1 PETER CHAPTER 5
by
Jim Bomkamp
1.
VS 5:1 - “5:1 Therefore, I exhort the elders
among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a
partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed.” -
Peter now begins an exhortation to those who hold the office of an elder
in the churches
1.1.
Peter’s humility is seen in
that he does not exert his power and authority as the chief elder, but simply
calls himself a ‘fellow elder.’
1.1.1. Peter was a ‘witness of the sufferings of Christ’ (something that
establishes his identity as author).
1.1.1.1.Peter was with Jesus in the
garden of Gethsemane when he was in such agony that his sweat was as great
drops of blood.
1.1.1.2.Peter was there with John at
Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate.
1.1.1.3.Peter was one of the first
ones to see the resurrected Jesus and thus saw along with Thomas and the rest
Jesus’ wounded side and hands.
1.1.2. Peter knew that every Christian leader should not demand the respect
that was due him as a leader, himself included.
1.1.3. Peter did not lead by intimidation, but rather by example.
1.2.
Peter knew the glory that
had been promised to him by the Lord, for he writes that he already was a
‘partaker’ in it.
1.2.1. This reveals among other things that receiving salvation is something
that happens to a person at a point in time, it is not something for which we
must remain uncertain of until we meet the Lord.
1.3.
I disagree with some people
who believe that Peter’s exhortation in chapter 5 is to the men who are older
in age, not those who are in the office of eldership.
2.
VS 5:2 - “2 shepherd the flock of God
among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily,
according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness” - Peter now begins to deal with the proper attitudes and motivation
that a Christian leader in eldership ought to have
2.1.
The elder is called to be a
‘shepherd’ of the sheep under his care.
2.1.1. Strong’s Greek Dictionary has the following entry for this word
translated as ‘shepherd’ here:
4165 poimaino { poy-mah’-ee-no} from 4166;
TDNT - 6:485,901; v AV - feed 6, rule 4, feed cattle 1; 11 GK - 4477 { poimaivnw } 1) to
feed, to tend a flock, keep sheep 1a) to rule, govern 1a1) of 1a2) to furnish
pasture for food 1a3) to nourish 1a4) to cherish one’s body, to serve the body 1a5) to
supply the requisites for the soul’s need
2.1.2. The KJV translates this word as ‘feed,’ making the exhortation apply
primarily to the teaching of the Word of God (this is probably too limited of a
use of the word).
2.2.
The Christian elder has the
responsibility of caring for the “spiritual well-being” of the church.
2.3.
The responsibility of the
shepherd of God’s flock is to feed the sheep, guide the sheep, protect the
sheep, and make sure that they get rest.
2.3.1. In John 10, Jesus teaches us what the traits of one who was not a good
shepherd, but a hireling.
2.3.1.1.They leave the sheep when
the wolf comes because they are don’t really care about the sheep.
2.3.1.2.They are really shepherding
only for what they can get out of it.
2.3.1.3.The hireling over God’s people
is just like the assistant manager who takes over for the manager but doesn’t
really care if they lose money, whether or not the store stays open, etc.
2.4.
The exhortations in the New
Testament to elders also apply to pastors, because they are also elders.
2.5.
Peter does not write that
the elder is to shepherd the sheep “under” them, but the sheep “among” them,
implying that the elder is not to think too highly of himself or abuse the
power of his office.
2.6.
Peter exhorts concerning the
attitude that an elder is to have towards the ministry that he is overseeing,
he is not to do it ‘under compulsion’, but rather he should serve and care for
the sheep ‘voluntarily.’
2.6.1. A pastor should never try to co hearse anyone to doing ministry, for
any ministry that a person does not desire to do on his own will be done
half-heartedly by him.
2.6.2. It is better for a person not to do ministry than to hearse him against
his will and desires.
2.7.
The next attitude that Peter
exhorts against for an elder is to do the work for ‘sordid gain.’
2.7.1. Those who are false prophets always tend to have a financial motive
behind their so-called ministry (as 2 Peter 2:14 teaches, they “...have a heart
trained in greed”).
2.7.1.1.I question the calling of
pastors who make much above the average person’s income income as their salary
in the ministry.
2.7.1.2.What a person does with his
money is an accurate indicator of what fills his heart.
