But those who choose to live like mere animals by that choice determine their fate. They doom themselves to perish,

3. Shameless about indulgence (13)

“carouse in broad daylight”

Peter went on to describe the beast-like life that some human beings live.

13They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.

Prime Time Sin

Though most godless people wait till the cover of darkness for their sinful behaviors, these false teachers committed their sin in such a way as to flaunt it.  You might say they were just like those who today claim to have “come out of the closet” with their alternative lifestyles.  

4. Blots & Blemishes (13)

13 … They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.

The best way to define “blots and blemishes” is to describe their opposites.  Peter will describe their opposites with the use of the words “spotless and blameless” in 3:14.

2 Peter 3:14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

What has been translated blots and blemishes, are the exact antonyms of what has been here translated spotless and blameless.

“Blot” is “spiloi”, and “spotless” is “aspiloi”.  Adding the alpha prefix negates the word.  “Blemishes” is “momoi”, and “Blamless” is “amometoi”.

In English the equivalent would be choosing something like, “spot, and spotless”, and “Blemish”, and “Blemishless” or in teenage language “Zit” and “Zitless.”

It is in the context of anticipating the Lord’s return that the Bride of Christ, his church, is to make every effort to be “spotless”.  I want you to imagine a bride who wants to be beautiful and is embarrassed by a big zit that has formed on her face the day of the wedding.  This is the concern Peter has.  These dangerous people are blots and blemishes on the beautiful bride of Christ.

Peter tells us that these people will reap what they sow.  Those who shamelessly carouse will be shamelessly condemned; those who are blots will be blotted out!  He follows up the general description of blots with a description of the ugliness in more detail.

5.  Eyes full of adultery (14)

14With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed--an accursed brood!

This is an eye disease that starts in the heart.  Too many men suffer from this disease.  Christian men are not immune to this disease.  If a heart is not carefully guarded by keeping a guard over the eye gate, men’s hearts can become bent on looking at women lustfully.  When men train their hearts and eyes in this pattern, they are on their way to “never stop sinning.”  Women also need to guard their heart.  They may need to guard their heart in a different way, but nevertheless they also must guard their hearts. 

Alarming Statistics

According to U. S. News & World Report, Americans spent no more than $10 million on pornography in 1973. By 1999, however, they were spending $10 billion a year—a thousandfold increase. As U. S. News put it, it's an amount much larger than Hollywood's domestic box office receipts and larger than all the revenues generated by rock and country music recordings.[4]

6.  They never stop sinning (14)

A heart that has succumbed to this sin is a diseased heart that causes the diseased desires and diseased thoughts of the mind to run along the downhill track of sin all day long, like gravity pulling the passions down into the same cesspool.  Once one is stuck, he or she finds every channel of desire and thought running down familiar paths.  This is a bondage that destroys relationships; it destroys the ability to enjoy simple pleasures.  When fully smitten, one is ever lusting, and never satisfied.  Willpower alone is no match for this epidemic problem.  The temptations are everywhere, you are only one turn of a page, one push of the remote, or one click away from being caught in the Web, or ensnared in the Net, or captured in the grip of the prince of the power of the air.

The good news is that Christ can free you from this stronghold.  But it will require that you confess, repent, and humble yourself to someone else so that the power of hidden sin and deception can be broken.  You can rebuild a life of integrity with the truth and with accountability.

The Winnable War Against Pornography

Paul’s preaching was so successful in Ephesus that after a couple of years the people stopped buying idols of Artemis fashioned by the silversmiths and they complained to the civil authorities.  I don’t hear the pornographers complaining to the government that the Christians are causing a shut down of their industry.  Jesus said, when the salt looses its saltiness it becomes trampled underfoot by men.   We are experiencing the decay of morality in our country because the church has been compromising.  Have you been compromising, thinking that you are not hurting anybody?  If you have, you have been buying into a lie.  It’s hurting you, and it’s hurting others whether you see it or not.

7.  Experts in greed (14)

What does it take to become an expert?  It takes training and practice to become an expert.  If you practice a behavior long enough you become an expert.  Is your heart well trained in greed?  Listen, our world is trying to force us to be trained by worldly standards in many areas. Greed is just one area.   Do you feel your heart tugged by greed?  Does the mall pull at you?  Commercials?  Flashy cars?  Has your heart been in training to become an expert in the wrong things?  In what practice has your heart been trained?  For what are you an expert? Everyone is in training; just what are you training for?

Summary: 

§       There’s No Room for Arrogance when it comes to Spiritual Warfare, …and it is war. 

§       Ignorance Does Not Excuse Arrogance.  (Is your ignorance willful?)

§       Don’t Let Your Instincts Be Your Guide.  (our instincts are corrupted)

§       Don’t live like an  Animal...  destined For Slaughter. 

§       Don’t be Shameless about indulgence.  Learn to enjoy the benefits of self control. 

§       Come clean with God so that you are not Blots & Blemishes, or Zits on the beautiful bride of Christ. 

§       Would you guard the eye gate to your heart?  If you know you have the heart disease that causes your eyes to be full of adultery would you seek help? 

§       Don’t try to solve secret sins alone. 

§       Everyone is in training; just what are you training for?    In Short….

C.     Be Smarter Than Your Donkey (15-16)

Do you have the courage to respond this morning by finishing one of the following two prayers:  “Lord, I will…”, or “Lord, I need…”