A Psalm of David.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
In its heading this psalm is attributed to David. It evinces close parallels, both in theme and phraseology, to the following psalm, with which it may well have been recited “as a piece.” — Wechsler, page 245.
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This psalm has a great prophetic outlook. It is located in the midst of a number of Millennial Psalms. The Psalm gives us a glimpse of saved Israel in worship and praise when the Messiah they rejected, reigns as King of kings upon David’s throne. This Psalm is “The New Song,” mentioned in so many of the Psalms that Israel will sing “in that day” when all the promises that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are fulfilled. — Phillips, page 249.
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The phrase, “Who healeth all they diseases,” [v.3] means exactly that. Some have said that He meant “spiritual diseases” … Spiritual restoration must come before everything else. This was true in the dealing of Jesus of Nazareth with the paralytic of Matthew 9:2-8. … “Who healeth all they diseases” was a promise made to Israel in this Psalm for that glorious day we call the Millennium, or the Kingdom Age, and not for the present age. Death will have no more dominion then, for it is written, “As the days of a tree are the days of my people, and min elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isaiah 65:22), and again, “He will swallow up death in victory” (Isaiah 25:8). “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). — Phillips, pages 252-253.
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Messiah’s benefits to sinful and sorrowing men without distinction, occupy the first place in the psalm—they are six in number (vs.1-5). Then the Spirit recalls his benefits in the past to His ancient people when oppressed in Egypt (v.6); when wanderers in the desert (vs.7-9); and when settled in Canaan (vs.10-18)—an amazing story of love, patience, power and forgiveness; and, finally, the Spirit confirms the benefits promised under Messiah’s coming dominion when angels and men and nature will unite to bless Him (vs.19-22). — Williams, page 378.
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The opening clause, “Bless the LORD, O my soul,” is repeated again at the end of the psalm—a literary device known as “inclusio” that serves to emphasize the central idea, or didactic “goal,” of the overall unit—in this case: the obligation to bless (i.e., when applied to God, to express praise and thanksgiving to) the LORD for the manifold benefits (as described throughout this psalm) that accrue to man in His dealings therewith. In their scope these benefits are both spiritual and well as physical, corresponding to the two “parts” (i.e, the soul and the body) of man as uniquely brought together in his creation by God. Hence, beginning with reference to the soul (as the more precedent, or “essential” part of man), David points to the central benefit of the LORD being one (i.e., the only one: cf. Psalm 49:7-9; Isaiah 43:25) who pardons all our iniquities (v.3), and then, with reference to the body, God’s benefits are epitomized by the reference to Him as the one who (ultimately; cf. Isaiah 33:24; 35:5ff; Revelation 21:4) heals all our diseases. — Wechsler, page 245.
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In order to underscore the unending duration of God’s benefits to man, David points to the temporality of man (vs.15-16; cf. Isaiah 40:6-8) and then contrasts it … to the eternality of God’s lovingkindness. … As to the expression “those who keep His commandments” (v.18)—this refers to those who, like Abraham, believe in the truth of God’s word and strive, however imperfectly, to uphold it. — Wechsler, page 246.
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David refers to the Lord as having “established His throne in the heavens (v.19)—as opposed to referring to His throne always having been in the heavens—because there was nothing for Him to reign over prior to Creation; there “was” (which verb itself is insufficient, since time is also a apart of Creation) only Him, self-sufficient and existent with all His “essential” qualities. — Wechsler, page 246.
Verse 14 has to be one of the most comforting verses in Scripture — “He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” God always views us through the lens of His grace.
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And let my cry come to You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke,
And my bones are burned like a hearth.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
So that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
My bones cling to my skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I lie awake,
And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
8 My enemies reproach me all day long;
Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.
12 But You, O Lord, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
15 So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the Lord shall build up Zion;
He shall appear in His glory.
17 He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
18 This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.
19 For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the Lord viewed the earth,
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death,
21 To declare the name of the Lord in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23 He weakened my strength in the way;
He shortened my days.
24 I said, “O my God,
Do not take me away in the midst of my days;
Your years are throughout all generations.
25 Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 They will perish, but You will endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
27 But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
28 The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”
[This is] a truly Messianic Psalm, identified for us as such in the quotation from verses 24-26 in Hebrews 1:10-12. … We learn that the words beginning with, “thy years are throughout all generations” of Psalm 102:24, and going on through verses 25-27, are words addressed by the Father to His Son. …
What we have in the Psalm is a dialogue carried on between the Father and the Son, and it is evident that the scene of this dialogue is laid for the most part, in the Garden of Gethsemane. …
The Psalm really opens with the note preceding the first verse, for that note is a part of the inspired record: “A Prayer of the afflicted, when He is overwhelmed, and poureth out His complaint before Jehovah.” Then as the Psalm proceeds we hear His prayer, reaching from the first verse to the eleventh inclusive.
