2, 3. (a) Why do we today find what is said at 2 Peter 2:9 to be reassuring? (b) To what specific acts of deliverance does the Bible point as a basis for encouragement?

² What is taking place in our day reminds us of certain other highly significant times in human history. The apostle Peter draws attention to the acts of deliverance that God performed on those occasions and then comes to this reassuring conclusion: “Jehovah knows how to deliver people of godly devotion out of trial.” (2 Peter 2:9) Take note of the context of that statement, at 2 Peter 2:4-10:

³ “Certainly if God did not hold back from punishing the angels that sinned, but, by throwing them into Tartarus, delivered them to pits of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment; and he did not hold back from punishing an ancient world, but kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, safe with seven others when he brought a deluge upon a world of ungodly people; and by reducing the cities Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them, setting a pattern for ungodly persons of things to come; and he delivered righteous Lot, who was greatly distressed by the indulgence of the law-defying people in loose conduct​—for that righteous man by what he saw and heard while dwelling among them from day to day was tormenting his righteous soul by reason of their lawless deeds—​Jehovah knows how to deliver people of godly devotion out of trial, but to reserve unrighteous people for the day of judgment to be cut off, especially, however, those who go on after flesh with the desire to defile it and who look down on lordship.” As those scriptures show, what took place in Noah’s day and in the time of Lot is filled with meaning for us.

 4. In Noah’s day, why did God view the earth as ruined? (Psalm 11:5)

⁴ The historical account in Genesis chapter 6 informs us that in Noah’s day the earth had become ruined in the sight of the true God. Why? Because of violence. This was not a matter of isolated cases of criminal violence. Genesis 6:11 reports that “the earth became filled with violence.”

 5. (a) What attitude on the part of humans contributed to the violence of Noah’s day? (b) What had Enoch warned regarding ungodliness?

⁵ What was behind it? The scripture quoted from 2 Peter refers to ungodly people. Yes, a spirit of ungodliness pervaded human affairs. This involved not merely a general disregard for divine law but a defiant attitude toward God himself.a And when men are defiant toward God, how can it be expected that they will deal kindly with their fellowman? Already before Noah was born, this ungodliness was so rampant that Jehovah had caused Enoch to prophesy regarding the outcome. (Jude 14, 15) Their defiance of God was certain to bring an execution of divine judgment.