He Knows Your Name
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” II Peter 2.9
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” II Peter 2.9
We often, too glibly, consider the lives of some of the heroes of faith through rose-colored glasses. We miss the severity of their situation, environment and temptations. In our modern, western world of civility, we often gloss over the severity of their convictions as we examine sacrifices made through our personal experiences.
After all, a broken fingernail or smudged finish on a car barely compares with receiving forty stripes at the hands of brutal Roman soldiers. And, while it may be a pressing issue, I suppose having your home AC unit down could not be honestly compared to being fed to a den of lions or to be crucified.
Peter drops his reader into the midst of some dire situations.
He speaks of angels who sinned – the ones He judged harshly for falling short of their designed purpose; however, those angels, it seems, followed the path of the greatest deceiver in the history of Creation. They were deceived by the most beautiful and powerful angel of all – Lucifer. (See Ezekiel 28.13-17)
He speaks of Noah – a preacher of righteousness who preached in a world completely given over to sin. During Noah’s day, there were no Christian help groups – no social media help pages – no Sunday evening encouragement groups. There was Noah – who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Do you realize that there wasn’t any mention of his wife, sons or their wives along side of him encouraging him? Maybe they did, but they are not mentioned.
He speaks of Lot – a righteous man who was so worldly that he stank of the world’s style and debauchery. He had become a leader in sin-city and his family had adopted the ways of the world. When exhorted – yet compelled – to leave the city by the very angels of God, Lot’s sons-in-law mocked, their wives (two of Lot’s daughters) chose to stay in the city, and Lot’s wife rebelled and tried to return to the city. Lot’s remaining daughters got their father drunk and became pregnant by their drunken husband.
The sinful angels listened to the wrong voice. The antediluvian world ( i.e. before the Flood) didn’t listen to the prophetic voice at all. And, the single righteous man in Sodom was mocked because he was too worldly. I suppose in each case, those who made wrong decisions had convinced themselves that all was well and that they knew what was best. While these are severe cases with harsh outcomes, each one could have had a happier, more desirable outcome had they trusted in the Word of God. As Peter states, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations.”
His message agrees with the Apostle Paul when Paul writes, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (I Corinthians 10.13)
No matter the temptation, there is always a way to do what is right.
After all, a broken fingernail or smudged finish on a car barely compares with receiving forty stripes at the hands of brutal Roman soldiers. And, while it may be a pressing issue, I suppose having your home AC unit down could not be honestly compared to being fed to a den of lions or to be crucified.
Peter drops his reader into the midst of some dire situations.
He speaks of angels who sinned – the ones He judged harshly for falling short of their designed purpose; however, those angels, it seems, followed the path of the greatest deceiver in the history of Creation. They were deceived by the most beautiful and powerful angel of all – Lucifer. (See Ezekiel 28.13-17)
He speaks of Noah – a preacher of righteousness who preached in a world completely given over to sin. During Noah’s day, there were no Christian help groups – no social media help pages – no Sunday evening encouragement groups. There was Noah – who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Do you realize that there wasn’t any mention of his wife, sons or their wives along side of him encouraging him? Maybe they did, but they are not mentioned.
He speaks of Lot – a righteous man who was so worldly that he stank of the world’s style and debauchery. He had become a leader in sin-city and his family had adopted the ways of the world. When exhorted – yet compelled – to leave the city by the very angels of God, Lot’s sons-in-law mocked, their wives (two of Lot’s daughters) chose to stay in the city, and Lot’s wife rebelled and tried to return to the city. Lot’s remaining daughters got their father drunk and became pregnant by their drunken husband.
The sinful angels listened to the wrong voice. The antediluvian world ( i.e. before the Flood) didn’t listen to the prophetic voice at all. And, the single righteous man in Sodom was mocked because he was too worldly. I suppose in each case, those who made wrong decisions had convinced themselves that all was well and that they knew what was best. While these are severe cases with harsh outcomes, each one could have had a happier, more desirable outcome had they trusted in the Word of God. As Peter states, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations.”
His message agrees with the Apostle Paul when Paul writes, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (I Corinthians 10.13)
No matter the temptation, there is always a way to do what is right.
Copyright © 2026 Dr. John H. Hill, All rights reserved.
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