The elders which [are] among you I exhort, who [am their] fellow-elder and witness of the sufferings of the Christ, who also [am] partaker of the glory about to be revealed
This letter has spent chapter after chapter preparing believers for suffering. Now Peter turns to the men who must care for them. He introduces himself by what he has seen and by what he will share. Two questions follow: who counts as an elder, and why an apostle appeals instead of giving orders.
Commentators differ here. Is Peter writing to men who hold an office, or to older men of experience? One reading takes the title as a description of the man, not a post he holds:
The apostle returns to practical Christian matters. He exhorts the elders, being an elder himself. It seems that among the Jews this title described a man rather than named an office (compare v. 5).
Others read it as an address to appointed men. Peter starts with them because they carry the most responsibility:
Peter speaks first to the elders, as the ones carrying more responsibility. These were men recognized as holding the office of elder, not just Christian men who were older in years. He claims a right to exhort them as an elder, and as more than an elder — a witness of Christ's sufferings. He could testify to those sufferings because he had seen them; he had been with Christ during His life on earth.
Peter could have written as an apostle. The title he picks puts him beside the men he addresses, not above them:
He is not writing in any official capacity; the word elder here means old in years. He takes on no church authority to give orders. He speaks out of long experience and a heart of love. How different from what ritualistic religion has made him out to be! He takes his place among the other elders and calls himself a fellow-elder, claiming no authority or superiority at all.
Peter had once boasted about his love for Christ, and that love failed. The Lord still handed him the flock. That memory shapes how he writes to shepherds:
Yes, Peter came to feel and admit that his love for the Saviour, which he once boasted of, had failed so completely that only the Lord, who knew all things, could see it under his self-confidence. Even so, the Lord did know that he dearly loved Him! To him then and there He entrusted what was dearest to Himself, His lambs and His sheep, to tend and feed His flock. In the same love, and in his own measure, Peter appeals to elders as a fellow-elder. Though an apostle, he stands on common ground as far as he can, as grace is glad to do to serve its unselfish purposes. True service, and rule too, is built on love; and the servant's love flows from the Saviour's love.
Peter had endured a great deal by this point. Yet the suffering he brings forward is not his own:
Peter had no doubt suffered much, but he will not speak of that. He speaks instead of the sufferings of the Christ that he had seen. What were his own sufferings next to the sufferings of the Christ he had witnessed? But he would indeed share in the glory about to be revealed. And this is God's grace for us also. Who among us can speak at all of suffering when we think of the sufferings of the Christ? But we can exult in the glory that we shall surely share, and this because of Christ's sufferings for us.
Peter names a past he saw and a future he will share. God's people live between the two:
Peter takes the two ends of Christ's history — I have seen His sufferings, and I am going to see His glory. Between these two he finds God's people in this world, and he urges the elders to care for them.
Peter writes of that glory as something he knows. A promise from the Lord lies behind it:
He was a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and he knew he would share the glory that will be revealed. The Lord had given him this assurance (Matthew 19:28-29).
Set beside another apostle, Peter's credentials come out in reverse order:
It has been well noted how distinct a place divine grace gave to Paul. In the sovereignty of God, his part was to be a witness of the glory of Christ, and also a partaker of His sufferings — more so, in both respects, than anyone else.
- Seen. Peter's first credential is his eyes: he watched Christ suffer, and he refuses to put his own suffering next to it.
- Sure. His second is his hope: the glory is not yet revealed, but he speaks of sharing it as a settled thing.
- Between. Suffering behind, glory ahead, and God's people strung out in the middle — that is where the elders' work lies.
- Beside. He writes as fellow elder, not as commander, taking common ground with the men he exhorts.
- Behind it all. The apostle who once boasted and failed is the one Christ trusted with His sheep. Service and rule both rest on love.
shepherd the flock of God which [is] among you, exercising oversight, not by necessity, but willingly; not for base gain, but readily;
Peter writes to elders as one of them. He gives them a single task: care for God's people the way a shepherd cares for sheep. Three questions follow. What does shepherding involve? Whose flock is it? And what motive drives the work?
Older translations use the word "feed" here. Commentators say the command covers much more than that.
The elders are exhorted to shepherd the flock of God. Shepherding is more than feeding; it implies guidance, and every form of care that is needed by the sheep. The Lord clearly wants His people to be visited and cared for. When He was on earth, He felt deep compassion as He saw the sad state of His earthly people, "like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Sadly, there is still so little of this shepherd care, and that shows how low and weak the condition of God's people is.
