For he that will love life and see good days, let him cause his tongue to cease from evil and his lips that they speak no guile.
Peter's letter is about how God governs His people in this world. Here he quotes Psalm 34 to answer a practical question: how does a Christian come to enjoy life in a hostile world?
One writer traces which parts of the Old Testament Peter uses, and why.
Now we come to a quotation from the Old Testament Scriptures, Psalm 34. It is very instructive to see how the apostle, by the Spirit of God, lays his hand on the three great sections of Scripture in this letter. He uses them all for our building up. In the first chapter he quotes from the law, in the second from the prophets, and now in the third from the Psalms. They all bear beautifully on us. That is because Peter, in his letter, is presenting the moral government of God over His people in this world.
The life in view is the life you are living now.
Godliness is the way of happiness in this life, apart, of course, from persecution along with it, as we read in Mark. But it is the way of blessing... The passage in Peter refers directly to the peaceful and upright character. That character avoids evil, and gets quietly through the world in peace as a follower of good. If you wish to see good days, you must govern your spirit and walk in a certain way. Then — apart from persecution for righteousness or for Christ — if you live in peace, you will live in peace and happiness. But the life we love is life here.
Yet this life is more than being alive. Another writer shows the difference with a picture.
What is life to a criminal shut in a solitary cell? It is true he is as much alive as if he were free and among his family; but in the practical sense, is his "life" the same? Would he not describe his prison life as a living death?
Of all the places the verse could begin, it begins with the mouth.
Do you love life? Do you want many days, and to see good? Is it good you are seeking? Here is the instruction on how to secure these blessings... It does not begin here with my heart. It begins with my tongue. "Keep your tongue." Oh, that is a most difficult job. We all know how hard it is to keep the tongue. Are you set on seeing good? That is the question. I know the people who are desiring good, by the way they use their tongues.
Loose talk costs the speaker first.
You will not find a happy, bright Christian who allows himself the unrestrained use of his tongue. He will not be bright, he will not be happy, and he does not see good days. On the contrary, he sees miserable days, unhappy and dull. That is because he has done the thing the Lord told him not to, and he suffers for it.
The second half of the verse names a particular sin of speech. One writer defines it and shows how far it reaches.
This word is often translated "guile" in the New Testament. It expresses cunning, craftiness, and plotting to deceive. It usually has to do with a person's words. There was no guile found in the mouth of Christ (1 Peter 2:22)... But it was by guile that the Jewish council sought to arrest Jesus and put Him to death (Matt. 26:4; Mark 14:1).
Does becoming a Christian lift you out of that rule? One writer answers.
The grace of God does not set aside the government of God. We do not escape it by becoming Christians. Though we are the subjects of grace, it is still true that we reap what we sow. We cannot use Christianity to cover evil.
The same writer stops short of promising an untroubled life. Doing good may still cost you.
The Christian who walks this way, according to the government of God, will be in the Lord's favour. He will escape in large measure the troubles that men bring on themselves by their evil ways. Still, in an evil world the Christian may have to suffer for righteousness' sake. This shows that the government of God will not always show itself fully until righteousness reigns in the days to come. The devil is not yet banished from the world, and evil still prevails. So the pursuit of righteousness always meets with the favour of God, yet it may bring opposition from men when doing right cuts across their interests.
- Desire. The verse starts with a wish anyone can own: to love life and see good days.
- Government. God answers that wish through the way He governs now. Grace does not stop us reaping what we sow.
- Tongue. The first step is not the heart but the mouth: keep it from evil, and from the craftiness that plots through words.
- Days. Loose speech punishes the speaker. Dull, unhappy days follow the very thing the Lord warned against.
- Limit. Good days are the rule, not a promise of ease. Doing right may still draw opposition until righteousness reigns.
And let him avoid evil, and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it;
Peter takes these words straight out of Psalm 34 and hands them to Christians scattered under pressure. He gives three commands — turn from evil, do good, chase peace — and the last one raises a question: why must peace be chased?
Verses 10 to 12 are a quotation. One writer shows which parts of the Hebrew Scriptures Peter draws on, and why:
Now we come to a quotation from the Old Testament Scriptures, Psalm 34. It is very instructive to see what the apostle does here. By the Spirit of God he lays his hand on the three great sections of Scripture and uses them to build us up. In the first chapter he quotes from the law, in the second from the prophets, and now in the third from the Psalms. They are all beautifully brought to bear on us. For what Peter is doing in his letter is presenting the moral government of God over His people in this world.
The first command is stronger than saying no to a temptation. Commenting on the same words in the psalm, one writer explains what departing means, and what must take its place:
Also, "Depart from evil and do good" (Psalm 34:14). We are not only to abstain from evil, but to depart from it. That is, we are to have no association with it, and to leave the very place where it goes on. That is a negative, but a positive follows at once: "and do good." Do we take advantage of the many opportunities we have for doing good? If so, we should not have time for useless pursuits. "Seek peace and pursue it," or, as Romans 12:18 tells us, "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men."