It would be impossible to imagine a more graphic picture of the utter loneliness of the Son of God as He had moved among men, the object of their hatred and derision. “He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not” (Isaiah 53:3). It was not the Father’s indignation and wrath for His beloved Son as such, but rather His indignation and wrath against our sins, which had brought this suffering upon His holy Son. Here again, as in other Messianic Psalms, we find the Lord Jesus identifying Himself with us, and confessing our sins as His own. …
Down to this point [v.11] we have had only the minor chord in our Psalm as the suffering Son of God poured out His complaints before His Father. But now there comes a great change as the Father replies to His Son, beginning at verse 12. Let us observe here that just as the Son addressed His Father by the title Jehovah in verse 1, so not the Father addresses His Son by the same title in verse 12.
The sacrifice of Calvary was primarily for Israel, “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). The Lord Jesus was first of all, “a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” (Romans 15:8). That is to say, God had made certain promises to Israel through the Father, and in order to fulfill these promises it was necessary that the Lord Jesus should come and die on the cross of Calvary. … To Israel it was a matter of righteousness in the fulfillment of promises; to the Gentiles it was a matter of pure mercy, since no promises had been made to the Gentiles. …
Here again [verses 23-24] we come to a change in the Psalm. The Father has been addressing His Son in reply to that Son’s petition, and now the Son for a moment speaks again, saying “He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days. I said, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days.”
Here we may find an answer to the much discussed question as to what our Lord meant when in the garden He cried out, saying, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). To what cup did He refer? By man it is held that our Lord was praying to be delivered from dying on the cross. Others who reject this theory teach that our Lord was praying to be delivered from having His Father hide His face from Him while on the cross. Our own conviction is that our Lord was praying to be delivered from dying in the garden, and thus failing to reach the cross. to us it is evident that in Gethsemane Satan made an attack upon the Son of God and sought to kill Him there and thus prevent the fulfillment of the prophetic Word that the Lamb of God should die on the cross. The 22nd Psalm predicts and depicts His death by crucifixion, and He Himself prophesied concerning the manner of death He should die, in being lifted up form the earth (John 3:14-15; 8:28; 12:32-34). …
So if Satan could kill Him in the garden then the Word of God should be broken. In Hebrews 5:7-8 we read of our Lord, “Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”
It is evident that this Scripture refers to Gethsemane, and it is equally clear that our Lord actually feared the death which Satan sought to thrust upon Him. In Hebrews 4:15 it is declared that our Lord “was in all points tempted like as we are, apart from sin.” The word “tempted” has the meaning of testing. He was tested in all points like as we ourselves are tested, with the single exception of indwelling sin. There was no sin in Him, and so He could not be tempted from within, but only from without. … Is fear itself a sinful thing? Certainly not. … If our Lord was tested in all points like as we are apart from sin, then it follows that He must have been tested by fear. …
His prayer was “heard” [Hebrews 5:7], that is to say, it was granted. Whatever He was asking for was given to Him. … He said, “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” It was possible, and therefore the prayer was granted, and He was delivered from drinking of that particular cup. He drank instead of another cup, the cup which His Father gave Him (Matthew 20:22; John 18:11). But from His Father’s cup He did not pray to be delivered. He prayed to be delivered from death in the garden.
It is also clear that the cup from which He prayed to be delivered was not the hiding of His Father’s face at Calvary, for His Father’s face was hidden from Him at Calvary, and thus we see that this was not the cup from which He was delivered. …
He said to His Father in His agony, “O My God, take Me not away in the midst of my days” (Psalm 102:24). It was for these days that He had been born. Up to this time He had been saying, “Mine hour is not yet come,” but now it had come, and His threatened death in the garden within so short a distance from the cross overwhelmed Him with fear. …
In Mark 14:33-34 we read that in Gethsemane our Lord was “sore amazed” and “very heavy,” and that He said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death.” … Then in verse 35, “He went forward a little, and fell on the ground.” … Then in Luke 22:44 we read that “being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his seat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” the word for “drops” is really “clots”—great clots of blood pouring through His skin falling to the ground.
Coming back not to the Psalm we have the Father again replying to the Son in the latter part of the 24th verse [and continuing through the end of the psalm]. — Pettingill, pages 137-145.
I copied much of Pettingill’s comments because I’d never heard that interpretation before that Christ was praying not to die in the garden. I’ve always wondered about that prayer, and this interpretation makes sense to me. I’ll have to ponder and study more.
Some three thousand years have taken place since this prediction. It was a thousand years after the Psalm was written before the first 12 verses were fulfilled in Jerusalem when Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. Two thousand years have elapses since then, and we are just beginning to anticipate the fulfillment of verses 13-17. — Phillips, page 244.
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These verses [25-28] were a comfort to the human side of the Messiah as He was paying the penalty of sin in His death. He was to live, and live on for ever. — Phillips, page 247.
