First Epistle of Peter
WATCH OUT FOR THE DEVIL
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:8 (KJV)
Here the arch enemy of souls is introduced. The devil is nobody's friend. He is a liar, a thief, and a murderer. He has millions fooled, and is leading them by the nose down to hell.
He is no friend of the Christian either. He cannot take one of them down to his place with him as long as the Christian maintains his faith in Jesus Christ. We need to be constantly sober and vigilant or he will get us down.
"Be sober"
This is the third time we have this word from Peter. It could here be translated as we ordinarily understand it, "to refrain from intoxicating liquor". However, more than likely it refers to being sober-minded. If we permit, the devil will make our mind his playground. This is closely linked with the former verses on humility and anxiety. If we are proud, he will trip us up; likewise, if we are filled with anxiety. If we worry, we distrust the Lord, and that is the devil's specialty. When we are filled with care, we are not thinking soberly, and our mind is not controlled.
"be vigilant"
To be vigilant means to be watchful. We need to be free from care, yet watchful. If we are not on guard we are in danger of the enemy. Satan is always on the lookout for a chance to catch us when we are not on guard. If there was a literal lion roaming our streets, we would be on the lookout not to be caught.
"your adversary the devil"
The word "adversary" means "opponent". It is usually used in connection with an opposing witness in a law court. The word "devil," means "accuser" or "slanderer". First by his enticements, this enemy gets us to sin, and then, like a lawyer, accuses us before God. In Revelation 12:10 he is called "the accuser of our brethren". We need to be continually on our guard that he does not entice us into sin and then he will have nothing whereof to accuse us. It is a good thing that we have an advocate in our Lord Jesus Christ. When the devil accuses us, He shows His hands, His feet, and His side which were pierced for us.
"as a roaring lion"
As a roaring lion, Satan would tell us that he is strong, violent, and ever on the alert to catch his prey. We often underestimate the power of Satan. The Scriptures call him "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). It also says he has power over death (Heb. 2:14). Perhaps he is to blame for more things than we usually suppose. No doubt he was the instigator of the fierce persecution that these early Christians were undergoing.
Thank God we have one on our side who is stronger than he. The lion is called the king of the beasts. Our Lord Jesus Christ is called, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5). Matched lion against lion, ours has gained the victory. He has prevailed, "That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb. 2:14, 15).
"a roaring lion"
Here Satan is pictured as a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8). In Genesis 3 and Revelations 12:9 he is pictured as a serpent. A serpent speaks of stealth and cunning. By his wiles he caused Eve to sin in the Garden of Eden. His very first word is aimed to get her to doubt the Word of God. "Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1). As if to say, "Did God really say such a thing?" It is still his chief aim to get people to doubt the Lord. He whispers in the ear of the unsaved, "God will not punish you for your sins". "There is no hell". "The Bible is only a myth". "Jesus Christ was only a man" and so on. He suits his lies to the individual.
After Eve's reply, in Genesis 3:4 and 5, Satan flatly denies the Word of God. "Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." In other words, not only will you not die, but God is withholding a blessing from you. If you eat of that tree you will be like gods.
The devil gets many of the Lord's people down by making them believe that God is withholding blessing from them. Trouble comes, sickness in the family, or bereavement, or he impairs our usefulness. He tried to upset these early Christians by fierce persecutions and so filled them with anxiety. While those types of persecutions are absent today in many countries, he can find many other things whereby to get and keep the Lord's people fretting. If he can just get us to question the Lord's care or love, he has gained a great victory. He will do most anything to weaken our faith, or entice us to sin.
"In my youth, Mom and Dad took me to a Zoo. While walking along, I remember that all of a sudden there was the most terrifying roar. It made my hair stand on end and the cold chills ran up and down my back. My first inclination was to run away. I had never heard a lion roar before and I was scared. It took a few seconds to become composed and then, with great joy, I realized the beast was caged" (Dr. James E. Priest).
"Walketh about, seeking whom he may devour"
But that is the picture in our verse – a roaring lion walking about seeking someone to devour. If a real lion was stalking about, most everyone would hurry to get out of his way. Satan is a lion who can destroy the body and also drag the soul down to his lair with him. If we had a true realization of this, we would flee to the Lord Jesus for safety. We would constantly be on guard lest this beast be encountered on some dark night.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:9 (KJV)
"resist"
There are only two things in the Bible we are told to resist. One is sin (Heb. 12:4) and the other is Satan (here and see James 4:7). We are not to resist anyone else who may do us evil. "But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matt. 5:39).
We can withstand the onslaughts of Satan, but we nowhere read that we can take the offensive against him. Sometimes we hear a Christian say something like this, "I gave the devil a black eye that time," or "I gave the old devil an awful beating." Well, this we cannot do. He is a spirit and out of our reach. But we can resist his onslaughts. This we do by being "steadfast in the faith." True faith wards off his blows. In James 4:7 we read, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." This you do by standing firm on the Word of God and in the Lord Jesus Christ.
"stedfast in the faith"
Ephesians 6:11-18 is a great commentary on this truth. Verse 11 says, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The sixteenth verse says, "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Notice, it is the shield of faith that puts out the fire of Satan's darts. All the armour in this list is for defensive, except the shoes which are to carry the "gospel of peace" and the "sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God." The only way Satan can be turned aside is to stand firm in faith on the Word and to spread the gospel story.