2.7.1.2.1.If a person does not make an
attempt to be faithful to tithe to the church, he should not be considered for
eldership, for how could he be an example to the flock if he does not give.
2.7.1.2.2.I believe that if we make
money on the ministry, motivated by greed, that when we stand before the Lord
for rewards (that is if we make it to heaven) He is going to tell us that we
have already received our reward.
2.7.1.3.We need more pastors today
like the apostle Paul who was even willing to work secularly in order to
support his ministry, just so that his motives could not be questioned.
2.7.1.4.Rewards for people will either
be given in heaven or received on earth, and if our heart is not right before
God and we aren’t letting Him do what He wants to do through us, we won’t
receive a reward in heaven.
2.8.
Peter writes that instead of
having as a motive ‘sordid gain,’ that an elder should be motivated with
‘eagerness’ to faithfully serve and shepherd the flock entrusted to him by the
Lord.
3.
VS 5:3 - “3 nor yet as lording it over
those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” - Peter writes in this verse an exhortation against an abuse of power
by an elder
3.1.
In Luke 22:25-27, Jesus
taught us that in God’s kingdom and economy, the one who shall be the greatest
is the one who shall be the servant of all, “25 And He said to them, “The
kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them
are called ‘Benefactors.’ 26 “But not so with you, but let him who is the
greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. 27
“For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves?
Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who
serves.”
3.2.
In the world, companies and
organizations are top heavy in their structure so that the greatest perks and
benefits go to the person who is the highest in leadership, this is the
opposite of the type of leadership characteristics that Jesus demonstrated in
His life and taught His disciples.
3.3.
In the church, leaders are
not to rule by intimidation ‘lording it over’ the people in their congregations,
but rather they are to set a leadership style that demonstrates the principle
of leading by the example of their life.
3.4.
“Like produces like,” thus
when a leader leads in the way in which Christ leads, the people of his flock
will follow his example.
3.5.
Just as in parenting, when a
son acts just like his father and a daughter like her mother, it is a natural
tendency for a Christian leader’s flock to become in time like him.
4.
VS 5:4 - “4 And when the Chief Shepherd
appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” - Peter discusses here the
rewards from Christ for faithful leadership
4.1.
Again showing his humility,
Peter does not call himself ‘the chief shepherd,’ but Jesus, and elders are all
under-shepherds under the Chief Shepherd, Jesus.
4.2.
There are several crowns
promised for the believer in the NT:
life (Ja. 1:12), righteousness (II Tim. 4:8), glory (I Peter 5:4), gold (Rev. 4:4), rejoicing (I Thess. 2:19),
believers in heaven won by Paul, and the incorruptible crown (I Cor.
9:25). In each case, the crown is the
reward for the cross that is borne.
4.3.
Peter promises us here that
the ‘crown of glory’ that the faithful shepherd shall wear for eternity is
‘unfading’ since it will never wear out or lose its luster.
5.
VS 5:5 - “5 You younger men, likewise, be
subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward
one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” - Having demonstrated humility
in his writing, Peter’s exhortations are now for general application, and he
exhorts everyone in the body concerning ‘humility’
5.1.
Peter first exhorts those
who are younger to be subject to their elders.
5.1.1. These ones could be younger in age and being exhorted to listen to and
heed the advice of the older more mature men in the church.
5.1.2. Conversely, by the term ‘younger men,’ Peter could be talking about
spiritual maturity, not age, and be giving an exhortation to submit to those
who hold the office of elder (not those older in age), as the term has been
used thus far in our chapter.
5.2.
Peter next exhorts everyone
in the fellowship to ‘clothe’ themselves as with a garment, in ‘humility.’
5.2.1. No one can force us to be humble, it is something that we must
determine to do ourselves.
5.3.
Peter gives a reason or
motivation for everyone to clothe themselves with humility, and that is because
‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’
5.3.1. God will oppose us by disciplining us if we continue to allow pride to
rule our life as a Christian.
6.
VS 5:6 - “6 Humble yourselves, therefore,
under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” – Peter admonishes everyone to humble themselves
6.1.
Peter gives us promises
concerning those who humble themselves before the Lord
6.1.1. The first promise is that when we humble ourselves before the Lord, His
hand is ‘mighty,’ and He goes before us to bless, guide, protect, and use us as
His representatives.
6.1.2. The second promise is that in His timing, the Lord exalts those who
humble themselves before Him.