The same Greek word appears in John 21:16, where the Lord speaks to Peter. That link carries a warning about how people talk about a congregation.
The Greek word used here is the same one we find in John 21:16, and it really means "shepherd" — shepherd the flock of God. It is not to be done for shameful gain, for profit, for money. Believers here are called "the flock of God." Preachers and pastors often call the people they preach to "my flock" or "my people." That language is not scriptural, and we should avoid it. God's children do not belong to anybody but the Lord.
The man writing this had denied the Lord three times. Christ restored him with these very words.
Peter's heart may well have leapt as he wrote the early verses of 1 Peter 2, which recalled the moment when the Saviour gave him his new name. Did it not also swell with deepest gratitude and humble praise as he now wrote to elders, remembering the grace that restored him in front of his brothers — the man who had denied Him three times? Feed My lambs; tend (or, shepherd) My sheep; feed My sheep (John 21:15, 17, 18)... To him then and there He entrusted what was dearest to Himself, His lambs and His sheep, to tend and feed His flock. In the same love Peter in his measure appeals to elders as a fellow-elder.
Two words settle everything else in the verse: the flock is God's. One commentator makes that conviction the first test of fitness for the work.
They have to bear in mind first that the flock is God's. If a man does not carry the sense in his soul that it is God's flock, I do not think he is fit to be an elder, or to hold any other office of spiritual trust. He stands far from the right ground for being a blessing to what, after all, is God's flock.
God still lets men feed what belongs to Him, and that permission answers any claim of ownership.
Moreover it was the flock of God which they were to feed. What a solemn as well as sweet thought! How impossible it is for anyone to think of it as his own flock, once he has grasped that it is the flock of God, and that God allows us to feed it!
Oversight means guarding the flock against real dangers, and it will not always be welcome.
He calls the elders to pastoral ministry: "shepherd the flock of God that is among you" (v.2). He knows that this work can be hard (he himself was a "fellow elder"). Shepherding the flock involves protecting it from various dangers (cf. Acts 20:28-30). This needs constant watchfulness. Exercising "oversight," as Peter also calls this ministry, is not always welcome, because sometimes people have to be corrected and urged on.
after_note: DELETE
Peter names two wrong motives: pressure and profit. Both were foreseen.
It is most important that the "elder" uses his spiritual authority in the right way and spirit. That is why three things are set out in verses 2 and 3. He is to take up his service willingly, readily, and as himself a model to the flock. The Holy Spirit who inspired these words foresaw how strong the pull would be to take up such work — either from compulsion, or from love of gain, or from a desire for power and influence.
The other side of the verse is gladness in the work itself.
"Not for shameful gain, but eagerly" — this is a spontaneous, blessed desire to serve Christ and care for His people. And what is more blessed than being allowed, in any measure, to care for Christ's people?
- Whose — The flock is God's, never the elder's. Forget that, and a man is not fit for spiritual trust.
- What — Shepherding is wider than feeding: guidance, visiting, protection, and every care the sheep need.
- How — Oversight means constant watching for real danger. It includes correction, which is never welcome.
- Why — Not from pressure and not for money, but willingly and gladly. The work is a privilege, not a burden.
- Who — Peter himself was restored with the words "shepherd My sheep." He hands on what is dearest to Christ.
not as lording it over your possessions, but being models for the flock.
Peter's warning to the elders is blunt: the shepherd is not the owner. Behind the phrase "those in your charge" lies a Greek word that later split the church into two classes.
The older King James wording, "neither as being lords over God's heritage," adds a word that is not in the text. The italics in that version give it away.
The elders are told to shepherd the flock of God which was among them... They must remember first that the flock is God's. If a man does not carry that sense in his soul, I do not think he is fit to be an elder, or to hold any other office of spiritual trust... Notice that "God's" is printed in italics. We can say without hesitation that the phrase does not mean God's heritage at all. It means something completely different. The true sense is this — "Nor as lording it over your possessions." The elders are not to treat the flock as if it belonged to them.
One Greek word in this verse explains how the church came to be divided into two ranks.
The Greek word for heritage in this text just quoted is klēros, from which the English word, clergy, is derived. The Bible clergy consisted of ALL Christians, and the laity (Greek, laos, the people) were the heathen outside the Christian circle. The clergy have stolen a word that belongs to all God's people. They claim it as the name of a class, which Scripture never authorized. And they have handed the rest of God's people a title, laity, which once described the heathen world outside.
