II Peter 3:9-15a – Thinking Aright

⁹[The] Lord is not being slow of promise as some are reckoning slowness, but [He] is being patient into you, not purposing that any perish but [purposing] all to have room into repentance;

¹⁰but [the] Day of [the] Lord will come as a thief, in which the heavens shall vanish with a roar and [the] elements will be dissolved burning intensely and [the] earth and the works in it shall be burned up.

¹¹Thus all these things being dissolved, what sort [of persons] ought you be in holy livings and godlinesses;

¹²looking for and eagerly desiring the coming of the Day of the God, through which [the] heavens will be dissolved burning and [the] elements are melting burning intensely?

¹³But, according to the promise of Him, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

¹⁴Wherefore, beloved, looking for these things, be diligent to be found by Him to be spotless ones and blameless ones in peace,

 ¹⁵and reckon the patience of the Lord of us [to be] salvation …

The above is my DWB very literal translation of the passage. There is a great deal of repetition in the verses, so I tried to carefully translate the same Greek words with the same English words wherever they were used. Once again I have to say this book is an exegetical candy-shop. Time and space won’t allow me to even begin to point out all of the juicy grammatical conundrums. A couple of exegete-heads could spend hours noting all the peculiarities and discussing their significance, meaning, how best to translate, etc. But alas, I’ll have to content myself to jot down a few delicious observations and hope they’re of some help to someone else stumbling onto this blog.

Concerning the repetition, I am still convinced there is extensive deliberate repetition in this book. I still can’t see the pattern in it myself, but, knowing ancient writers, I am certain the repetition is part of some larger order such as one giant chiasm or perhaps a number of smaller ones that all fit together. Assuming there is one, it is also possible that Peter’s chiasm interlocks somehow with Jude’s. The similarity and repetition between the two books has puzzled theologians (including me) for years. Thinking in the total linear logic of Western culture, everyone asks, “Which book was written first? Which is copying from the other? Or perhaps they both copied from some other common source?” Totally linear. And possibly legitimate questions. Another entirely captivating option would be to shift to the fractal logic of Eastern culture and consider whether the repetition between Peter and Jude was deliberate and intended to make a point?

My prayer is that, if there is such a connection, I would see it before I have to file away my notes and move on to another study. And, again, this is not idle curiosity. This is the Word of God. Granted (because it’s fractal) it makes perfect sense and is of eminent practical value whether I figure out this larger order or not. But that being true, if the order is there, it is there deliberately, and it is there to make a point, and I would very much like to know what is that point. It’s not a matter of knowing the Lord’s mind or not, but rather of knowing it better. So, on I study. I’ll keep looking at the order and trying to decipher it. But, in the meantime, there are other interesting truths one can glean from the passage.

The entire passage is a response to the scoffers’ challenge in verse 4, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised?” It begins with the defense in v9 that:

“the Lord is not being slow of promise as some are reckoning slowness, but He is being patient into you, not purposing that any perish but all to have room into repentance …”

 It ends in v15 with:

“… [What you must do is] reckon the patience of the Lord to be salvation …” and that “according to His promise” from v13.

Once again, note the repetition of terms, which I tried to indicate by underlining. We should “reckon” that the apparent delay is not “slowness” but rather it is the Lord’s “patience” which He intends for our “salvation” (“room into repentance” in v9), and all of this centers around His “promise.” The four words (or, in the case of “salvation,” the concept) are deliberately repeated to draw us into Peter’s conclusion. Here is a place where, practically speaking, we need to “take captive every thought unto the obedience of Christ.” He’s telling us “how to think.” What is the “right” way to think? When we observe that the Lord seems to be acting slowly, how should we think?

Let me expand into practicalities: When we see world events growing ever more cruel and fearful, when it seems the wicked more and more take over positions of power even in our own government, when it seems that things are spinning beyond out of control, and perhaps we’re tempted to think, “Why doesn’t the Lord do something? Why doesn’t He just come now and get it over with?” – when we find ourselves asking such questions, then we are to remind ourselves that the very reason He’s delaying is actually His patience. (We may not be patient, but He is!). While what we see is devolution, the Lord is somehow seeing further opportunities for salvation. He intends it for good. This is just another place where we must believe that, in fact, He works all things together for good.

The Day of the Lord will come. This present twisted polluted universe will be destroyed. There will be a new heavens and a new earth, and righteousness will dwell there.

But it will happen at the time when the Lord knows is best. To us, His “slowness” is salvation. We have to believe that, see our world through that, and like the kids say, “Wrap our brains around it.”

Such is how we should view “end-times.”

Before I close this blog, may I point out that all of this truth is fractal? This same “pattern” of thinking applies to our everyday lives as well. In fact, I would say I have a much greater problem dealing with the Lord’s “slowness” in my everyday life than I do in my thoughts of eschatology. Isn’t it exactly the same? “Why doesn’t He answer me? Why doesn’t He take this pain away? I’ve asked and asked a thousand times.” I feel like the believers in Isa 26:16, “They came to You in their distress … they could barely whisper a prayer.” In many, many sometimes very painful ways, it seems like He’s taking too long. What should I do? “Reckon the Lord’s patience means salvation.” In some way, He is working out some good eternal end. He runs my life the same way He runs a universe. He’s up to something good. The pattern is the same. I just need to “wrap my brain around it” and keep on “wrapping” it.

More thoughts on this passage in another blog.