A SERIOUS WARNING
2 Peter 2:5-9 NKJV
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
I must admit this is a heavy-duty chapter. Chapter two deals with destructive teachings, judgment, false teachers, and their deception. My guess is none of the verses from chapter two make it to many refrigerators. This is a serious chapter with serious warnings. In our verses for today, Peter speaks of the judgment that came upon the ancient world in the time of Noah, and the judgment that came on Sodom and Gomorrah. But our verses also address the deliverance of Lot out of Sodom before judgment came.
It is interesting to note that Lot was referred to as righteous Lot. He certainly wasn’t perfect Lot. We could make a good case that Lot selfishly chose the good land for himself when he parted ways with Abraham. And we can say that it was Abraham, not Lot, who sought to put an end to the strife between their respective employees. And Lot did not show much respect for Abraham, who was older and who had blessed Lot’s life. It was Abraham who rescued Lot after he and his family had been captured by hostile kings. No, Lot wasn’t perfect, but his heart had to be in the right place for the Lord to refer to him as righteous.
We also see in these verses the effect Lot’s environment had on him. Lot was oppressed by the ungodly, very unclean conduct of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot tormented his righteous soul by what he saw and heard day after day. And here is a serious warning. What we see and hear can torment our inner man. The idea that just looking is not a problem doesn’t align with the scriptures. What we see and hear has an impact on our lives. The impact can be either positive and uplifting or negative and tormenting. The internet has the ability to both uplift and torment, depending on where we go and what sites we spend time on. I won’t go into the problems that internet pornography has caused, but there is other toxic content available. Some of the teachings deny Jesus as Lord and Savior. Or teachings that pull people away from the faith. If you are seeing and hearing false teachings day after day, it will have a negative effect on your inner life.
God does know how to deliver us out of temptations, so if you are caught up with tormenting stuff, ask Him to help you. This chapter is a serious reminder that how we live matters. What we see and hear matters. What we resist and what we give in to matters to us and matter to God. Don’t allow this chapter to condemn you. But if you need to make changes, take this chapter seriously.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to live above the lawlessness that is all around me. Show me what helps my soul and what does damage to my inner man. I believe my life matters to You.