The safeguard against domineering is not a rule but a fact: the flock belongs to God.
The elders were to feed the flock of God with a ready mind, not because they were forced to. They were not to do it for gain, nor as men governing an inheritance of their own, but as examples to the flock... Moreover it was the flock of God which they were to feed. What a solemn as well as sweet thought! How impossible it is for anyone to think of it as his own flock, once he has grasped that it is God's flock, and that God allows us to feed it!
Kelly shows what this fact changes in ordinary church life, and what the opposite claim costs.
It is God's flock, not yours; and you are not to lord over it as if it were your own belongings. If it were your heritage, you would have certain rights... When this is fully weighed, it makes a wonderful change in the mind, tone, and temper. It changes both those who tend the flock and those they care for. For then they look to God, and no petty feeling about trespassing on another's rights remains... The truth is that the assumption of "my flock," or "yours", is the root of endless mischief.
If even a believer's own property really belongs to the Master, so does a congregation. And a trust calls for an account.
To the man of faith, the property that flesh counts our own is not really ours. It is the Master's goods, entrusted to his care. How much more, then, must elders beware of lording it over the charge allotted to them as if it were theirs? No, they are to become models of the flock. They must always remember that it is God's flock, and that they must give account to the Lord for how they guided His sheep, and for their own daily walk.
The positive half of the verse replaces one method of moving people with another.
They are warned not to lord it over God's heritage. They are not to drive the flock but to lead it as "examples to the flock."
Bellett sets service against patronage.
They prove what they teach, and they labour in the spirit of service, not of patronage. They are not lords of the heritage, but examples of the flock. They claim no dominion over the faith; they are helpers of the joy.
Writers note that the danger Peter names is what later history produced.
The Holy Spirit who inspired these words foresaw how strong the pull would be to take up such work. It might be from compulsion, or for love of gain, or from a desire for power and influence. Church history proves how much these words were needed. It tells us how the simple "elders" or "bishops" of the apostles' day were slowly turned into "princes of the church," who lorded it over God's people as though they were their own possessions.
- Ownership — The flock is God's, not the shepherd's. Every other instruction in the verse follows from that one fact.
- Wording — Older translators added the word "God's." The sense is "not lording it over your own possessions."
- Clergy — Kleros, the word here, gave us "clergy," yet Scripture uses it of all God's people, never of a separate class.
- Method — The elder does not drive the flock. He leads it, proving what he teaches by how he lives.
- Account — Nothing here is owned, only entrusted. Elders will answer to the Lord for how they guided His sheep.
And when the chief shepherd is manifested ye shall receive the unfading crown of glory.
Peter has just told the elders how to care for God's people. Now he tells them what makes the work worth it: a Shepherd who will appear, and a crown that never withers. So two questions follow — who is this "chief Shepherd," and what crown does He give?
The title points to a Shepherd with others working under Him. It is one of three shepherd titles the New Testament gives to Christ. Each belongs to a different stage of His work, and each has a matching psalm.
The New Testament shows three great aspects of the Lord's Shepherd-character, and they teach the same precious truths. He is the "Good Shepherd," who laid down His life for the sheep. (Compare John 10; Ps. 22) He is the "Great Shepherd" — risen from the dead, He takes charge of the sheep as they travel through "that great and terrible wilderness." (Compare Heb. 13; Ps. 23) He is the "Chief Shepherd," who will give a crown of glory to all His under-shepherds at His appearing and kingdom. (Compare 1 Peter 5; Ps. 24)
Right now the Shepherd is out of sight, and so is much of the work done for Him. One day everyone will see Him, and that is the encouragement.
The chief shepherd was still hidden (cf. 1:8), but one day He will be revealed, He will be seen! Then the elders, too, would receive a crown, an "unfading crown of glory". This should give them courage for all the efforts and trouble they took in carrying out their task.
Peter promises this reward to those who feed a flock that was never theirs. One thought kills any sense of ownership.
The elders were to pour loving care on the flock, for the sake of Christ, the chief Shepherd, and for the good of souls. And it was the flock of God that they were to feed. What a solemn and sweet thought! No one can think of it as his own flock once he has grasped that it is God's flock, and that God lets us feed it!
The word for crown here is not a royal diadem. It is the winner's wreath from the games, and those wreaths were leaves.