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In response to His complaint (vs.1-11) the Holy Spirit addressing Him in verse 12, and with special reference to verse 11, says: “But Thou, O Jehovah, shalt sit enthroned as King forever.” He then passes on to foretell the restoration of Israel (vs. 13-14); the salvation of the Gentiles (v.15); the subjection of all the kings of the earth (vs. 15 and 22); His apparition in glory (v.16); and the beneficence of His reign over the new nation that is to be born (v.18, with Matthew 21:43) [Still Israel, but an Israel separate from unbelieving Israel—the “little flock” of Luke 12:32]. Thus His glories (1 Peter 1:2) as the Great King are set over against His sufferings as the Rejected Man. Here, as in son many other Scriptures, His sufferings and His glories are brought together, and always in that order. — Williams, page 377.
Wechsler takes an entirely different view of the psalm, one which makes little sense to me, but since I’ve quoted him so often I’ll include some of his comments here.
The prayer is intended as a model for any afflicted (i.e. chastised) believer when he is faint (not only physical, but also emotional “ebbing” (i.e., despair and depression) as in Psalms 61:2; 77:3) and pours out (signifying a full and sincere “confession”) his complaint to the Lord. … The psalmist, moreover, in no way even so much as hints that his affliction is unmerited, but rather affirms that that it is just—even more, that it is an expression of God’s chastisement (as indicated in v.10).
The psalmist’s hope of finding relief from his affliction lies in the fact that the Lord is not only just and righteous … but also compassionate and gracious, leading to His inevitable granting of relief and restoration to His covenant people. … The psalmist thus finds encouragement for his own situation by looking to God’s relationship with Israel. …
The psalmist continues to derive encouragement from the example of God’s relationship with Israel by reflecting not only on what He has promised to do for them, but also on what He has promised to do through them—i.e., that by His interaction with Israel nationally, whether in chastening them or blessing them, He is preparing an example for a people yet to be created (v.18)—i.e., the Church, drawn from both Jew and Gentiles. — Wechsler, pages 242-244.
OK, I have several problems with that interpretation. First, it discounts Hebrews 1:10-12, which quotes this psalm and attributes it to the Messiah. He does throw the Hebrews passage in at the end, saying that verses 25-27 are applied to Christ, but that’s it. Second, if a believer is in agony because of his own sin, how would God’s restoration of Israel be a comfort? And lastly, applying v.18 to the Church is simply wrong because the Church was a mystery that was totally hidden until it was revealed to Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Colossian 1:24-27). As I study the Psalms, I’m more and more coming to the conclusion that many if not most of them are Messianic.
A Psalm of David.
1 I will sing of mercy and justice;
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will not know wickedness.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,
Him I will destroy;
The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,
Him I will not endure.
6 My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,
That they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a perfect way,
He shall serve me.
7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.
8 Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
Some commentaries style this Psalm, “The godly-purposes and resolutions of a king.” They think of the Psalm as a king’s pious resolutions, when, as a king reflecting on all that such a resolution implies, he breaks forth in earnest petition that God Himself would come to him and take up His dwelling with Him, giving grace to walk in “a perfect way.”
One writer thinks that it fits in with David’s early life, and that it fits in with what we might expect of a pious young king. In other words, they reduce the Psalm to David’s day dreaming.
Most certainly it is a Psalm of David, but it does not describe his character or his reign. Having due respect for David’s consecration to God, and that of his court, he could not have hoped to keep out all who do not walk a “perfect way.” …
Instead of portraying David and his kingdom, it is a prophecy of a perfect King, of David’s Greater Son, King Messiah. He alone can look into the heart of man and know what they are. — Phillips, pages 235-236.
All my other commentaries fall into the categories mentioned by Phillips (above), even Wechsler, and, surprisingly, Williams. Here’s how Wechsler interprets it:
The present psalm takes up the climatic and conceptually “sustained” note of God’s “everlasting” lovingkindness with which the previous psalm ended and develops it into a new and complementary melody of personal purity. It is God’s “everlasting” (i.e., undiminished and unending) lovingkindness, in other words, that stands at the foundation of his [David’s] desire for personal purity, both in enabling him to truly perceive what it is (via justification), and in providing him with the motive to pursue it as his expression of gratitude and obedience to God (via sanctification). — Wechsler, pages 240-241.
I agree with Phillips. That’s the way I read the psalm before I opened any of my commentaries. If the psalm is an expression of David’s desire, his own repeated failings throughout his life reduce it to a wish list. But even as a wish list it would only make sense if it focused on David’s own behavior, but the King in the psalm clearly intends to enforce his standards on others, which no King but Messiah could do.
David assumes the role of a prophet and portrays the Messiah, the Son of Man on earth, as the perfect ONE. He was the Redeemer, the ONLY begotten of the Father, Who came to the earth, subject to the will of God. Long before His incarnation He said, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God, yea, Thy law is within My heart” (Psalm 40:8). This is repeated in the New Testament in Hebrews 10:7. While He was on earth He said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). — Phillips, page 236.
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The Psalm has nothing to do with the heavenly Jerusalem. It concerns Jerusalem on earth when the Messiah rules the world. Listen to what Jeremiah was led of God to say, “Behold, the days come saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is the name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jeremiah 23:5-6). The Messiah will not tolerate a perverse heart; the heart of hate will receive swift judgment. The hearts that are proud and manifest self-exaltation will be rejected by Him. Liars, grafters, deceitful people, adulterers, and such like will be cleansed out every morning.
