Scripture
Semicontinuous - Psalm 28; Genesis 37:29-36; 2 Peter 2:4-10
Complementary - Psalm 18:1-19; Genesis 7:11—8:5; 2 Peter 2:4-10
(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)
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Prayer
Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)
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Reflection
This passage from 2 Peter is not particularly easy to understand. The writer uses a variety of instances of divine judgment from Israel‘s Scriptures to make the point that God’s patience with sin and evil will reach its limit. The rebelliousness of the angels, the flood in Noah’s time, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah all bear witness to the fact that God takes wickedness seriously. They also affirm a vital truth. The God who judges sin is also the God who rescues the faithful.
Peter’s illustrations move from judgment to salvation. The fallen angels await judgment, but Noah is delivered through the flood. Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed but Lot is saved from imminent destruction. Peter wants his readers to discern this. God does not punish alone; God also redeems. The Lord cares both about the decay of sin and the struggles of those who remain faithful to God.
This would have been encouraging news for the apostle’s first readers. False teachers had infiltrated the church and were influencing others with false words and selfish desires. It might have looked as if evil was prevailing and that faithfulness was pointless; but things are not always as they seem. God has not abandoned his people and divine justice does not always happen in the same time frame as we desire. But God’s justice ultimately will not fail.
Lot provides an excellent example. Genesis certainly doesn’t make him a hero; but the writer calls him a man who was distressed by all the lawless deeds being done in his time. God’s people are flawed, and as a result they often find themselves in morally confusing circumstances where doing the right thing is hard. But God does accept people who want to do what is right, even if they can’t always do it perfectly.
The passage concludes with the affirmation that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. The letter offers both hope and warning. No matter how much evil there is in the world, or how much suffering and persecution we endure, God knows how to deliver God’s people. But those who are arrogant and exploit others are not to mistake God’s patience for indifference.
Our world is often the same world as when this letter was written. Corruption, injustice, and deception are never hard to find. It is tempting to despair or take judgment into our own hands. Peter advises neither. He calls us to trust God’s wisdom and timing. Our task is not to predict when judgment will come but to remain faithful in the midst of the mess.
God is holy and merciful. God judges evil because God delights in what is good and delights in the salvation of his people; and God always keeps his word. That assurance is such that we can have courage to go on trusting that the Lord always knows how to rescue the people who belong to him.
PRAYER: Eternal God, you are present with us throughout our lives, even when others plot to do us harm. May we learn to live together in unity, that in all we do, we may sing your praises now and forever. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)
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