Greek writers use stephanos for the wreath given to a conqueror, the prize given to a winning athlete in the Greek games, and the crown given to a citizen for public service. The wreath consisted of leaves: wild thyme at the Olympic games, laurel at the Pythian, parsley at the Nemean, ivy at the Isthmian. Such crowns did not last. On the winners' heads they looked fresh and green while the shouting lasted, but within a few hours they began to fade. So the Apostle Peter writes, in contrast, of a crown (stephanos) of glory that does NOT fade away.
Scripture names several crowns, and the wording is not random. Peter has already been writing about suffering, and the crown he names matches it.
This service may not bring the servant into prominence down here, and it often meets with little appreciation from the Lord's people. But at the appearing of the Chief Shepherd it will receive the "unfading crown of glory". The Apostle has been speaking of "the sufferings of Christ" and of the glory that will be revealed. So he implies that a spirit of self-sacrifice, with the suffering that shepherding the flock must bring, will have a crown of glory as its reward. Other Scriptures speak of a crown of righteousness in answer to a walk of practical righteousness, but "glory" is always the answer to suffering and self-denial.
Commentators differ on how wide this promise reaches. One reads it as a reward for some, not for every believer:
He loves His flock. He has gone out of the scene, yet He is the chief Shepherd still. He puts it into the hearts of some to care for His flock, and He says He will not forget their service. Later on there will be for them a crown of glory that never fades. I do not believe that all get this crown.
Another sees the door standing open to anyone who takes up the care of others:
"When the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." I believe this is within the reach of all, if we seek to take care of one another and help one another. An unfading crown of glory! Think of such an end!
The crown is not where the honour stops. Those who wear it hand it back.
What will the saints of God do with their crowns? John can tell us. In his inspired vision he sees the twenty-four elders — who represent the church and Old Testament saints — fall down before Him who sits on the throne. They worship Him who lives for ever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne and tell Him that He is worthy to receive glory and honour and power (Rev. 4:10-11).
- His flock — the sheep belong to God, not to the one who feeds them; no shepherd owns the flock he cares for.
- His work — He puts the care of His flock into the hearts of some, and He does not forget their service.
- His appearing — the Shepherd is out of sight now, and so is much of the work; the day He appears, the work appears too.
- His crown — a victor's wreath, not a royal diadem, and unlike the leaves of the games it never begins to wither.
- His glory — glory answers suffering and self-denial, and at the end the elders cast their crowns back before the throne of the One who is worthy.
Likewise [ye] younger, be subject to [the] elder, and all of you bind on humility towards one another; for God sets himself against [the] proud, but to [the] humble gives grace.
Peter has just charged the elders who shepherd the flock. Now he turns to the younger, and then to everyone. It ties two things together: an order of respect among believers, and a warning that pride sets God against a person.
Peter sets "elder" directly against "younger," and that contrast shapes the word. He is not describing men appointed to an office:
This seems to be confirmed by the way the elders are in one place contrasted with the "younger" (1 Peter 5:1, 5). What is in question is experience, and moral weight to guide.
The command rules out two opposite errors at once:
Here we have a rule far removed from letting everyone do as they please on the one hand, and with no reference to office on the other. It calls for that godly subjection to age and seriousness which nature itself requires and the Word of God always teaches.
Older English versions add "be subject one to another" before the call to humility. Commentators see a problem in that reading:
As read in the Authorised Version, the second command here seems to make the first one pointless. If everyone is to be subject to everyone else, there is no reason to urge the younger to submit to the elder. So it matters that the words "be subject" in the second sentence should be left out... It is morally fitting that the younger submit to the elder. It is also the duty of all believers, young or old, to cherish the spirit of humility and to seek in love to serve one another.
The word translated "clothe yourselves" hides a sharper picture:
"Clothed" is too vague here. The word is found nowhere else in the New Testament, and is rare anywhere else. The picture comes from the apron a slave tied on to do his work in earnest without soiling his clothes. The Lord, from a far different motive, stooped lower still when He tied a linen towel around Himself to wipe the feet of His own, which He washed clean from what defiled them.
Peter gives this command out of his own failure:
Peter had suffered for his self-confidence, and the root of it was pride of heart. He wanted to save the believers he wrote to, and us, from this folly... God looks for the features of His Son to be reproduced in us. If the love of the Lord touches our hearts, we will gladly serve one another with humility of heart.
