1 Peter 5

As I suggested in my previous article, First Peter can be summarized under four general headings:

1. Salvation,
2. Sanctification,
3. Submission, and,
4. Suffering.

Chapter 5 falls into the book’s final section under the main heading of suffering. In this chapter Peter is going to remind us:

1. That he was a witness of the sufferings of Christ, v. 1;
2. They were not alone in their suffering, v. 9;
3. Suffering is short term and glory will follow, v. 10.

If you are currently suffering for your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will find this chapter a great source of strength and encouragement.

The example of the Chief Shepherd, vv. 1-4

Peter addresses the elders who are among them. An elder is not meant to ‘lord it over God’s heritage’, a lovely description of the people of God, but to be an example to them, v. 3. Literally, this means to make an impression on them and so become a pattern that is worth following. So, Peter sets out to encourage and appeal to elders, but he is doing it as a fellow elder, and witness of the sufferings and glory of the Lord Jesus. There is nothing worse than someone teaching you theory because they have no personal experience of what they are talking about. Beware of people like this.

There is a sense that this short section is about two things - being shepherded and shepherding others. God’s protective and preserving plan is that shepherds (elders, overseers) recognize that they are responsible to the ‘Chief Shepherd’ - the Lord Jesus. This will keep them grounded and humble before God, which is what the second section is mainly talking about.

Verse 2 outlines their responsibilities.

1. Feed God’s people;
2. Remember they belong to God;
3. Be among God’s people and aware of their spiritual health and wellbeing;
4. Do the work willingly and not because they are forced to;
5. Do not be motivated by money.

The section ends as it started by bringing the focus back to the Lord Jesus. Verse 1 reminded us of the sufferings of Christ and the future glory that shall be revealed. Verse 4 stresses that when the Chief Shepherd appears the elder will receive ‘the victor’s unfading crown of glory’.¹

God resists the proud, vv. 5, 6

Peter now writes to the younger believers about respecting others and thinking less of themselves. There is self-confidence about youth that fades as the years roll by. There were rash things that we did or said when young that we look back on and wonder, was that really me? It is therefore pertinent that Peter reminds his younger readers about these issues.

Is Peter only advising that respect should be shown to the elders of the church, or is he talking more generally about respect for older people? I feel it is the latter, but accept that in the context he could be talking about the men he has just been addressing. Either way, the second phrase covers everyone. The whole concept of submission has often been limited to teaching about husbands and wives, but it clearly has wider implications in this passage, cp. Eph. 5. 21. Submission has within it the idea of making a choice to honour and respect someone else. In general terms, a believer’s mindset should be one of humility, where they give preference to another.²

The rest of this section explains the attitude that lies behind this way of thinking. Peter says, ‘be clothed with humility’. What we wear is seen by everyone and humility should be part of the way we think and behave so that we are literally seen to be clothed in it. God loves humility and we find no better example of humility than the selfless thinking and behaviour of the Saviour, Phil. 2. The Lord Jesus stated, ‘I am meek and lowly in heart’, Matt. 11. 29. The lesson is that when we are proud, we bring ourselves into conflict with God and He resists us and is opposed to us. The promise of Matthew chapter 11 is that humility in service brings rest to the soul of the believer.

The action we need to take is stated clearly in verse 6. The phrase ‘humble yourselves’ means that you are allowing yourself to be humbled by God. The process of humbling could be through suffering, persecution, problems, etc. But you need to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Do not wait for God to bring you into circumstances that bring you low. God is not in the business of humiliating you (that is a negative idea of shame) but sometimes God humbles us through difficult times to teach us to be grateful, trusting, caring, and thoughtful. The next section is the process by which a believer should humble themselves.

Cast your care upon Him, vv. 7-9

While the humbling process is going on, we should cast all our cares, our worries and anxieties upon God. The idea of ‘casting’ is ‘to deposit something with someone’,³ like money in the bank. We are being encouraged to commit all our cares to God once for all. That means all of our worries as a group, not just as each one arises. All that we have now and all that is to come should be deposited with God.

The reason that this is rational and plausible is that ‘He cares for you’ NKJV. You are his concern. You are His child. He loves you. You belong to Him and your concerns are His concerns. What a great reassurance in troubling times.

