Like Beasts That Perish

I've got a confession to make.

 

This season, I've been quite unbalanced in my Bible consumption. The only passages I am studying this season are from the Psalms (because I want to make sure I stay in the Psalmic flow in my worship ministry) and on the good stuff, like health, wealth and protection.

So you can guess I was quite taken aback when out of nowhere, the words "like beasts that perish" keep ringing in my spirit. When it stayed for more than a couple of days, I flipped over to the Psalm where it came from, Psalm 49. And I found something interesting.

 

First, this phrase is used to describe all men.

Psalm 49:12 (NIV) - People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 49:16-20 (NIV) - Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them. 

Which leads us to the question: who are those who have no understanding?

Psalm 73:21-22 (NIV) - When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

In the New Testament, we see that false teachers too are like the beasts that perish. Why?

2 Peter 2:10-12 (NIV) - This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.

They follow the cravings of their fleshly nature and despise (make light) of authority. The telling sign is that they blaspheme (Strong's #987, Blasphemeo, to rail at, revile, to speak evil of) in matters they do not understand. In other words, they don't hesitate to talk trash even when they don't know the people or the issues involved.
They are also ill-disciplined, in fact, Peter refers to them as slaves of depravity (2 Peter 2:19) because depravity rules over them. I know it is fully possible for believers to be caught in the entanglement of sin and addiction. That does not automatically mean that they are like the beasts that perish. If they are humble, and are wise enough to hold their peace when they do not understand a matter, that means that they still have hope, because of the wisdom that still remains and is still working within them.

 

But if their lives are messed up and they are STILL arrogant, we have a problem here!

 

When Jude talks about people who are like beasts, the words are strikingly similar to Peter's:

Jude 8-10 (NIV) - In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.

In this day and age, I come across a number of children who are both ill-disciplined (no habit of delayed gratification) and quick to revile, condemn and insult. A few weeks ago, I saw a little girl, who could have been no older than five or six years old, arguing with and insulting her mother in public. That girl even went as far to as to actually strike her mother on the arm a few times, at least until she noticed my furious glare from a few metres away.

God is my witness, I was only seconds away from shouting at her hard enough to probably traumatize her for life. It was only the presence of the mother that kept me from exploding, since I knew It would be a horrible loss of face for the mother should I act as if she was incapable of disciplining her daughter and I (a total stranger) have to take over.

(by the way, I was just talking with Jess last night about facing demon-possessed people. He said I was fierce enough to frighten away demons … face-palm moment!)

After a while, the mother noticed me and remarked "Hey, aren't you the keyboardist from [my old] church?" That was more than ten years ago. And that meant that this lady was also a believer. Yet her daughter turned out like that…

Ill-disciplined and blasphemous people are on the rise in today's society. It is therefore the responsibility on us Christians to:

 

• Pray for our children 
• Model the right behavior (to be self-controlled and respectful) for them

… lest they, like too many I've seen, end up like the beasts that perish. The Bible does hold out hope for them, since we are told to:

 

Jude 23 (NIV) - … save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

But won't it be a lot easier to keep them from descending to such depths in the first place?
Just some food for thought...

 

 All this brings me to my point:  As we have already seen from the last post, we have no understanding, we end up grieved and embittered, when we allow ourselves to envy the prosperity of the wicked.Though while they live they count themselves blessed— and people praise you when you prosper— they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life.

 

People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish. Then, it is used to describe those who have no understanding, to tell us not to be intimidated when such people prosper (You listening in, Asaph?).