Pride never stays private. It works its way into the life of a whole company:
Pride works in us to exalt ourselves and to seek a place of prominence among the people of God. That destroys true fellowship among Christians. The allowance of pride leads to strife and division, but humility binds the saints together. Humility would keep the elder saints from lording it over God's flock, and hold the younger in subjection to the elder.
Peter backs the command with a warning about God's own attitude:
What a solemn thing for the saint of God to get into a position in which God has to resist him! What a dreadful thing to have the Lord set against us because of pride allowed in the heart! God resists a proud person: but where is there room for pride in us who are the vilest of the vile?
Peter is quoting a line that runs through the Bible, and the danger it names is close at hand:
He also strengthens the call with the solemn warning that God sets Himself against haughty men, and gives grace to the humble — word for word the same quotation as in James 4:6. See Proverbs 3:34 and Romans 12:16. So this is a moral principle that runs both ways through Scripture. It is a lesson for every soul in the church, day by day, and no one can afford to overlook it. It is needed all the more because there is a ready danger of becoming haughty through a misapplied idea of position and duty, and of losing the grace God is so willing to give by failing to cherish that lowliness which is found perfectly only in Christ.
The verse ends with a promise, and lowliness is the condition attached to it:
Pride is most offensive to God... If we want to draw on the vast resources of divine grace, there must be the humility that was seen in Christ and in those who follow His steps. We cannot come into God's presence in a spirit of pride. But we can come before Him to humble ourselves, and so be sure of true exaltation, in due time.
- Place — "Elder" here means older in years and experience, not a title. The younger owe them respect. That rules out both self-will and officialism.
- Dress — The word for "clothe" pictures a slave's apron tied on for work. Behind it stands the Lord, towel in hand, washing feet.
- Bond — Pride pushes for prominence and splits fellowship. Humility holds believers together, and it restrains elder and younger alike.
- Peril — Pride allowed in the heart sets God Himself against a believer. The danger is nearest where position and duty are misread.
- Supply — Grace flows to the lowly. Humble yourself now, and God will lift you up in His time.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in [the due] time;
The word "therefore" ties this command to what comes just before it: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Two questions press on anyone under pressure: what is this "mighty hand," and how long is "due time"?
Peter has just told younger believers to submit to older ones, and all to each other. One writer sets the command inside God's way of governing His people.
All were to clothe themselves with humility, for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. These are still the principles of His government. So they were to humble themselves under His hand, and He would exalt them in due time. This was to commit themselves to God. He knew what was needful. He who loved them would exalt them at the right time.
One writer refuses to soften the word "mighty," and finds comfort inside its roughness.
We can't tell in what form that "mighty hand" may humble. He may remove prop after prop. He may disappoint one hope of the heart after another... He may seem so set against your circumstances and your present joys that the heart begins to fear God is against us. It is a "mighty hand;" but let that comfort you instead of frightening you... It is not a "soothing hand;" it is a "mighty hand," that seems set on bruising. Well, what does the Spirit of God say? "Humble yourselves" under it, for "He will exalt you." Oh how beautiful! See how roughly Joseph spoke to his brothers. He put them in prison — told the keepers to take charge of them — but in secret he wept; and, in due time, he "exalted" them.
Others describe the same hand as the pressure of training, felt keenly by believers facing persecution.
The mighty hand of God is upon His people in the way of training, and often in very painful dealings, as was the case in the persecutions of these early Christians, yet under it we are to bow and in due time we shall be exalted.
One writer sets the two directions side by side in two men.
What a much more blessed thing to humble ourselves under His mighty hand, and for Him to exalt us, than to exalt ourselves, and for Him to have to put us down! "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled." That is the first man. "Whoever humbles himself will be exalted." That is the second Man. The first man sought to make himself God, and fell into companionship with Satan. The second Man, who was God, made Himself nothing, and God has exalted Him to the very highest glory.
One writer ties our humility to what that hand has already done for us.
That mighty hand has worked and given us everlasting redemption. God calls us to be humbled under it. Sad to say, we fail to keep a steady sense of this marvellous light into which God called us. But it is our privilege to walk there... and it is our own fault if we do not walk there with open eyes. That is what secures the humility urged here.
Jonah lived this verse out from inside the fish, centuries before Peter wrote it. He stopped blaming the sailors who threw him overboard.