This word "stedfast" is an army term, speaking of putting up a solid wall of defense which the enemy cannot penetrate. We are to be like a rock, immovable. Only faith can do this for us. He cannot overcome faith. If we find ourselves shaken by the enemy, let us turn to the Lord and say, "Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24).
"knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world"
These Christians in Asia Minor might have thought that they were the worst sufferers in the world. Peter is here telling them that that which they were suffering was the common lot of all Christians in the world. Perhaps the terrible sufferings that were put into effect by Nero were already underway; and this fiery persecution raging throughout the Roman Empire.
Sometimes Christians think that no one has it quite as hard as they. Some think that no one has as much severe sickness or pain. That none are harassed by their relatives, or persecuted by their fellows as they. Their lot is about the worst of anybody living. Those who have travelled around know that there are many others whose lot is equally bad, if not worse. There was a sign over the entrance to a gym room that said, "I cried cause I had no shoes, till I saw a man that had no feet." Some have unkind husbands or wives who try to make life miserable. Others have poor working conditions or living quarters. Others have terrible bodily afflictions. Some have a combination of all these things and others besides. Be strong in faith. The devil will do his utmost to get us to distrust the Lord. Be like Job who says, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him." Remember, it is but a short time and we will be at home with Him.
A good verse for the harassed to ponder is 1 Corinthians 10:13, "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." This tells us that our lot is no worse than that of many others. Also, that He will not permit anymore to come upon us than we can bear, and will be with us in it all.
There is a verse that may seem strange in Hebrews 12:6, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Parents love their children, yet they chastise them. A true parent knows that children need it. Our Father knows we need it, too, so maybe that is why we are suffering. We might almost say, chastisement is a proof of His love.
The Lord does not want us to love this present evil world. If all went too smoothly we would not realize this old world lies in the lap of the wicked one. So He permits tribulation to come that we might turn to Him and that our affections might be set on things above. Tribulations are to be expected in this scene. The Lord Jesus says, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
The word "brethren" in our verse is the same as translated "brotherhood" in 1 Peter 2:17.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:10 (KJV)
"the God of all grace."
What a lovely title for our God, "the God of all grace." Grace speaks of His favor to us in spite of our deserving judgment. He manifested His grace to us in connection with our salvation. He deals with us in grace all through our Christian life and it will be by His grace that we are received into His glory. It is grace upon grace all the way through. We do not deserve a bit of His favor. He is the source of all comfort and blessing. He may let us suffer a bit, but He will certainly finish that which He started. We have a lovely little word in Psalm 84:11, "The Lord will give grace and glory." We have both of these in our verse.
"who hath called us unto His eternal glory"
The word "called" here means more than just an invitation; it is a divine call that has been heard and obeyed. The word "unto" could be translated "with a view to." He has called us with a view to His eternal glory. It will be to His eternal glory that we are in heaven with Him. It is also to His eternal glory when we live for Him down here. Some have applied this one way and some another. May we bring glory to Him now and hereafter.
God has always desired the companionship of His creature man. He visited Adam and Eve in the garden and many Old Testament saints. He made His dwelling place with His people in the tabernacle and temple. Then He came and dwelt among us in the person of His Son. At last He will have all His own at home with Him in glory. That will be a grand day.
"by Christ Jesus"
Perhaps better "in Christ Jesus". God can only manifest His grace to those who are "in Christ". It is only as we are in vital union with Him that we are called and blessed. Only as we are "in Him" will we ever be able to be with Him in glory.
"after ye have suffered awhile"
Peter cannot forget this principal theme of his epistle. He says as it were, "Suffering is a necessary step to glory". Paul speaks very much the same, "If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Rom. 8:17). Suffering and glory are once again linked together.
"a little while"
"A while" has the sense of "a little while". If we suffered all our life, it would only be for a little while compared to eternity. This agrees with what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:17, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Few of us suffer all our life. He permits only what we need to "perfect, stablish, strengthen and settle us."
"make you perfect"
This is not a wish or a petition but a statement of a fact. "After that ye have suffered awhile, himself shall perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." The word "perfect" here has not the sense of completion or maturity, as in many places in the Word. It has rather the sense of "fitting" or
"joining" or "repairing". Through suffering, the Lord is fitting us for service and also for glory. It has the same meaning in Ephesians 4:12 where "For the perfecting of the saints" has the meaning of fitting them for service. Suffering does fit us for service. Most all men mightily used of God have been trained in the school of suffering. It is even said of Christ, "For in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted" (Heb.2:18). If He needed suffering to fit Himself for service, how much more do we need it?
"stablish, strengthen, settle you"
Suffering establishes one too. If one has suffered for Christ and with Christ, he is not likely thereafter to waver from Christ. He will not be moved by every wind of doctrine. The more storms a tree has to withstand the deeper its roots strike down to gain a firm hold – so with a Christian.
Suffering strengthens one in faith, and gives him a more comprehensive thought of God. Usually a strong Christian is one who has suffered a lot. He is unshakeable. The inner man is strengthened by suffering.
The word "settle" does not appear in many old manuscripts. The Revised Version has left it out. The word means to "settle down" as on a foundation. Through suffering the Lord does make one settle down on the foundation which is Christ.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:11 (KJV)
This verse is identical with the last part of verse 11 of chapter 4. In chapter 4:11 it seems to refer back to our Lord Jesus Christ, while here it refers rather to the Father. This would indicate that the Father and the Son are equally divine and equal as to their position in the Trinity. The "Amen" here concludes the epistle apart from a few concluding remarks in verses 12 to 14.
