“Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” (2 Peter 2 v 22)
We know the vomit proverb is in the Bible, Proverbs 26 v 11. The second proverb was obviously known and quite similar to the previous one but we don’t know where it came from.
The dog doesn’t see vomit as we see it, rather it sees and smells food. The pig doesn’t see the mud as we see it, rather it knows it is a place where they can cool down, have a sense of belonging and mark their territory.
Peter is saying that the false teachers were always false; they were never followers of Jesus; they had remained as sinners; dogs will be dogs; pigs will be pigs and fools will be fools; it is the natural thing for a dog to return to its vomit and a pig to her mud. Similarly the Proverb says the fool returns to their foolishness.
Were they ever true believers?
Is it possible for someone to say yes to God; to say yes to the Church; to say yes to Bible College; to say yes to ordination; to say yes to the Pastorate; and then say yes to the vomit and the mud? It is if they were a fool trying to fool everybody but not being able to fool God. It is if they were simply a dog or a pig all along.
Missions Paul 