The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Peter — Section 58

3. Thej11d_qment of Sodom. and Gomorrah. '"l'he Lord rained upon Sodom o.nd upon Gomorrah b1im,tone and fire from the Lord out of hrtwcn." 'l'hat tremendous over- throw is a solemn warning to the ungodly of all time. G-od will by no mel\ns spare the guilty; if men "'ill pollute God's earth and their own bodies by sin anil unclet\D• n<'ss, the heavy wrath of God must sooner or later sweep them into utter ruin. But even that frightful catastrophe sho"•ed how precious the souls of the r;ghteous nro in the sight of God. H&d there been ton such in that wicked city, he would have spnred it for the ten's sake. How little the rulers of the earth think thnt the course of this world is ordered for the s&ke of the faithful; that empires are saved from ruin, and wars averted, for the salvation of the few chosen souls! 'l'wo o.ngols were sent to savo the one right.eous man in the cities of the plain; they laid hold upon his hnnd while he lingered, and brought him out with wife and dnughters almost against his will. Aa now there is joy in the presenoe of the angels of God over one sinner that rcpenteth, so then two holy angels rescued the one servant of God. 'l'he Lord knoweth them that are his; he knows them all and each-each individuo.l soul that believes and repents. Lot was not wholly blameless; he h&d tempted God by ox posing himself to temptation; God bad not led him there. He SAW that the plain of Jordan was well watered every- where, "even as the garden of the Lord ; n be did not consider that " the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." The children of light ought to be wiser than this; they ought to regard their spiritual interest as far more hlomentous than their temporal; but alas ! the error of Lot is common still. He soon found how grievous his mistake had beeo. He preserved his iotegrity; he was saved, yet so as by fire. He passed through a fiery trial of distress and persecution; he lived io the midst of licentiousness and uncleanness ; day by day evil sights were present to his eyes, etil sounds polluted his ears; he saw nothing but sin, he heard nothing but filthiness and blasphemy. He tortured his righteous soul with their unlawful deeds; he saw the dishonour done to God; he knew somethiog of the tremendous condemna- tion that must engulf those ungodly men; his whole soul revolted from the vice and filth among which he lived. _He knew that his own act had brought him to Sodom, and he tortured his soul day by day in repentance, we may be sure, for his thoughtless and worldly choice, in anxious dread of coming retribution, in bitter sorrow for the awful danger of those wilful sinners, and for their outrages against the holy Law of God; he was crushed dow-n, worn out with their wicked behaviour and abominable licentious- ness. He had greatly erred ; but this sorrow of heart, this self-torture, showed that he was sincerely penitent, that he was not corrupted by the fearful wickedness which surrounded him. And the Lord delivered him. 4. What these examples prove. God's love and God's justice. (1) He careth for the righteous. He knows them; he knows how to deliver them. He delivered Lot first from the temptations which surrounded him, then from the ruin which overwhelmed the wicked. So now he bids us pray," Lead us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil" He can save us from being exposed to temptation, if he knows that the temptation is too great for us; he can deliver us out of the midst of temptation, however strong and overwhelming that temptation may be. We may be set amongst ungodly men, we may have nothing but evil examples all around u.e; we may seem ltft alone, like Elijah of old, in a tumult of corruption and rebellion. But" the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers;" he can keep his people safe; he can deliver them. Only let them keep themselves pure, and try by his grace to lead a godly life in an ungodly world. (2) He v.-iil punish the unrighteoUL The day of judgment must come; then shall the King say to the wicked. "Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels." Even now the angels that sinned are in Tar- tarus, in chains of darkness ; the men of Sodom and Gomorrah suffer the punishment of eternal fire (Jude 7). Whether that punishment is in some cases corrective (u the word 1<0A.ur,1 would imply in the language of the Greek philosophers (see note on ver. 9); whether there is a place for repentance in ••that prison" where those who once were diso'blldient are now confinoo ;-this is one of those secret things which belong unto the Lord our God. Holy Scripture s.eems here and there to givo us some gleams of a possible re;toration. "'e may he very thankful for those gracious hints, and cherub for others the hope which they suggest. But we must not be prcsumptous; 1 !le danger is tremendou1. That 'l!Qnian fue, even if it be corrective, hnE a very fearful Oil, u.1-92.] TUE SECOND EPISTLE GENJmAL OF l'J<.:'l'f<!R.