Tuesday, December 29
Justice Served
(II Peter 2:4-9)
Christians sometimes worry about the apparent successes of evil men and movements. Why, they silently query, would God allow the wicked to have their “day in the sun,” often at the expense of righteous men and causes? The ultimate answers lie in the unfathomable sovereignty of God. Christians, however, can take comfort in the fact that God knows how to deal with both the wicked and the righteous.
After Peter’s stern warning about the prevalence of false teachers (1-3), he assures his readers that God will speedily judge the wicked. Just as God condemned the rebellious angels to Hell and drowned the populace of Noah’s day, so He will surely and speedily judge the wicked—though they appear to prosper for the moment (4, 5).
And who can forget the fiery judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah? Though these wicked cities grew and prospered—perhaps for several generations—judgment came swift and certain (6). God’s extreme judgment on the perverts, however, was not arbitrary. In the midst of his wrath, He allowed Lot—a compromising believer at best—to escape incineration.
You see, God knows how to take care of the wicked—frequently in dramatically impressive fashion. But, in the midst of His wrath, He also practices grace, mercy, and patience toward His true children. In short, “the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (9). Let’s trust His justice; it will be served!