These things can be better understood by reading and meditating on the 22nd Psalm. According to the prophecy which Isaiah was led of God to write, during the Kingdom Age people will build houses, plant vineyards and rear children. The children born will possess the Adamic nature, even though Satan will be bound and the Messiah reigns. Those children must hear the gospel that David portrayed in Psalm 22, and accept it or be lost. Isaiah 65 reveals that the children will be permitted to live one hundred years without being regenerated; though outwardly they will obey the King, but in their hearts they may be rebels. This Psalm reveals that the Messiah will execute judgment every morning.
Isaiah 65 also reveals that all the faithful, whether they be Jews or Gentiles, will live on as the days of a tree. In other words, they will live through the Kingdom Age, and as other Scriptures reveal, they will be translated into eternity at the end of the Kingdom Age, which is to be 1,000 years. — Phillips, page 238.
perverse (v.4) = twisted, perverted
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
these things (v.14) — new heavens and a new earth (v.13). Looking forward is akin to hope, as in Romans 8:18-25.
diligent (v.14) = eager, zealous, hastening
The Lord always wants what’s best for His own. He didn’t want them concerning themselves with circumstances that were beyond their control. After all, worry is a sin! Rather it was His will for them to place their faith in Him, who is in control of all things. They were to trust the promises of God which would anchor their souls in hope — then and only then would they be “found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” this will be particularly needful for those who endure the future horrors of the Tribulation period.
Peter answers for us the critical question of why God isn’t dealing with Israel as a nation during the administration of Grace, when He says, “An account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation,” that is, for the Gentiles. Once the fullness of the Gentiles is complete at the Rapture, then God will turn again to His chosen nation. Then all believing Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25-26). — Sadler, pages 235-236
untaught (v.16) = unlearned, ignorant
unstable (v.16) = unsteady, unsettled, not established, unsteadfast, in contrast to the steadfastness that Peter calls his readers to in v.17. Unstable = lit. describing someone who does not have a staff to lean on, hence, a person who can not be relied on because they are not steady.
I had a boss at a Christian Bible study ministry who without hesitation stated that she did not like Paul’s writings and much preferred James. I also sat in a room with more than a thousand evangelical youth workers when the speaker said she didn’t like Paul because he was too hard to understand. The room erupted in cheers. (The speaker did go on to say that Paul’s writings were Scripture and should be taken seriously, but there was no cheering at that statement.
Those who teach that Peter’s writings are merely an extension of Paul’s revelation usually point to the fact that Peter encourages his countrymen to read Paul’s epistles. The purpose, however, was not to give further instructions to the Body of Christ. Peter wanted them to study Paul’s writings that they might have a fuller comprehension as to why the promises to Israel were temporarily being left unfulfilled. If they read Paul’s writings they would see firsthand the wonderful work that God was doing among the Gentiles according to His secret purpose.
The wisdom given to Paul spoken of here [v.15] by Peter is the hidden wisdom of God. Of course, this is the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the Mystery (1 Corinthians 2:6-8 cf. Romans 16:25). If we remove Peter’s parenthetical thought for a moment, we are left with the following thought, “Even as our beloved brother Paul … hath written unto you.” We personally believe that the writing to which Peter refers is Paul’s letter to the Hebrews.
Peter always spoke his mind, “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest.” What things? … We’ll just mention a few; the longsuffering of God among the Gentiles, Jews and Gentiles in one Body, the headship of Christ, the heavenly inheritance of the Gentiles, etc. … These things were hard for Peter to understand in light of the promises to Israel. Peter was still sorting all this out in lieu of Paul’s apostleship and message. On the other hand, the “unlearned and unstable” were twisting the Scriptures to discredit and challenge Paul’s authority, and they did so to their spiritual destruction. …
The terminology “other Scriptures” distinguishes Paul’s epistles from the prophetic Scriptures, which follow the prophetic theme. This should not surprise us, since the things found in Paul’s revelation were kept secret from ages and generations past, but now are brought to light in His epistles alone. — Sadler, pages 237-238.
I believe that Peter was referring to Hebrews when he mentions what Paul wrote to them (v.15) — them being the first-century Jews. I also believe that Paul didn’t use his by-line in Hebrews because he was the apostle to the Gentiles and he wrote that one book to the Jews.
It’s also unlikely that Peter would find Paul’s wisdom hard to understand if Peter and Paul were writing the same message to the same audience. This is additional evidence that they weren’t. See also Galatians 2:7-9.
this (v.17) — that “the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation (v.15).
Another reminder that Peter’s audience for these words will be the saved kingdom Jews who are charged with remaining steadfast though the intense persecution of the Tribulation.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Again, it’s important to remember that Peter had two audiences in mind — first-century Jews of the Dispersion, and Tribulation Jews for whom these events will be imminent.