The good in view is not just religious activity. It stands opposite the harm the believer must avoid:
As well as in words, we are told to avoid evil in our conduct too — anything that will cause harm in God's creation. The word covers every kind of harm: moral, spiritual, physical, or material. This certainly includes avoiding accidents. But on the other hand, we are told positively to do good. There is certainly enough good to be done that we should not even have time to do evil. Added to this is seeking peace — the grace of harmonious well-being — in whatever relationships we are in. And we are to "pursue it" with diligent purpose.
Peace with God is a gift. Peace with other people is a chase, and the same word runs through several New Testament commands about it:
Sinful people without peace can now obtain peace with God for their consciences and the peace of God for their hearts. This personal peace is a gift of the grace of God to each one individually. It is also the foundation for true peace on earth. Yet peace among men, and among believers, also depends on the condition of our hearts and on our conduct. Therefore we are very often exhorted to follow or to strive after peace (Rom. 14:19; 2 Tim. 2:22; Heb. 12:14; 1 Peter 3:11). The Greek text uses the same word every time. It means "to chase, run, follow". In Ephesians 4:3 we are also told that diligence and zeal are necessary to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. If these exhortations were not necessary, God would not have had them written in His Word.
The chase gets tested when someone tries to draw you into a fight. One writer puts the answer in a sentence you can say out loud:
You are to seek peace, and pursue it; it is the thing the heart is to be really set on in going through this world, and if any would incite you to cause trouble, you simply say, "No, I will seek peace."
Ignoring this costs something. A believer tangled in quarrels stands exposed:
One of the marks of the kingdom of God is peace; we have been called to peace in one body; and we are to seek peace and pursue it. Will a quarrelsome Christian, caught up in the quarrels of the flesh, be able to meet the crafty enemy? Such quarrels are no match for the enemy. A heart in that state leaves room for the flaming darts of the wicked one.
Turning from evil comes first in the verse. One writer warns that peace must never be chased apart from it:
Let us then seek peace — the peace of unity — and pursue it. But let us do so with our eyes open. Right through the Bible one fact is pressed home: separation from evil is essential to that peace.
- Quoted — Peter lifts the words from Psalm 34. They show God's moral government over His people in this world.
- Depart — turning from evil means leaving the place where it goes on, not just refusing to join in.
- Do — there is enough good waiting to be done that no time is left over for evil or for useless pursuits.
- Chase — peace with God is a gift; peace with people you must run after, with diligence and zeal.
- Guard — chase peace with your eyes open: separation from evil is what keeps it real.
because [the] eyes of [the] Lord [are] on [the] righteous, and his ears towards their supplications; but [the] face of [the] Lord [is] against them that do evil.
Peter has just told scattered believers to repay insult with blessing, to guard their tongue and to seek peace. Now he gives the reason, borrowing the words of Psalm 34. God is not a distant observer of how His people live. His eyes, His ears and His face are all engaged.
Peter takes these words from a psalm written centuries earlier, when God dealt with His people in a different way. One writer explains why they still apply.
The principles of God's government of His people do not change. When David wrote Psalm 34, it was the age of law and God's people were in the place of servants. Today is the age of grace and we are before God as His sons, as Galatians 3:23–4:7 shows. Yet the apostle Peter can quote David's words from Psalm 34 as applying equally to us. We reap what we sow in the government of God; and the way to "see good" is to "do good," as verses 10 to 13 of our chapter show. Many a disagreeable event in our lives is clearly the result of our own disagreeableness. If we sowed more good we should reap more good.
One writer explains what those watching eyes mean, and what kind of righteousness Peter has in view.
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous." This means not only perfect discernment of every motive, but watchful care in preservation. It is true that in principle God sees every believer as righteous in Christ. But Peter insists that the believer should be this in practice, if he is to know God's approving eye upon him. The same holds for God's ears being open to his prayers. That involves not only hearing, but hearing with approval, and answering.
If God's ears are open, why does He sometimes seem slow to answer?
How it should still our hearts in the presence of God when He seems to delay to answer our cries! Urgent need or pressing danger is generally impatient and will not wait. "Has not God said," we repeat at such times, "that He will hear our prayers?" How then is it that we have cried in vain? Ah, no! We never cry to Him in vain; "for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer." If the Lord waits, He waits only for His own glory, and our fuller blessing.
Another writer gives a second reason for God's silence.
"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer." Sweet word! Peter feels the necessity of prayer and dependence, and if your walk is right, he says, the Lord is attentive to your prayers. "But," you say, "He does not answer." Well, He may have something to settle with you, because "the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." That is as true of a child of God as of an unconverted person.
The last clause is not aimed only at outsiders. One writer applies it inside the family of God, where it touches everyday conduct.
