MARKED MEN: Their Revolting (2 Peter 2:14b–16)

14b They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

The apostates know the right road, the straight path that God has established, but they deliberately abandon God’s way for their own. We have already learned one reason for the apostates’ godless conduct: they want to satisfy the cravings of their flesh. But there is a second reason: they are covetous and want to exploit people for personal gain. Not only is the false teacher’s outlook controlled by his passions, but his heart is controlled by covetousness. He is in bondage to lust for pleasure and money!

I. They are experts in greed.

A. They know exactly how to motivate people to give.

While the true servant of God trusts the Father to meet his needs and seeks to help people grow through their giving, the apostate trusts his “fund-raising skills” and leaves people in worse shape than he found them. He knows how to exploit the unstable and the innocent.

There is certainly nothing wrong with a ministry sharing its opportunities and needs with its praying friends. We should actually look for other ministries to support who are doing a good work, and furthering the gospel.

B. Covetousness is the insatiable desire for more.

The covetous heart is never satisfied it wants more money, more power, more prestige. This explains why the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for when a person craves more money, he will commit any sin to satisfy that craving.

In North Africa they have a clever way to catch monkeys. They make a hole in a gourd just large enough for the monkey’s paw, then fill the gourd with nuts and tie it to a tree. The monkey reaches into the gourd for the nuts, only to find it cannot pull it’s paw out of the gourd! Of course, it could let go of the nuts and escape quite easily—but it won’t let go of the nuts. So it ends up being captured because of it’s covetousness. We might expect this in a dumb animal, but certainly not in a person made in the image of God; yet it happens every day.

II. God told Balaam not to help Balak.

A. Balaam is a mysterious character.

He was a Gentile prophet who tried to curse the Jews. Balak, the king of the Moabites, was afraid of Israel, so he turned to Balaam for help. Balaam knew it was wrong to cooperate with Balak, but his heart was covetous and he wanted the money and honor that Balak promised him. Balaam knew the truth of God and the will of God, yet he deliberately abandoned the right way and went astray. He is a perfect illustration of the apostates in their covetous practices.

At first, Balaam obeyed and sent the messengers home. But when Balak sent more princes and promised more money and honor, Balaam decided to “pray about it again” and reconsider the matter. The second time, God tested Balaam and permitted him to go with the princes. This was not God’s direct will; it was His permissive will, designed to see what the prophet would do. Balaam jumped at the chance!

B. God rebuked the disobedient prophet through the mouth of his donkey.

God permitted Balaam to set up his altars and offer his sacrifices, but God did not permit him to curse Israel. Balaam was not able to curse Israel, but he was able to tell Balak how to defeat Israel. All the Moabites had to do was invite the Jews to be “friendly neighbors” and share in their feasts.

Instead of maintaining its separated position, Israel compromised and joined the pagan orgies of the Moabites. Because Balaam counseled Balak to seduce Israel, God saw to it that Balaam was judged. He was slain by the sword when Israel defeated the Midianites.

III. Any rebellion against God can only lead to tragedy.

A. A true servant of God is humble and seeks to serve others.

The true servant of God does not think about praise or pay, because he serves God from a loving and obedient heart. He honors God and the authority that God has established in this world. In short, the true servant of God patterns himself after Jesus Christ.

Peter has condemned the sins of the false teachers. All of these sins spring from pride and selfish desire. These false teachers give nothing of substance because they have nothing to give. They are like a dry well. They cannot deliver what they promise.

B. In these last days there will be an abundance of false teachers pleading for support.

They are gifted and experienced when it comes to deceiving people and getting their money. It is important that God’s people be established in the truth, that they know how to detect when the Scriptures are being twisted and the people exploited.

Not all of these “religious frauds” will be discovered and put out of business. But God will one day deal with all of them! Like animals, they will be “caught and destroyed” (2 Peter 2:12). They will receive “the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:13) to compensate for the wages they have exploited from others. As “cursed children” (2 Peter 2:14) they will be banished from the presence of the Lord forever.

They are marked men and women; they will not escape.