Peter states in no uncertain terms that the “day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.” Immediately after the Rapture, the next major event on God’s calendar is the Lord’s Day, as the foregoing phrase implies. It will be a day of wrath — a day of trouble, a day of vengeance, a day of darkness, thick darkness (Isaiah 63:2-6 cf. Zephaniah 1:14-18). Although the day of the Lord is usually closely associated with the Second Coming of Christ to the earth, it is actually an extended period which covers the following events:
1. The first three and one-half years of Jacob’s Trouble, known as the Tribulation (Isaiah 13:6-9; Matthew 24:3-14; Revelation 5:1-17).
2. The latter three and one-half years is called the Great Tribulation, which concludes with the battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ (Isaiah 13:10-11; Matthew 24:15-44; Revelation 16:13-16; 19:11-20).
3. The judgments of Israel and the nations, and the establishment of the millennial kingdom (Matthew 25:14-46; Revelation 20:4).
4. The battle of Gog and Magog, at which time God puts down the final rebellion against His righteousness (Revelation 20:7-9).
5. Then comes the end of time as we know it, when the kingdom is delivered into the hands of the Father and all the unsaved dead are resurrected and made to stand at the Great White Throne Judgment (1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Revelation 20:11-15).
6. Simultaneously God will purge the present heavens and earth with fire (Revelation 20:11 cf. 2 Peter 3:10-12).
It is difficult to ascertain the exact extent of this period, but we do know that it covers at least one thousand seven years (Daniel 9:27 cf. Revelation 20:4).
With these things in mind, Peter transports his hearers to the last event of the day of the Lord when he states: “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.“
The present heavens and earth, as we know them, are being preserved for a future judgment by fire. Like the days of Noah, this judgment will also be universal, but far more reaching. The combination of a “great noise” and the elements melting “with fervent heat” seem to indicate some type of a nuclear holocaust. In Paul’s letter to the Colossians we learn, “by Him all things consist,” that is, they are literally held together by His almighty power. …
Warnings of judgment are often followed by an admonition to live a godly life. Thus the apostle adds, “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?” — Sadler, pages 231-233.
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Hasting unto (v.12) = eagerly looking for and desiring. That “day” is fixed and cannot be hastened. It is in the eternal state that all the promises of God will be finally accomplished. It is at the close of the millennium that the present universe is to be dissolved. — Williams, page 1009.
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Out of the ashes [the fire during the Day of the Lord, v.10] comes a new day, the day of God, which introduces us to the eternal state. We believe this phrase is synonymous with the dispensation of the fullness of times spoken of by the Apostle Paul. “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him” (Ephesians 1:10).
The gathering “together in one all things in Christ” here has to do with God’s eternal purpose for the heavens and the earth. Peter and Paul are in full agreement that the distinction between these two realms will remain throughout eternity. “Looking for” is an indication that Peter’s hearers were anticipating the day when they will reside on a new earth, with the Lord who bought them. It is not God’s purpose to create a new heavens and a new earth after the destruction of the former things of old. … The term “new” in 2 Peter 3:13 is the Greek word kainos, which denotes “not new in time, recent, but new as to form or quality, of a different nature from what is contrasted as old.” In other words, the heavens and earth are going to pass from one state of existence to another. God is going to simply renovate what we presently see around us, as the Scripture confirms (Psalm 104:5; Ecclesiastes 1:4).
As the heavens and earth are restored to a state of perfection, it will mark the completion of God’s plan of redemption, which included the creation (Romans 8:18-23). … Our inheritance as members of the Body of Christ will encompass the heavenlies where we will be seated with Christ. This, however, doesn’t mean we won’t have access to the earth. …
The new earth will be inhabited by the nation Israel and the other prophetic saints, according to the promise of God. During the prophetic program Israel held a preeminent position over the nations that will continue throughout the eternal state. She will have the honor of having the names of the twelve tribes inscribed upon the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem. Furthermore, the wall that surrounds this fifteen-hundred mile enclosure is said to have twelve foundations wherein are emblazoned the names of the twelve apostles of the kingdom. Interestingly, Paul’s name will not be among them. Why? He is the apostle of grace, the one apostle, ordained of God to make known the heavenly ministry of Christ (Galatians 1:1, 11-12 cf. Revelation 21:1-2, 12, 14). — Sadler, pages 233-235.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
do not forget (v.8) = do not let it be hidden from you, do not let it escape your notice, do not shut your eyes to it. The burden is on the hearer — to forget these truths is willful (v.5).
There are two things withholding the Second Coming of Christ to judge His enemies—the Church which is His Body, and the longsuffering of God. After the Church is caught up, God will continue to be longsuffering at the beginning of the Tribulation. This is substantiated by the number of souls that will be saved during this period (Revelation 7:9-17). …
Teachers of prophecy have sought to use Peter’s words [in v.8] as a means to predict when the Lord will return, they always live to regret it. We are living in the parenthetical age of Grace; consequently, any attempt to create a timeline based upon prophetic events is sure to fail. There is simply no possible way anyone can predict the duration of the longsuffering of God in the present administration of Grace. …
The essence of the apostle’s words is this: God is eternal — time has absolutely no bearing upon Him, as it does upon man, who often finds himself enslaved to it. God does everything according to the good pleasure of His will, and none can stay His hand. He is sovereign, eternal, almighty! In fact, this is the very context of the Psalm from which Peter quotes: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God … For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night (Psalm 90:2, 4)….
