"The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away."
Peter Exhorts the Elders
In verse 1 Peter directly says that he exhorts the elders among them, meaning that each of the various congregations that received the letter had men who served in this office. The exhortation was given by one who identified himself as an elder, as an eye-witness of Christ's sufferings, and as a partaker of the glory at Christ's coming again.
The first thing that Peter says to the elders is to "shepherd the flock which is among you." The concept of tending the flock is in view. It has the force of a command. Shepherds have responsibilities which include leading, protecting, recovering the straying sheep, and we may say, caring for the lambs. This is truly an important task in light of imminent persecution. There is nothing like a frightening circumstance to create anxiety and fear among those who belong to the Lord, and at the same time who are vulnerable to the threats that may come from without. This shepherding is in the form of overseers, the translation of the word that means ‘bishop.' In addressing them as elders, Peter uses forms of the term presbuteros and in speaking of them as overseers he uses a form of the word episkopoi. We use these terms to describe the government of churches with which we are familiar: Reformed and presbyterian-type churches are governed by elders; Episcopal-type churches are governed by bishops. We also believe that being ‘overseers' is a function of the eldership and not a level of office in a church hierarchy. The elders were to serve as overseers, not because of external compulsion (we might say, not because they had to), but willingly, because they wanted to serve in this way. This was not to be a means of dishonest gain for the elders, but an eagerness to oversee the flock of God.
There is also another caution given by Peter: the eldership is not to exercise a lordship over the people entrusted to their care. You can run into the micromanagement-type personalities in the course of life, but this is not the way of the elder. While he has authority he is not to be authoritarian. The authoritarian mindset is a matter of determining every last item in the life of the congregation, with a strong desire to do so. It has been my observation that in American churches there is a tendency to one extreme or another. You either have the dominating pastor, who must have the last word on everything; or you have a dominating congregation, where the pastor is nothing more than an employee whose presence is as tentative as which way the wind is blowing that week. However, the Lord has ordained that in the church, government is shared among a plurality of elders who contribute their various gifts to the well-being of a God-honoring congregation. Their standard is the objective and authoritative Word of God.
Peter says that the elders are not to be the lordship/tyranny type, "but," a word indicating contrast, "being examples to the flock." The eldership, then, is to lead by example in the midst of the flock, serving as overseers, with servant-like attitudes. Peter says, "when the Chief Shepherd appears, they will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away."
"Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you submit to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
Peter Exhorts the Younger Members
It is Peter's desire to instruct the congregation in how each should conduct themselves in relationship to the whole body. Not only does he instruct the elders as to the way they are to conduct themselves in their work in the congregation, but he also deals with the more youthful segment in terms of their responsibilities. "Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders." The younger men are in view here. Why does he do this? It may be that the younger men were inclined to ignore or cast off the instruction and authority of the elders in their task of leadership. There is a tendency of the youthful to think that everyone older is out of touch with reality. But it is ‘submission' to authority that is needed. One of the greatest frustrations of older people is that they don't always understand the shift in this attitude toward authority. When the older group was young, authority was not negotiable. When Dad or Mom said this or that, the matter was settled. I remember a young lad making deals with his mother on what activities or services he would attend, "Well, if I go to morning worship, then I don't have to go to Sunday School, or if I go to Sunday School, then I don't have to go to the Youth Meeting," and so forth. I couldn't believe it. And the year was 1977! His mother had negotiated away her authority. A child needs to be told what to do, and submission is what he needs to learn.
But the youth, especially younger men, are to submit themselves to their elders. But there is another dimension in all of this. It is imperative to be submissive to one another and to be clothed with humility. It is this Christ-like attitude of humility with which we should clothe ourselves, says Peter. This is an interesting idea. You may remember the rather shallow but common statement heard some years ago: "Clothes make the man." Well, I also remember something my black preacher friend, Aldric Baker III, said, "If you put a three piece suit on a devil, you've got a ‘good-looking' devil." But God's people are not so vain as to think that clothing will make them what they are not. So, "clothe yourselves with humility." Now, in saying what I have about clothing, this is not to say that clothes don't make a statement. Clothing says something about what we think to everyone around. We say by the way we dress, for instance, that this is an important event to us. How we dress shows the value we put upon it. Whether it's gathering for the worship of God or meeting with the President of the United States, how we dress communicates volumes. Peter uses an insightful figure when he says: "be clothed with humility." What we are saying by this humility is that we yield and submit to the authority, order and structure which God has put in place for our good and his glory.
