"But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices and are accursed children."
In ancient times, brute beasts were animals such as gazelle, oxen (and their wild counterparts), horses, camels, donkeys, lions... The Mesopotamians would first try to capture and domesticate the species. If they failed as they did with the gazelle and the wild counterpart of the oxen, aurochs, then they would simply hunt them. In the case of the mighty aurochs, they were hunted to extinction. They used them however they could, but in the end if they were useless then they were killed. In the case of lions, they were killed for sport.
So leaders who speak of false things are like aurochs, oxen, and lions. These leaders sound like they know what they are saying for why else would so many follow them. In the last post, one thing they did was speak ill of political leaders. I can't tell you how many emails I have gotten that speak badly of political leaders. Both republican and democrat alike. These emails, when I go and research their content, are about 90% lies and 10% truth. Yet it is the lies that people focus on. Those who created the emails didn't know what they were talking about, but their goal wasn't truth so much as hurting someone's reputation.
I was talking with Teacher Janelle and mentioned that when we talked about our coworkers, that we were surely gossiping and gossiping was a sin. She thought a moment and then pointed out our intent when we talked of others was to brainstorm how to help them and make their lives better. Gossip was malicious intent to make others think worse of someone.
So anyone who tries to lead you to think badly about someone else, especially if they don't know the subject well that they are speaking about, falls into this category of those God is saving for destruction at the end of time.
These types of liars are just as bad as those who "carouse." In particular those who do this in the daytime. Carouse means to drink lots of alcohol. Both will find their death in their own corruption - in their dishonesty and/or fraudulence. Both will face the consequences of their actions. Those who follow God will be heirs of His kingdom when He comes a second time. Those who don't follow God will be completely destroyed by God's holy fire when He comes back.
This text continues to describe these people. They are described as having spots and blemishes. This was written in a culture that would have understood this phrase readily.
The Jewish culture had to have what was considered perfect offerings for religious ceremonies. One such ceremony involved a red heifer. For the ceremony, nothing considered unclean (today it would be germs or chances of disease) could come in contact with the people, items, animals, and anything else used in the religious ceremony. They went to such great lengths as to raise some children in complete seclusion from the world so that they could draw water from a specific place... ensuring that they had never accidentally come into contact with a corpse.
In the case of the red heifer that was used for the religious ceremony, it had to be one without spots or blemishes. There could only be red hairs on it. If any other hair was found of another color anywhere, then it was unsuitable. It could not have any blemishes either. This mean no previous or current injuries: internal or external. Even having using an yoke or something else tied to it would have given sign that it was used to work would have made the red heifer unsuitable for the religious ceremony.
For example, when you take a horse and put a saddle on it, the horse's back changes. Anyone who knows horses can tell which is used to being ridden and which as never been ridden before. That same goes for cows and if they have been used for something or not.
Pearls are the same way. The most precious pearls are those which have no spot or blemish on them. Otherwise they are not worth much.
So people who lead others with lies are like those with spots and blemishes - worthless and undesirable.
These people love making themselves worthless and enjoy making themselves worthless while hanging out with you.
A common problem in high school among girls is cutting themselves. They enjoy hurting themselves and putting scars on their skin. When they hang out with others, they might convince another to join them. Though generally it is kept a secret, they always end of telling someone and sometimes that someone joins them instead of getting them help.
Leaders who don't tell the truth and speak badly about the others are like that and they want you to join them. They want what is not theirs to have. They can't stop what they are doing. They get those who are around them, especially those who are not firm in God's Word, to join and follow them.
Gandhi wrote in his autobiography that when he was a boy, he wanted to help a friend to stop eating meat because to Indians that is as bad as eating a human. He thought by being friends that he could reform his friend. However, by hanging out with his friend he ended up joining him instead. Gandhi ends by explaining that friends give to each other and build up on the other. So helping to change a person is impossible if you are friends.
When someone is doing wrong, leading others to do wrong, and have lives filled with lies... that is what they are trained to do. They want to do that and enjoy doing that. You can't change them by hanging out with them... as you will be all the more likely to fall yourself. They are under a curse and you can't change that. That is something only God can handle... you can only pray.
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