Peter reminds his readers that God’s longsuffering should never be confused with inattentiveness. God always honors His promises, according to His plans and purposes. — Sadler, pages 227-228.
slack (v.9) = tarrying, loitering
slackness (v.9) = slowness, tardiness
longsuffering (v.9) = patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others, to be slow in avenging, slow to anger, slow to punish
willing (v.9) = intending, planning with full resolve, determining. A strong term that underlines the predetermined (and determined) intention driving the planning (as opposed to another word translated “will” that means “wishfulness”)
The particular definition of “willing” in this verse is important. The Holy Spirit inspired Peter to use blulomai (see definition above) and not thelo, which means wishing. This completely undermines the doctrine of election as normally stated. If, as the Calvinists say, God chooses particular individuals to be saved, then He also is choosing particular individuals to not be saved. But Peter states unequivocally in this verse that God is not choosing anyone to perish but rather wants all men to be saved. Those who perish do so because they choose to themselves by rejecting Christ.
repentance (v.9) = lit. “a change of mind,” specifically here the change of mind that results in saving faith.
3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
scoffers (v.3) = lit. “scoffing scoffers,” mockers, false teachers
Led by the Spirit of God, Peter prophesies that in the last days scoffers will arise questioning the validity of Christ’s Second Coming to the earth. They will brazenly ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?” First, the “last days” here are the last days of Israel according to the Prophetic Scriptures (Joel 2:28-32 cf. Acts 2:14-18). Unlike the “last days” in Paul’s epistles, these days will be closely identified with signs (Matthew 24:30 cf. Acts 2:19-20), times (Matthew 24:15), and seasons (Matthew 24:20-21).
This is the time of Jacob’s Trouble that will cover a period of seven years and be brought to a close by the Second Coming of Christ to execute judgment upon His enemies. In the early part of the Tribulation, scoffers will declare that they don’t see any of these things taking place, “for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” That, of course, is a blatant lie, which Peter was not about to allow to pass without a challenge. — Sadler, pages 222-223.
fathers (v.4) — Likely the patriarchs and prophets of Israel who predicted the Lord’s coming appearance and judgment—the “promise” that the scoffers said wasn’t coming.
Like many today, these scoffers are going to hold to the doctrine of Uniform-itarianism. According to this interpretation of earth history, existing physical processes, acting essentially at the present rates, are sufficient to account for all geological formations. In other words, every thing has remained the same or uniform since the beginning. …
[But] … the Word of God … says that there was a catastrophic event in Noah’s day known as the universal flood, which destroyed the earth (vs. 5-6). Clearly Peter believed and taught the universal judgment of the flood in the days of Noah.
But what does Peter mean by “the earth standing out of the water and in the water”? On the second day of creation God separated the waters from the waters, which formed a protective vapor canopy around the earth (Genesis 1:6-8). Hence, we have “the earth standing out of the water.” … Second, the earth standing “in the water” is a reference to the subterranean waters just beneath the earth’s surface, which were apparently used to cool the earth’s crust after creation. …
After the fall of man, these two great bodies of water above and beneath the earth’s surface, once intended to be a blessing, were reserved as an instrument of judgment upon the ungodly deeds of men. At God’s appointed time, He broke up the fountains of the deep, which probably resulted in tidal waves sweeping across the face of the earth. Simultaneously, God opened the windows of heaven, allowing the vapor canopy to condense and gradually fall to the earth in the form of torrential rain that spanned forty days and forty nights (Genesis 7:11-12). … Every living thing that walked the earth, with the exception of the inhabitants of the ark, perished in a watery grave. Peter substantiates this when he says “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (v.6). So we are to understand that the present heavens and earth are vastly different than the old world that perished. …
Although the scoffers claim “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation,” according to the Word of God, this is just not the case. So the present is not the key to the past, as many have been led to believe. Rather, the present heavens and earth differ immensely from the old world that perished. — Sadler, pages 224-226.
I found this online:
More accurately, “and the earth formed out of water and by means of water.” The words carry us back to the cosmogony of Genesis 1. The earth was brought out of chaos into its present kosmos, by the water being gathered into one place and the dry land appearing (Genesis 1:9). It was kept together by the separation of the waters above the firmament from those that were below the firmament (Genesis 1:6).
And this:
The narrative in Genesis represents water as originally overspreading all things. “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” We may therefore understand Peter as meaning that the earth was formed or compacted out of water, or out of those substances which the water at first held in solution; and that it is kept together in coherence and solidity by means of water.