6.1.2.1.God wants to bless us and
use us more greatly, but if we are not humbling ourselves before Him, He will
not do it.
6.1.2.2.All promotion in life comes
from the Lord, and as we humble ourselves before Him and prove ourselves
faithful to Him, He will promote and bless us according to His perfect plans
for our lives.
6.1.2.3.I have heard people say
before that when the Lord finds someone that He knows that He can trust, He
uses Him in a truly great way.
6.1.2.4.We ought to ask ourselves
the question, “Is there anything holding me back from being used more greatly
by the Lord?”
7.
VS 5:7 - “7 casting all your anxiety upon
Him, because He cares for you” - Peter admonishes us to go to the Lord when we worry or are
anxious
7.1.
This verse reminds me of
Paul’s exhortation to the Phillipians in Phil. 4:6-7 about going to the Lord in
prayer about everything in our lives, “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,
shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
7.1.1. When we have lost our peace, we need to take our concerns to the Lord
in prayer.
7.1.2. There is no reason why we should ever let ourselves worry, and we won’t
worry if we are having faith in God and His promises for us.
7.2.
Peter writes here that we
can look to the Lord with all of our anxieties because we are assured that He
‘cares’ for us.
7.3.
This is just further
motivation to follow Peter’s advice given in the last part of chapter 4 where
he summarizes his teaching regarding suffering by saying that we are to
“entrust our lives to God to do what is best for us.”
8.
VS 5:8 - “8 Be of sober spirit, be on the
alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour.” - Peter exhorts us to be on the alert against our adversary
8.1.
The devil is as a roaring lion on the prowl looking for
Christians ‘to devour.’
8.1.1. The devil isn’t out seeking to devour the lost person, he already has him,
he seeks the Christian.
8.1.2. The lion is the most efficient predator of all therefore he is the king
of the animal world, thus we see the implication of Satan being compared to a
lion.
8.1.3. Matthew Henry writes about Satan as the roaring lion, “He is a roaring lion, hungry, fierce, strong,
and cruel, the fierce and greedy pursuer of souls. 2. By his business: He
walks about, seeking whom he may devour; his whole design is to devour and
destroy souls. To this end he is unwearied and restless in his malicious
endeavours; for he always, night and day, goes about studying and contriving
whom he may ensnare to their eternal ruin.”
8.1.4. Adam Clark writes, “Satan tempts under three forms: (1)
The subtle serpent; to beguile our senses, pervert our judgment, and
enchant our imagination. (2) As an angel of light; to deceive us with false views of spiritual
things. (3) As a roaring lion; to
bear us down, and destroy by violent opposition, persecution, and death.”
8.1.5. In Job 2:2, we see Satan walking to and fro upon the earth looking over
men seeing whom he may be able to tempt or snare.
8.1.6. We are wise if we consider how our enemy the devil wages his war
against our souls rather than walk around blindly unaware of his schemes.
8.1.7. The sheep that gets eaten by the lion or other predator is the one who
tends to wander away from the herd (this shows the importance of fellowship).
8.2.
Peter exhorts us first to be
‘sober’ or clear-minded and watchful because.
8.2.1. Our adversary is relentless and very crafty.
8.2.2. Spiritual attack tends to come into our lives in a way that we are not
expecting.
8.2.3. It requires all of our senses sometimes in order to be able to see the
snares the enemy is trying to lay for us.
8.2.4. This is especially important to do during times of persecution.
8.3.
Peter exhorts us next to ‘be
on the alert’ or ‘vigilant’ against our adversary because:
8.3.1. It is when we let down our guard that the enemy strikes us and causes
us to fall.
8.3.2. When we think that we are strong in an area and not likely to fall,
then we are in danger, as Paul exhorts us in 1 Cor. 10:12, “12 Therefore let
him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
8.3.3.
9.
VS 5:9 - “9 But resist him, firm in your
faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by
your brethren who are in the world.” - Peter exhorts us to ‘resist’ the Devil
9.1.
What Satan seeks to
undermine is our faith.
9.2.
Consistent resistance by
faith in Christ will end in victory over the devil every time.
9.3.
What God is trying to
establish in our lives is a stable and consistent faith (Col. 2:5).
9.4.
In Eph. 6:16 Paul writes
that “the shield of faith” is what will extinguish all of the flaming missiles
of the evil one.
