First Epistle of Peter
GOD'S LONG-SUFFERING
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 3:20 (KJV)
"sometime"
Here we are told whose spirits the Lord preached to. The special ones mentioned here are those disobedient in Noah's time. Verse 6 of chapter 4 reveals that others besides them heard the proclamation of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The word translated "sometime" in more modern English would read "at one time".
"disobedient"
Disobedience always brings punishment. Refusing to hear the message of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ will lead to the wrath of God. Someday those who refuse the message will find themselves in God's eternal prison house. On earth many in prison have the hope of someday getting out, but once in God's prison house there is no hope of getting out.
The children of Israel constantly got into trouble because of disobedience. The Book of Judges is an interesting commentary on the effects of disobedience. Seven times they fell into sin and apostasy. The Lord let their enemies conquer them and then delivered them through the judges when they repented and called out to Him. Let this be a warning to saint and sinner alike. God will punish the disobedient.
Verses 18 to 22 are probably a commentary on the 17th verse. He says there "For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing". Christ is an example of one who suffered for well doing and how He was blessed afterwards. But those disobedient in Noah's day are an example of those who suffered for evil-doing with no resource of any kind, but constant suffering in God's prison house. In verse 19, we see the mighty victor heralding His great victory to these disobedient ones of Noah's day. The Christians were suffering persecution at the hands of wicked men, but the day would come when the persecutors would be punished and the persecuted exalted.
"when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah"
Read the account in Genesis 6 of this longsuffering of God. If those "Sons of God" were really angels as some have claimed, God says that their offspring at least were men. In the first seven verses He calls them men six times. He does not call them mongrels half-men and half-angels. In verse 3 He says, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years". He said their offspring "became mighty men which were of old, men of renown". Then in verse 5 we read, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth". Whether these sons of God were human or angels, He insists that the offspring were men and His longsuffering was evidently with these men.
Why should the Lord be longsuffering with sinful fallen angels? Why should He permit them to live here for 120 years? Suppose they did repent of their deeds. Could He forgive their sins and take them back to heaven? As God-man, Christ could make atonement for the sins of man, but did He do the same for fallen angels? And what could He do for those who were half angel and half man? Could He atone for the human half and not the angelic? How could there be an occasion to be longsuffering for such? The more one meditates on this, the more the angelic theory becomes unlikely.
How longsuffering the Lord was! Imagine letting men go on in their vile sin for 120 years before allowing judgment. In Genesis 6:11 we read, "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence". Man's sin must have been terrible, but He let it go on for 120 years. Our Father in heaven gave man many chances to repent and turn to Him, but in their disobedience and rebellion they would not.
The Lord is equally longsuffering today! Peter mentions this in chapter 3 (v. 9) of his second epistle. God has promised judgment in connection with the coming of the Lord and there is also coming the great day of fire. In this connection Peter says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Why doesn't God send judgment on this wicked generation? Is it because we are better than those in Noah's day? No. It is because of His longsuffering, hoping some may repent and turn to Him.
God waited 120 years for the disobedient to repent in Noah's day. But finally He sent judgment – the flood. They just would not turn to Him even though Noah, a preacher of righteousness, warned them over and over. They had abundance of opportunity to repent and get right with the Lord, but refused to do so. Finally, judgment struck. Certainly after death they cannot expect another chance. Yet some today believe this was given to them. If, after years of God patiently waiting for us to trust and obey Christ, we do not receive Him, we should not foolishly look for another opportunity after death. Remember that great fixed gulf that is over which one cannot pass.
"where the ark was a preparing"
The ark must have aroused a lot of curiosity with the people round about. It was a very large boat. A cubit is estimated at eighteen inches. This would mean the ark was 450' long, 75' wide and 45' high. They would naturally ask a lot of questions about it and Noah would tell of God's wrath against sin and the judgment of the flood that was coming. We do not know the effect on the hearers, but evidently only Noah’s family believed. Others probably laughed, sneered and mocked. If any had said, "Noah, I believe what you say about this coming judgment. Will you let me come into the ark with you?" No doubt Noah would have said, "Yes! Come on in".
Many still do not believe the message of God's judgment awaiting a Christ-rejecting world. If they believed, more would seek forgiveness and salvation. We do well to keep warning the world that if they continue on in sin and disobedience to God, danger lies ahead. As surely as the flood fell upon the disobedient in Noah's day, so the wrath of God will fall upon those who continue rejecting Jesus Christ.
"wherein few, that is eight souls were saved"
The ark was a type of Christ. Those who entered it were saved from the judgment of God upon the world. There was one door into the ark and anyone saved had to go through that door. Christ said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10:9). Notice He says, "I am the door" excluding all others. The church is not the door, nor the preacher, nor the priest, nor the confessional, nor one's good works, nor anything else – only Christ.
It says "Wherein few...were saved". It is still true today. There are many who are religious, but not many that are saved. The Lord emphasizes this on more than one occasion. In Matthew 7:13 and 14 He says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it". Here is a place where sinners are warned to flee from the wrath to come and Christ is presented as Savior. There are few within its doors.
"were saved by water"
This could be translated "were brought safely through the water". The very water that destroyed the unbelieving, buoyed up the believing. Of course, they had to enter into the ark before they were saved from the water. The fury of the storm fell on the ark. It did not sink under it, but was raised up by it and with it. Its precious cargo would soon replenish the earth. It is all a picture of Christ. The wrath of God and the fury of man descended upon Him at the time of the cross. It looked as though He was sinking and that all was lost. He said, "All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me" (Ps. 42:7). He went down into death, but the grave could not hold Him. And up with Him came the precious cargo of saved souls. Everyone who trusts in and remains faithful to Him will, on the judgment day, be saved for all eternity. Through His death on the cross He bore the sacrifice for us. How thankful we should be to Him for all this.