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Why is it that these scoffers were so insistent that nothing had changed since the beginning of creation? So much so that they were willingly ignorant, as Peter says, regarding the global deluge in the days of Noah. You see, if they acknowledged that God judged the world as a result of evil in time past, then the probability that He will judge the wicked deeds of men in the future day of the Lord is even greater! While God has set a boundary that the waters will never again cover the earth, He will one day purge the present heavens and earth with fire (Psalm 104:5-9 cf. Matthew 3:7-12). — Sadler, page 226.
perdition (v.6) = destruction, ruin
Romans 1:20 says “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” I’ve always thought of that exclusively in terms of God’s original creation on the six days, and that is certainly true. But the evidence of God’s judgment via the Flood is also unmistakable in creation. The very evidence that proves the earth was flooded—the layers, the fossil record, the appearance of sea creatures in fossils on mountain tops—is used by secular evolutionists to “prove” their ungodly theory. This is just another way they willfully refuse to glorify God and be thankful to Him (Romans 1:21 cf. 2 Peter 3:5 on “willfully forgetting”) As a result, although they think the sound wise, they become fools (Romans 1:22). I haven’t thought of the evidence of creation in quite this way before. The universal Flood is certainly evidence of God’s power.
So Peter is warning his readers to beware of the idiots who claim that God won’t judge the world when all around them is clear evidence that God has indeed judged the world and so can be trusted to keep His promise to do it again.
1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
This letter was written to the same audience as the first letter—”the pilgrims of the Dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1) = Jews. This letter was not written to the Body of Christ, and while it contains a wealth of doctrine for all dispensations, we need to keep in mind that we are not the primary audience and that there many be things that do not directly apply to us.
stir up (v.1) = wake out of sleep, arouse
pure (v.1) = uncontaminated, sincere. Perhaps referring to those who hadn’t been corrupted by the false teachers of chapter 2.
Peter is about to speak to his countrymen in “word pictures” with the hope of jogging their memory concerning “the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior.” The image the apostle puts before them is the end times. But before he begins, Peter wants his readers to be well aware that what he is about to reveal to them is based upon the teachings of the Old Testament prophets and the earthly ministry of Christ to the twelve. — Sadler, page 222.
mindful (v2) = remember
Peter’s emphasis on the unity of the Old Testament [Jewish Scriptures] with the [Jewish] apostolic writings is reminiscent of 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:19-21. — Guthrie, page 1256
commandment (v.2) — All the things that Christ, during His earthly ministry, taught to the 12 Jewish apostles (Galatians 2:7-9).
18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.
19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
great swelling words of emptiness (v.18) = Exaggeration, unreality, boastfulness, and emptiness. Conveys the same idea as waterless wells and driven mists—great pretensions but no results.
allure (v.18) = entice, lit. “to bait a hook or set a trap with bait”
lewdness (v.18) = outrageous conduct shocking to public decency, violent spite and indulgence in lawless insolence
the latter end is worse for them than the beginning (v.20) — At the beginning, they lived in sin but then were exposed to righteousness in Christ. After they reject that truth, there is nothing else that could possibly save them so they are infinitely worse off.
proverb (v.21) — The first is found in Proverbs 26:11, while the second appears to come from an extra-biblical source, the ancient History of Ahikar. Peter may be thinking of Matthew 7:6. — Guthrie, page 1256.
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There are those who believe the kingdom saints could lose their salvation, we are not of that number. We do, however, agree that they did not enjoy the assurance of their salvation. …
First and foremost, the kingdom saints, to whom Peter was writing, are said to be saved. You will recall the woman who washed our Savior’s feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. The Lord said to her, “They sins are forgiven,” then added, “They faith hath saved thee; go in peace” (Luke 7:36-50). … What did her faith save her from? Obviously, she was saved from her sins and the judgment to come. If she could lose her salvation, as some claim, then what would have this woman been delivered from—it surely could not be her sins, simply because she’s once again in jeopardy of the hell-fire judgment.
The Lord said to Nicodemus under this same program, “That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Those who believe in him here are said to have eternal life. We know from the record that Nicodemus responded to the Master’s words and received eternal life. But in what sense did he have eternal life if he could have lost it? It was not eternal if there was ever the possibility of losing it.
Surely this passage should settle the matter that the sheep in Israel, who believed Christ was their Messiah, were eternally secure. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:28). If these saints, any one of them, lost their salvation, then would it not have to be said that they were plucked from the Savior’s hand? God forbid!
But what then does Peter mean when he says, those who have a knowledge of Christ, if they again become entangled in the pollutions of the world, it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness? Clearly the apostle is addressing the false teachers and those led astray by their cunning ways. They escaped the pollutions of the world, not by conversion, but through an outward knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Religiously speaking, there were numerous benefits to being closely aligned with the kingdom message. But to be thus re-entangled in evil, after having once escaped it through the professed knowledge of the Lord and Savior, was infinitely worse than if they had not known the way of truth at all.
