2 Peter 2

One of the interesting things about Peter is that not only did he know the Scriptures well, he also believed them to be true. One example is his speech in Acts 2 in which he quotes the prophet Joel and also king David. Here in chapter 2 he makes reference to the Old Testament five different times. Angels being cast out of heaven (Ezekiel 28), Noah and the flood (Genesis 6), the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the rescue of Lot (Genesis 19), and the proverb he quotes at the end (Proverbs 26:11), are all found in the Old Testament.

Notice that he uses the first four as examples of God's justice, that "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment" (vs 9). And he uses the proverb to describe those who "know the way of righteousness" (vs 21), but who do not follow it. He would only use these Old Testament references to support his main points if he thought they were true.

If Peter believed the Old Testament writings were true, then we have good reason to believe they are true as well. Much like we said yesterday, these are not just made up stories. These writings are accounts of what actually happened. The stories tell us much of God's character, and the proverbs offer real, practical wisdom for daily life.

Think about that as you read Scripture. It's all there for a reason, and all of it is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). So use Scripture like Peter does, to gain insight into God's character, and apply biblical wisdom to your daily life.