9.5.
James, in Ja. 4:7, tells us
that in addition to resisting the devil that we must also “submit ourselves to
God”, “7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from
you.”
9.5.1. If we do not submit ourselves to God and let Him be lord of our life,
we will not have the victory over the devil in our life, for God must fight the
battle against the devil for us to have victory, and He won’t necessarily fight
that battle if we are not submitted to Him.
9.5.2. We must be careful to never give the devil an opportunity (Eph. 4:27).
9.6.
It is often a temptation
during times of persecution to think that we are the only one who is going
through the things that we are going through, however Peter encourages us by
telling us that our brethren are suffering the same types of things.
10.
VS 5:10 - “10 And after you have suffered
for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory
in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” - Peter gives us promises
concerning what God will do in our lives after we have suffered for a season
10.1. Peter promises the believers that their suffering will not go on
forever, but will last just for ‘a little while.’
10.1.1.Sometimes when we are in the
midst of suffering we can begin to think that there will be no light at the end
of the tunnel.
10.1.2.From the perspective of
eternity, all of our suffering will only last for ‘a little while.’
10.2. I believe that it is the case always that God only brings fruit in our
ministry after we have gone through a period of suffering.
10.3. Peter encourages our hope in Christ by saying that God has called us
‘to His eternal glory in Christ.’
10.4. God uses the suffering in our lives in order to:
10.4.1.‘Perfect’ our faith and the
character of Christ within our lives.
10.4.2.Confirm the genuineness of
our faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior by making us strong, stable, and
firm in our resolution to follow Christ.
10.4.3.Strengthen our faith in
Christ so that we persevere faithful unto the end.
10.4.4.Establish that firm
foundation in our lives from which Christ can begin to build us up in our
faith.
11.
VS 5:11 - “11 To Him be dominion forever
and ever. Amen” - Christ’s kingdom shall last forever, and thus He shall forever
reign over all of creation
12.
VS 5:12 - “12 Through Silvanus, our
faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly,
exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!” - Peter has written this
letter of exhortation through a brother named Silvanus
12.1. Silvanus may have been a translator, however it would seem likely that
Peter at this point in his life would have known Greek and would not have
needed a translator to write for him.
12.2. Silvanus probably just wrote down or transcribed what Peter dictated in
this letter.
12.3. Peter writes in this verse that what he has written in his letter ‘is
the true grace of God.’
12.3.1.From God’s grace has come
Peter’s exhortations and encouragement necessary to prepare the church for times
of persecution.
12.3.2.From God’s grace has come
Peter’s encouragement concerning the hope in Christ that we as Christians have.
12.3.3.From God’s grace has come
Peter’s exhorations to holy living as a Christian who serves a holy God.
12.4. Peter exhorts his readers to ‘stand’ in this grace in which he has
written.
12.4.1.By saying this, Peter is
encouraging the church to believe His Words and to heed his exhortations.
13.
VS 5:13 - “13 She who is in Babylon,
chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark” - Peter tells his readers that
he is currently in Babylon
13.1. As I mentioned at the beginning of this study, Babylon could refer to
the literal city of Babylon, or it could be a code word for Rome.
13.1.1.We do not know of any church
in the city of Babylon during the writing of Peter, however this does not
necessarily mean that one did not exist.
13.1.2.Many believe that Babylon is
sometimes used to signify Rome in the scriptures (see Rev. 13-14).
13.2. Some believe that the ‘she who is in Babylon’ may have been a reference
to Peter’s wife.
13.2.1.Paul wrote that Peter did
have a wife.
13.2.2.If it was not the church to
whom Peter was referring to, he uses perhaps some strange language to refer to
his wife (or another woman) here.
13.3. The Mark that is mentioned here is generally most often thought to be
John Mark who traveled with Paul and Barnabas in the book of Acts, and who
abandoned the work at one point.
13.3.1.He would be the one then, if
it is John Mark, who wrote the gospel of Mark.
14.
VS 5:14 - “14 Greet one another with a kiss
of love. Peace be to you all who are in
Christ.” -
The church in Peter’s day greeted one another with a ‘kiss’ and Peter
encourages them to continue to do so
14.1. Peter wishes them ‘peace’ in his salutation, something which was common
in Paul’s writings, and of the time.