Judgment Begins Near

These readings join in one warning: when men grow strong, they easily grow careless; when they seek gain, they begin to call evil good; and when they are reproved, they often resent God instead of repenting. Rehoboam forsook the law once he was established. The rulers in Micah devoured the people while the false prophets sold peace to those who fed them. Proverbs strips away the disguise: haste leads to sin, lying lips do not stand, wealth gathers companions, and the poor are easily neglected. Then Peter tells us how a Christian must answer such an age: not by joining its excess, nor by fearing its mockery, but by suffering with sobriety, prayer, and steadfast love.

The disease is double-mindedness. Men want the name of God, yet they serve appetite, pride, and profit. As Justin says, “This people [shall go a whoring after other gods], and shall forsake Me, and shall break my covenant which I made with them in that day;” That whoring is not only with idols of wood. It is also with bribes, flattering speech, luxurious living, and the refusal to judge rightly.

So Peter bids us arm ourselves. Let the one who has stolen from the poor restore. Let the talkative man bridle his tongue. Let the comfortable man open his house without grumbling. Let each keep watch in prayer, since judgment begins at the house of God. If reproached for Christ, do not retreat. “yet (if any man suffer) as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf.” Better a poor man walking in integrity than a rich man found empty when the Lord visits His house.