Jonah 1:15 says of the sailors, "they took up Jonah and threw him into the sea." But in Jonah 2:3, Jonah says to God, "You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas." So he owned the hand of God, and humbled himself under it. He put 1 Peter 5:6-7 into practice several centuries before Peter wrote the words. That put him on the way to recovery. Deliverance comes to souls in distress only when they acknowledge the hand of God.
That covers even the sufferer who has no one to blame but himself.
If some who are suffering have to own that it is the result of their own folly and self-will, what then? Ah, there is only one way. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Let lowly submission mark you before Him. Be honest and without pretence in His presence. Then in His own good time — the due time when it will be good for you — He will make a way of deliverance and raise you up.
The timing belongs to God, and trying to hurry it costs us something.
If we try to deliver ourselves and get out of this path of trial, we have to take some side path, and we lose blessing. Remember, the verse adds that in due time God will exalt us — not a minute after the time. When He has worked out the whole purpose of His love, then He will exalt us.
- The hand — The verse calls it "mighty," not soothing. It may strip away prop after prop and even seem set against you. That word should comfort you, not frighten you.
- The bowing — Two directions only: humble yourself and God lifts you, or exalt yourself and God puts you down.
- The ground — The same hand has already given us everlasting redemption. Walking in that light is what produces humility.
- The owning — Jonah named God, not the sailors, as the one who cast him into the sea. Deliverance starts where we own God's hand — even when the trouble is our own fault.
- The timing — God exalts in due time, not a minute late. Escaping by a side path only loses the blessing.
having cast all your care upon him, for he cares about you.
This word about anxiety is not a comfort that stands on its own. It hangs on the command just before it: humble yourself under God's mighty hand. So two questions press. What does anxiety have to do with humbling yourself? And how do you hand a burden over and leave it there?
The setting is God's dealings with His own people, and those dealings can feel crushing rather than kind. One writer refuses to soften the description:
We can't tell what form that "mighty hand" will take. It may remove prop after prop, disappointing one hope of the heart after another. God may humble you in terrible ways. Worst of all, while He is doing it, He may seem to be against you... It is a "mighty hand," but let that comfort you instead of frightening you. There is a great comfort in this word "mighty." It is not a "soothing hand"; it is a "mighty hand" that seems set on bruising. Well, what does the Spirit of God say? "Humble yourselves" under it, for "He will exalt you."
Another writer holds the power and the tenderness together:
That hand of power is the hand of love — "He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom."
The verse uses one word for what we carry and another for what God does. The difference is the whole argument:
The first word for care in 1 Peter 5:7 signifies anxious, distracting care. W. E. Vine, in his "Expository Dictionary of Bible Words", says it is probably linked to a word that means to draw in different directions. Who has not known this kind of care, this anxiety? It is care that robs you of quiet and sleep. God directs us to cast this care on Him — not part of it, but all of it. Then He gives the reason: "because He cares for you." Here the verse uses a different word for care. This is care of forethought and interest.
The verb is stronger than "mention in prayer."
"Casting (or, having cast) all your care (every anxiety) upon Him." The word "casting" is a strong word. It means "to fling" — to part company with a thing completely. It is used that way in Luke 19:35, where the people threw their cloaks on the colt and let them go.
This explains why so much prayer leaves the heart no lighter:
Many bring their cares to God in prayer, but get little or no benefit. They carry them away again instead of leaving them in His presence.
The word "all" is not decoration, and the alternative to casting is not calm but a quiet accusation against God:
All means all. All cares, whatever they are; all burdens, all anxieties, we can roll upon Him. And we can do it with the perfect assurance that He does care. Sadly, our anxieties, our heavy feelings, our worry and our hurry all speak the same language of unbelief: "Lord, do You not care?"
The reason given is a statement of fact, not a reward offered for casting. One commentator makes the logic blunt:
This is true whether or not we cast our care on Him. He cares anyway. So we might as well take advantage of His unfailing kindness.
Once that settles, your energy goes somewhere better:
Is it worthwhile for two to care for the same thing? If you are carrying the care, you take it out of His hands. If He is carrying it, you can afford to be free of care. You can throw yourself into your Father's arms and rest there without fear. When you learn how perfect His care for you is, you are free to care for His things and His interests, because He is taking care of yours.
The writer had personal history behind this sentence:
When Peter wrote, "Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you," did he remember the storm on the sea? He and his companions were in a panic of fear. They woke their sleeping Lord with the faithless cry, "Do You not care that we are perishing?" After that experience, he would never doubt his Lord's care again.