The face of the Lord is as much against His own children, if they are doing evil, as it is against the children of the devil. Here he applies it in the practical walk of the Christian. Observe the good things here: good days, follow what is good, good conscience, and good conduct.
Peter stops mid-sentence. Psalm 34:16 continues, "to cut off the memory of them from the earth" — and that clause is missing here.
Not a word about cutting off. Why is this? Because the Lord is not now acting on the principle of cutting off. He acted on it under the law; and He will act on it in the kingdom, by and by. But just now He is acting in grace and long-suffering mercy. His face is just as much against all evil-doers as it ever was, or ever will be. But it is not now to cut off the memory of them from the earth. Here is the most striking illustration of this marvellous grace and patience. The very men who, with wicked hands, crucified His only Son were evil-doers of the most pronounced type. Yet instead of being cut off from the earth, they were the very first to hear the message of full and free pardon through the blood of the cross.
- Government. God still governs His people day by day; the psalm's principles carry over unchanged, and we reap what we sow.
- Eyes. His look is watchful care, not mere inspection. And Peter means righteousness lived out, not just held.
- Ears. Open ears mean hearing with approval and answering; when He delays, He waits for His glory and our fuller blessing.
- Face. God sets His face against evil in His own children too. An unanswered prayer may mean He has something to settle with us.
- Grace. Peter leaves out the psalm's threat of cutting off, because God deals in mercy now. The men who crucified His Son were the first to prove it.
And who shall injure you if ye have become imitators of that which [is] good?
Peter has just spoken about loving life and seeing good days, and now he asks whether a life set on doing good puts a person beyond harm. The next verse allows for suffering anyway, and that is where the difficulty starts.
The question only makes sense if someone is watching over the outcome of a good life. One writer sets God's rule beside the way human rule so often fails.
Government exists to protect and bless those who do good, and to punish those who do evil. That is true of human government and of God's. With man, corruption and violence can spoil his government, so the good suffer and the wicked escape. With God all is perfect. He governs without favouritism, and repays every person, believer or unbeliever, according to what they have done.
Peter asks for zeal, not mild approval. One writer lists what other people see when that zeal takes hold:
The worst of mankind are struck when they see the proud made lowly, the violent meek, the quarrelsome turned into peacemakers. They see the frivolous and pleasure-hunting grow serious, the corrupt made pure, the greedy generous, the careless or even blasphemous made godly. But no doubt an evil eye under Satan's power may refuse all moral evidence. It may call a real change for good hypocrisy, and hate all the more those who leave their own wretched and wicked ranks to follow Christ. So they try to draw those who confess Christ into evil ways, old or new. If they fail to trap them, they will not fail to run them down and persecute them; for all who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus are persecuted.
The verse is not a promise that no one will ever touch you. One writer shows where the world's welcome for goodness runs out, and why suffering is still no exception to the rule.
We are never to follow a policy of adapting ourselves to our surroundings. We are never forced to give in because evil is dominant. The world may indeed accept much of what is good because of what it gets out of it. Men would rather have people who serve them honestly than people who serve themselves at their master's expense. But if those people mean to be righteous all the way through, and that righteousness costs an employer his interests, it will not be so welcome. So we must be ready, after all, to suffer for righteousness' sake. ... Is this, then, a real exception to the rule that no one shall harm those who earnestly seek good? No, it is no exception. It is in reality only blessing. We may sacrifice things that are not really our portion, and in that way we increase what is our portion. So there is no loss; there is gain. We lose what is temporary to gain what is eternal.
after
If God rewards good, why do godly people still suffer? One writer answers by naming the kind of reward God gives now.
Such questions are answered if we remember that during this day of grace the government of God is moral, and not generally direct and immediate. It is a moral government in this sense: God rewards good with spiritual blessing rather than with material wealth. So the Apostle can set before us the possibility of suffering for righteousness' sake, and still call such a sufferer happy.
One word keeps coming back in the verses around this one.
Notice the good things here. Good days, follow that which is good, good conscience, and good behaviour. My beloved, if you are doing good, following good, and feeding on good, you will see good days. You will have a good conscience, and all the world will have to admit that your behaviour is good. More than that, God will yet work so that those who falsely accuse your good behaviour in Christ will be ashamed.
- Government — God's rule protects and blesses those who do good and punishes those who do evil. Unlike human rule, it never plays favourites.
- Zeal — the call is active: doing good, following good, and feeding on good.
- Reach — such a changed life strikes even the worst of people. A hostile eye calls it hypocrisy, and those who cannot trap you will persecute you.
- Cost — the world welcomes goodness that serves its interests. Press righteousness all the way through, and be ready to suffer for it.
- Gain — God's government today is moral, so He rewards good with spiritual blessing. You lose what is temporary and gain what is eternal, and the Apostle still calls you happy.