Verse 8 brings us to a series of instructions. ‘Be sober’ - be mentally self-controlled. ‘Be vigilant’ - be awake and watchful. The Christian knows that one of the reasons for the tough times in life is that we have an enemy who is relentless in his desire to destroy Christian faith and anything that is pleasing to God.

We are specifically told here that the Devil is our adversary. His name reminds us of his character - he slanders God’s people and makes false accusations against us. A brief look at the story of Job will remind you of what he is capable of. His roar is that of a hungry, angry beast, hungry for his prey, but thank God we have been given protection through the word of God.

We are called to resist the Devil but not by disrespectful prayers, songs, or threatening language.⁴ We have to use the Bible, the sword of the Spirit⁵to withstand his attack. Notice that the verse says, ‘whom resist stedfast in the faith’. ‘The faith’ usually refers to the scriptures, the word of God. Use the Bible as your weapon of choice. That is what the Lord Jesus did when attacked by Satan in the wilderness⁶ and so should we. The challenge is - how well do I know the Bible?

Another source of encouragement is that you are not alone in your suffering, v. 9. Other believers are experiencing exactly the same circumstances as you are - it is not personal; it is normal.

To Him be glory, vv. 10, 11

God has a big purpose for His people that will work out just as He has planned. The journey to the end goal might be tough but God’s plans will come to fruition. This will happen for a number of reasons:

1. He is the God of all grace. The idea of ‘all grace’ reminds us that He has enough grace available, and the quality of His grace is such that there is no circumstance that it is not capable of handling.
2. God has called us into His eternal glory. We are heading towards eternal blessing despite setbacks and difficulties.
3. The One who guarantees that it will eventually happen is ‘Christ Jesus’. He is ‘the author and finisher of … faith’.⁷

But suffering is part of the pathway to glory, v. 1; though the process of humbling will be tough there is a guaranteed ‘after that’.

God promises four things will come after suffering. In fact, Peter says that the suffering is only for a little while, focusing on the fact that it will end, cp. 2 Cor. 4. 17. What a help when trying to get things back into perspective!

Finally, in verse 10, four outcomes of suffering are highlighted:

1. Be made perfect,
2. Be established,
3. Be strengthened,
4. Be settled.

Let us look at each of these in turn:

1. Be made perfect

The root of this word ‘perfect’ means ‘to fit or join together’ or getting all the parts into the right relationship and connection.⁸ The general sense is of bringing something to a completed state.⁹

2. Be established

The word ‘stablish’ has a similar root to the word ‘stedfast’, 1 Pet. 5. 9, and is the very word used by Christ in His exhortation to Peter, Luke 22. 32. Possibly Peter remembers this when he uses the word here.¹⁰ One of the end results of believers’ sufferings will be that they are established in their character.

3. Be strengthened

I understand that this is the only place in the New Testament where this word is used. Often the word is used with a negative prefix which ends up meaning to lack in strength or to be sick. As believers we draw our strength from the Lord and in Christ we can be ‘strong in the Lord’.¹¹

4. Be settled

This phrase is omitted in some manuscripts, but the basic idea of the word is to lay foundation or to ground securely.¹² We may often feel that life is uncertain, but on that day we will be on a secure foundation eternally. Peter is strengthening his brethren!¹³

Peace be with you all, vv. 12-14

The rationale for writing the Epistle is given in verse 12 - to exhort the believers to stand firm in the true grace of God. Silvanus, the amanuensis, is a faithful and trusted brother.

Whether Babylon is a literal place or describes another city has been written on extensively and I cannot add anything to the discussion. The point is that either a church or a sister is sending greetings to the saints Peter is writing to, along with his son, Mark. Again, we do not know if Mark is John Mark, Acts 12. 12, or another Mark. Understanding these details does not add to or detract from the meaning of the text.

Peter concludes in verse 14 with his personal greeting to the believers. In effect he is asking them to show brotherly love to each other. It is vital that we love our fellow believers and that we actually express that love. Love is only really seen when it is expressed.

The final phrase is beautiful - ‘Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus’. Peace is uniquely reserved for those who are saved. The wicked do not know peace¹⁴ but the believer has come to know the ‘Prince of Peace’.¹⁵ What a lovely end to a letter.