Something else which we must consider in this is the motivation "for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." The call to humility should be warmly received, because, as the text is translated, God resists the proud. But that seems a little tame. It may be better understood that God sets himself against, or in opposition to, the proud. The idea is to engage Himself in battle against such a one. Humility is an essential attitude for the believer. We must remember that Peter is preparing the people for coming persecution. Not only are we to have a humility in our interaction with one another, but also in submitting to God's providence. Being proud is not a matter or more or less, but is to be nonexistent. Pride means that we think we are owed something. Pride is the opposite of humility. When the trials come, how do we respond? If we begin to have right thoughts about God, we can begin to have right thoughts about ourselves. Humility is probably the most important of attitudes to possess when we think about our relationship to God and others. "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." The trials that enter our lives are to be seen as the activity of the hand of God in providence. We can complain and fuss, we can whine and moan, or we can cast all our cares upon him. Peter exhorts the people to cast all their anxiety upon God, because He cares for them like no other. Humbling ourselves will make casting our cares upon Him necessary. We must conclude that we are not able to work all these things out according to our own wisdom. These two must exist ‘hand-in-hand.' Humility before God and casting all our cares upon him are not only necessary but possible. We may take comfort from all of this, in the midst of trials, persecutions, and the other difficulties of life in the world. There is a hymn that speaks well to these things:
Whate'er my God ordains is right:
Here shall my stand be taken;
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet I am not forsaken.
My Father's care is round me there;
He holds me that I shall not fall:
And so to Him I leave it all.
It is a balance of humility under God's providence, and a recognition that He cares for us.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
Peter Exhorts All Believers
Believers are called upon to recognize their responsibilities in the face of their enemy, the devil. This is a section that we have dealt with in the past, and we will review the passage in order to refresh our minds with it.
The first command that is given in connection with vigilance is to "be sober." It must be seen against the backdrop of the danger. Your adversary the devil is on the prowl. To be sober means to be clearheaded, to think clearly. There is no room for the opposite. There are many things that can make a person "fuzzy" in their thinking.
The second command in the text is to "be vigilant." Vigilance has the sense of being on the alert. We need the grace of God to stand and to keep on standing. You and I need to always be reminded of what we are, and what we are called to do. Vigilance is needed for this warfare in which we are engaged. The reason for obeying these commands is clear: "because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." If there is anything about which we cannot be careless, it is this. You have got to know your enemy and what he is doing; you must know how he works against you.
Times of warfare present the need to know the movement and activities of the enemy. The opportunities must be seized to thwart the progress of the enemy; opportunities are used to protect victims from the enemy's purpose to exterminate them, and this was especially needful in dealing with the Nazi threat in WWII; it has also come to light in recent days in the Middle East. Intelligence is necessary for readiness. Overcoming the enemy was, and is, the order of the day. This could not be done with carelessness. There has to be a certain clearheaded self-control, a vigilance and watchfulness without wavering, and a purposeful resistance to weaken and ultimately defeat the enemy.
Spiritually speaking, the reality is quite obvious. The devil is persistent and he is crafty. And he wants you spiritually dead. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
The opposition must be given from a position of steadfast faith. It is "in the faith," that we stand firmly. But you never know anyone to stand firmly in anything unless they know what it is. It is simply not enough to know the answers for these things, you must act on them. How resolved are we to do the Lord's will? Steadfast in the faith, or is it not convenient right now? Steadfast means unwavering, unfaltering, resolute, persistent, unswerving, committed, dedicated, and firm. You know that the devil is dedicated to moving you away from Christ and from living for Him.
Verse 9 also gives motivation for maintaining the resistance: "knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." The readers of Peter's epistle knew of what he spoke. First century Christians were persecuted for faith in Christ. They needed to understand the schemes of Satan and that they must remain steadfast in the hardships they encountered. It is as though he said to them, "you are not alone in this suffering." You are not all by yourselves in the world.
1. Peter exhorts the elders in their work to shepherd God's flock in view of imminent trials.
2. Peter exhorts the younger members to submit to their elders, and for all the brothers and sisters to clothe themselves in humility.
3. Peter exhorts the believers to vigilance and to resist the devil.
In light of the coming persecution, the people of God are encouraged, "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
