“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, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water” (2 Peter 3:5-6).
The prominent lyricist Paul Simon once observed that, “…a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” (1) That poetic observance aptly describes 2 Peter 3:5 and its reference to those who “willfully forget.” This serves to identify someone who makes a volitional choice to ignore God’s past intervention into the affairs of His creation.
Today, we might associate this approach with the 21st century concept of “plausible deniability.” This involves an attempt to disavow any knowledge or responsibility for the actions taken by others. While that strategy may succeed with limited human beings, we cannot hide behind the cloak of plausible deniability when facing an omniscient God who knows our every thought and deed.
One translation underscores this attitude of willful neglect in stating that God’s involvement in the affairs of human history “…escapes their notice” (NASB). This does not refer to a minor detail or an insignificant item that might be overlooked. Instead, several commentators highlight the deliberate and intentional nature of that mindset…
“A more precise translation would be, ‘They persistently (Greek progressive present) ignore one obvious fact.'” (2)
“It was a culpable ignorance.” (3)
“This term has the connotation of forgetting something or hiding something; therefore, an intent of purposefulness is contained in the term (cf. 2 Pet. 1:9; 3:5,8).” (4)
“‘Escapes their notice’ in the Greek means forgets purposely by disregarding information.” (5)
“[T]hey do not wish to know. Their ignorance is voluntary.” (6)
So those who adopt this mentality purposely forget that things are not the same as they ever were. God is not like the proverbial watchmaker who “wound up the universe” and then left it to run on its own. In fact, the reality is quite the reverse- God has intervened throughout the course of history, as seen most notably in the example of Noah’s flood.
Thus, the world as we know it has not always existed as it does today. There have been cataclysmic occurrences in the past, and such things will occur again in the future, as the Apostle Peter will remind us over the next few verses of this chapter. While such things may have escaped others’ notice, we should take care to ensure they do not escape our notice. (7)
(1) The Boxer. © 1968 Words and Music by Paul Simon
(2) Edward E. Hindson and Woodrow Michael Kroll, eds., KJV Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994), 2625.
(3) Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament (note on 2 Peter 3:8) Copyright © 1942-55 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
(4) Dr. Bob Utley. Free Bible Commentary, Copyright © 2014 Bible Lessons International 2 Peter 3. (n.d.). http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL02/VOL02B_09.html
(5) Constable, Thomas. DD. “Commentary on 2 Peter 3”. “Dr. Constable’s Expository Notes”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/2-peter-3.html. 2012.
(6) Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary: Second Peter. (n.d.). https://www.ccel.org/j/jfb/jfb/JFB61.htm
(7) Ibid.