Those Who Despise Authority

Sometimes the boundaries have to be 
pretty concrete!

Scripture:

2Pet. 2:4   For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; ⁵ and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; ⁶ and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; ⁷ and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless ⁸ (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds that he saw and heard), ⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment ¹⁰ —especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority. 

Observation:

Peter’s concern for false teaching continues as he brings up illustrations from history. There were angels who despised the authority of God and therefore are awaiting judgment. Noah was a decent man who was saved because he served God. Lot was not the great example of Abraham, but was still a good man and was disturbed by the culture of Sodom and Gomorrah. Over and over again Peter uses the word licentious — those who are practicing sexual immorality. Those who are indulging the desires of the flesh — all throughout history — are those who despise authority. 

Application:

The lawlessness of the first century was a result of having no fear of God. The surrounding culture lacked a moral compass and therefore encouraged everyone to live in a way that would indulge the desires of the flesh. As a result there was a disregard for authority. What was this authority? It could be suggested that there is some come of angelic hierarchy which was not followed and resulted in the fallen angels. There is the authority of the church which false teachers were denying — encouraging people to do what felt good. The false teachers were also denying the lordship of Jesus. Finally, there is the potential of disregarding all authority in general. All of this will lead to the demise of the people of God. 

I have the joy of living in the same house with three grandchildren who are aged 5, 3, and 10 months. They are learning a great deal about authority these days as their parents are continually establishing boundaries for their lives. These boundaries are provided by loving parents who do not want to see their children injured. Sometimes there are tears and even a little screaming when little ones are not allowed to freely climb anywhere they want, or eat any food that looks yummy to them (right before supper). They would like to indulge in their desires but ultimately that may not be for their own good. They are learning the boundaries of life and how to make good choices. They respect the authority of their parents, because they know that their parents love them. 

Our heavenly Father loves us and has established boundaries for our lives — for our own protection. We may want to indulge in the flesh because it feels good — at least for a moment. But we will have to suffer the long-term consequences. Authority brings order to life and helps create a roadmap so that we can make good choices. When we begin to despise that authority, corruption results. This has been happening for thousands of years, but it is God’s people who are called to live differently. Sometimes we may feel like a lonely voice — like Noah. Or we may feel like Lot, surrounded by a culture that we don’t understand — but we are encouraged to stand firm. We know the end of the story, and God’s people will ultimately come out victorious. 

Let us not despise authority, but make good choices. 

Prayer:

Lord, may we be your people in the midst of a world that is choosing to disregard authority. Amen.