Judas is a prime example. He was one of the twelve who played the part of a believer so effectively that the other disciples had absolutely no idea he was a worker of iniquity. … He saw how his close association with the things of the Lord could benefit him personally …
But the Lord unmasked this unsavory character for who he was—a devil (John 6:70-71). To which the Lord added, “Woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). This is also the sense of Peter’s words concerning those who wear the cloak of deception for personal gain. …
Peter uses two animals to illustrate his point — a dog and a pig — both of which were despised by the Hebrews. … A man who professes Christ may outwardly appear to have experienced a change in his life, yet his heart is far from God. He is like the pig that has been washed, but given the opportunity, returns to the mud. You see, it’s the pig’s nature to do so. So it is with the unbeliever, inwardly he will always return to his sinful ways. — Sadler, pages 216-219
I think I agree with Sadler. The false teachers were deceiving those Jews who were part of the assembly but who hadn’t yet placed their faith in Christ. As part of the assembly, exposed to the truth, they were in a position to eventually make the right choice. But the teachers were luring them back into sin and away from the truth, which put them in a far worse position.
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.
17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
astray (v.15) = led away from the truth, led off course, misled into taking the wrong path
wages (v.15) = reward
Balaam was a hireling prophet who sought to market his gift. This is the way of Balaam. When Balak, the king of the Moabites, saw how the Amorites were utterly destroyed by the children of Israel, he feared that he was going to suffer the same fate. So he sent the elders of Moab to Balaam with the rewards of divination to curse Israel. Balak reasoned that if the prophet cursed the chosen nation, he would prevail and driver her out of the land. The very fact these bearers of silver and gold were sent to Balaam strongly suggests that the reputation of the prophet preceded him. As they say, money talks, and Balaam was listening. But God would not allow the prophet to return with the elders of Moab, nor did He permit him to curse Israel.
The princes of Moab returned to offer Balaam riches untold and even greater honor throughout the realm. Rather than accept the will of God regarding he matter, he approached the face of the Lord again. Balaam reasoned that since Israel had sinned against God she deserved to be cursed; which, of course, meant he would reap a handsome sum for his effort. He had no concern whatsoever for others, even though man would perish, as long as it profited him. This time God gives Balaam the liberty to go, as a test. This shows the true intent of his heart seeing that he fully understood it was not god’s will for him to go, yet he went.
Balaam’s journey was interrupted when the ass upon which he was riding saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with a sword drawn. Although the money-blinded prophet could not see the angel of the LORD at first, the ass did and turned aside into the field The second time she crushed his foot against the wall. The third time she saw the angel of the LORD she collapsed beneath the prophet. Each time Balaam bet the ass unmercifully. However, after the third beating, the dumb ass spoke to him. … Peter would have us understand it was according to God’s purpose that Balaam was “rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness [insanity] of the prophet” (See Numbers 22).
Then the Lord opened his eyes and Balaam saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way. It is important to note that this was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, the very One who would redeem Israel from the curse of the law. Balaam reasoned that a holy God must curse Israel on the basis of His righteousness. This was the error of Balaam (Jude 1:11). But what the hireling prophet failed to understand was the higher purpose of God to redeem Israel at the Cross, where Christ would be made a curse for the sins of His people (Galatians 3:13). Consequently, the Lord rebuked the wayward prophet: “Behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me” (Numbers 22:32).
After Balaam realized God would not allow him to curse Israel, he deceitfully devised a plan to corrupt Israel. He taught Balak to sway the chosen nation into eating things that had been offered to idols and to commit fornication, both of which were strictly forbidden by God. This is known as the doctrine of Balaam (Revelation 2:14). Israel was only to worship the true and living God. She was to be a separate nation unto God; therefore, she was not permitted to marry those of other nations. So when the Israelites joined themselves to the daughters of Moab, God sent a plague among His people wherein 24,000 perished (Numbers 25:1-9).
The false teachers of Peter’s day were “following the way of Balaam,” that is, they were imitating the prophet. Balaamism is a system of teaching that’s based purely upon human reasoning. It is worldliness in its worst forms; lust, greed, and personal advancement at the expense of others. — Sadler, pages 212-214.
Clouds carried by a tempest (v.17) — The idea is not very different from that of the “wells without water.” These mists [clouds] promise refreshment to the thirsty, but they are so insubstantial that they are blown away before they do any good. Imagine puffy clouds during a drought that seem to gather and promise needed rain but then dissipate on the wind without providing relief. It seems to me that the storm here could refer to their lust for the temptation du jour, or maybe just their desire to push anything that opposes godliness.
In the dry, barren desert, wells hold out the promise of life-giving water, but if the oasis is dried up, those who approach are left destitute. The message of these false teachers was unable to quench the spiritual thirst of the their hearers because they themselves were empty wells. … Only Christ can satisfy the longing of the soul: “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any m an thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38).
There should be no question that these apostates were unsaved when Peter says, “to whom the [blackness] of darkness is reserved for ever.” Those who purposely lead men to perdition have a special place reserved for them in the lake of fire. Hell is darkness, but Peter reveals that there are degrees of darkness, which would be in keeping with degrees of punishment promised those who blatantly reject the Savior (Matthew 11:20-24 cf. Revelation 20:11-15). — Sadler, pages 215-216.