- Bow first. The casting follows the humbling. The same mighty hand that seems set on bruising is the hand that will exalt you in due time.
- Name the care. The word for your care means anxiety that pulls you in different directions and robs you of sleep. The word for His care means interest and forethought.
- Fling it. "Casting" means to part company with a thing completely — prayer that picks the burden back up has not obeyed the verse.
- All of it. Every burden qualifies, and carrying them ourselves speaks the language of unbelief: "Lord, do You not care?"
- Then be free. He cares whether or not you cast. Once that settles, you stop caring for what He holds. You start caring for His interests.
Be vigilant, watch. Your adversary [the] devil as a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour.
Peter has just told his readers to hand their anxieties to God. In the next breath he warns them that someone is hunting them — so what does a lion's roar picture, and how does a Christian stay alert without living in fear?
Peter writes to people out in the desert, not to people safe at home. The picture he chooses matches where they are.
Notice how clearly Peter shows the enemy as the power of evil we have to face. He shows just as clearly that our God and the Lord Jesus care for us. The letter to the Hebrews views us in the light of the sanctuary. Here Peter views us as people also out in the open, under the special pressure of the desert. So he rightly pictures our adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion prowling around, looking for someone to devour.
The roar is a specific weapon. It is noise designed to break nerve, and that is different from quiet deception.
Being sober is not being gloomy. It is using good sense. And being vigilant means staying watchful. These things matter greatly. The devil is a determined enemy, always on the move and ready to attack anyone off guard. He comes as a roaring lion to frighten people into helpless paralysis. Let us not be caught. What we see here is Satan's devouring character, not his subtlety as a serpent. He was using persecution to frighten souls, and they needed the courage of firm faith to guard themselves against it.
Commentators add that the roar is not his only method. Several think the quieter one is worse.
If Satan cannot do anything by persecution, he tries to unsettle souls about the truth in Christ. He is a roaring lion, prowling around and seeking someone to devour; that is persecution. But he is not always a roaring lion. When he comes in as a serpent — that is, when he creeps along and does not roar at all — it is far more dangerous. His violence and rage put a person to the test. It is far more serious when we have to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Being sober here is not a mood. It is the ordinary posture of anyone who knows an attack is possible.
Soldiers guarding a camp expect an attack at any hour. They do not sit down laughing, joking and amusing themselves. Every sense is on the alert, and they are completely sober, so as to detect the slightest movement of the enemy. As Christians we should be in the same state. Our enemy is more subtle than a human one. We know less about his methods than we would about the methods of an enemy of flesh and blood... The sobriety Scripture calls for does not allow light, frivolous behaviour. But it does allow true joy and rejoicing.
Peter knew this danger from his own past.
Three times he had denied the Lord. He had not been sober then, and he did not watch and pray. So the devil found him easy prey. He would have devoured and destroyed him, if the Lord had not prayed for him and restored him by His grace.
The comfort of the previous verse and the alarm of this one belong together.
But because He is caring for you, that does not mean you are to be unwatchful. No, no — remember that your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour. Here Satan comes as a roaring lion, and so these Hebrew believers were going through persecution. In the second letter he comes as a snake in the grass, introducing moral corruption.
The response Peter calls for is defensive, and its outcome is not in doubt.
We are to be sober and watchful. Satan is wide awake. He does great damage now by his serpent-like schemes, as then he sought to destroy like a lion roaring over its prey. Resist him, firm in your faith. This means we do not have to attack him or fight him. We only have to resist him. The outcome is as certain as it is quick: "he will flee from you."
What the lion aims at is the faith itself, which is why the quality of that faith decides the outcome.
In the persecution of the saints the devil moves about as a roaring lion, aiming by it to break down our faith. If faith is only mental — head-knowledge and not heart-trust — it fails, and he devours us.
The hunt has a limit, and God sets it.
Despite Satan's malice, God uses him to discipline His saints, as He did with Job. But God lets the evil one go only as far as He pleases... Remember that Satan is already a defeated foe, because he stands exposed. He cannot touch a Christian unless God the Father permits it and controls it. When He does, it is discipline for that Christian's good.
- Adversary — the devil is a real, personal enemy, the danger of the desert road, not a figure of speech.
- Roar — as a lion, Satan attacks openly to frighten and paralyse. As a serpent, he works by deception, and several writers judge that form more dangerous.
