2 Peter 2:5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
Peter moves on to another example of warning to his readers about the seriousness of sin. Verse 4 is “pre-history” and verse 5 moves into human experience. In this verse, we also see an implied escape from judgment through the example of Noah. The sin increased in the human race after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. The following chapters of the book of Genesis gives stories of how corrupt and rebellious the human heart is. The flood was judgment for this sin. Sometimes God’s judgment is quick and sometimes delayed. Sometimes we may experience judgment in this life as a warning of the greater eternal judgment waiting for those who do not repent. Judgment in this life is a form of discipline because God loves us and wants us to realize our sin (see Hebrews 12). The flood story should serve as a warning to all people from that point on in history. Yet, people still continue in their sin. They even embrace and celebrate it. The choice is up to us. The other option is to follow the way of Noah and the seven people with him in the ark. Noah was a righteous man (Genesis 6:9) and preached righteousness as a warning to the people around him, who rejected his message and faced judgment for it. Peter’s words here give us a choice to make. We can follow the crowds around us and choose the way of the world by giving into the lies. Or, we can follow Noah’s example and choose to follow God and the righteous path.
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