- Sober — watchfulness is the alertness of a guarded camp, not gloom; it still leaves full room for joy.
- Resist — you are not told to attack him, only to stand firm. Faith that is heart-trust, not head-knowledge, holds, and he flees.
- Chained — God fixes how far he can go. A defeated foe cannot touch a believer unless God permits it, and then it is for the believer's good.
Whom resist, stedfast in faith, knowing that the selfsame sufferings are accomplished in your brotherhood which [is] in [the] world.
Peter has just described the enemy: he prowls like a roaring lion. Now comes the response — stand firm and resist. But what does it mean to resist a spiritual enemy? And why should it help to know that other believers suffer the same things?
The command is defensive, not aggressive. One writer draws out how limited — and how effective — the action is:
We are to be sober and watchful, because Satan is frighteningly alert. He does much harm now by his snake-like schemes, just as then he sought to destroy like a lion roaring over its prey. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. This means we do not have to attack him, or meet him in combat; we simply resist him, and the outcome is as certain as it is quick — "he will flee from you."
Peter has already told his readers to humble themselves before God. Toward the devil, the posture is the opposite. One writer insists we must not confuse the two hands:
"Casting all your anxieties on Him" (1 Peter 5:7). What comfort there is here! It tells us that while the hand is dealing roughly outside, the heart is feeling inside. And as to the devil's temptation — resist him. Do not "humble yourselves" under that hand — "resist" him, just as Jesus did long ago: "Get behind me, Satan."
The words "firm in your faith" show where the real battle line runs. The lion has a target:
The parable of the sower mentions the devil: "then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved" (Luke 8:12). The aim of the devil here is to prevent faith in God's word... In 1 Timothy 4:1 the Apostle Paul predicts that in later times some will pay attention to "deceitful spirits and teachings of demons." The result will be that they "depart from the faith."... So Peter warns the saints about Satan's activity as a roaring lion, and tells them to resist him, "steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9). Hold the faith, and his terror disappears.
Peter is not writing theory here. He had been the lion's target himself:
His aim, as always, is to destroy. With God's people his efforts take the form of trying to destroy their faith in God. Peter can speak from experience, for there was a time when Satan wanted to have Peter. He was indeed allowed to sift Peter like wheat. But he could not touch Peter's faith, because the Lord said, "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail." Now Peter can tell others the secret of resisting Satan: staying "steadfast in faith."
Commentators differ on whether Peter means "the faith" as a body of truth held, or personal trust in the Lord. One writer argues for the second, and points to where our strength comes from:
We are entitled to resist him, as the letter of James also urges, however loudly he may roar and threaten destruction. He is a conquered foe, as faith knows, and the name of the One we confess is enough to terrify him. But confidence in our own wisdom or righteousness exposes us to certain defeat. Our strength is in Christ, whose grace is enough, and whose power is perfected in weakness. So we are told to resist, steadfast in faith. Some understand it as "in the faith" — the body of truth we believe. In a struggle like this, I doubt the strength of faith held only as truth. It seems instead to be encouragement for our own personal faith in the Lord.
Why does the same suffering fall on believers everywhere? One writer points to what they all have in common:
It is no strange thing to be attacked like this. So Peter reminds us that we know the same sufferings are being completed in the brotherhood that is in the world. They have the same relationships to God, and those relationships expose them to persecution through Satan's spite against Christ, even more than against themselves.
And the comfort of the clause lies in cutting down a very common thought:
Everyone thinks no one ever had a life like his — such a troubled path. Peter says, Nothing of the kind; everyone else has the same. You are not the only person who is suffering. But he commends us to the God of all grace. What can keep us going? Grace — only grace.
- Resist — the order is not to hunt the enemy down but to refuse him ground. The outcome is certain and quick: he flees.
- Not humble — you bow under God's mighty hand; you never bow under the devil's. Confusing the two hands is where believers lose.
- Faith held — the lion's target is your trust in God's word. Hold the faith, and his terror disappears. Satan sifted Peter and still could not touch his faith.
- Strength borrowed — he is already a beaten enemy, and Christ's name terrifies him. Trusting our own wisdom or goodness guarantees defeat; our strength is in Christ.
- Not alone — everyone thinks no one has suffered as he has. Peter says the whole family shares the same suffering, because they share the same relationship to God. Grace — only grace — carries them through.