A Commentary of the Book of 1 Peter
By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins
Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible
Bible Study 1 Peter 5: 1-14
Text:
Shepherd the Flock of God
5 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, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion, but willingly, according to God; and not for dishonest gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over [a]those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading [b]crown of glory. 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.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 [c]But resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished among your [d]brethren who are in the world. 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 restore, strengthen, confirm, and ground you. 11 To Him be might forever and ever. Amen.
12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother as I regard him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and bearing witness that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace be to you all who are in Christ.
Verse by verse commentary:
Verse 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,”
This church was suffering from extreme persecution. In difficult times, leaders need to lead, not complain. Peter embraces the elders by stating that he was one of them. Being “ a partaker also of the glory” was a motivating statement to encourage the readers to stand firm in the Truth. One day, those faithful would partake of Christ’s ultimate blessing of eternal life with Him.
Verse 2: “shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion, but willingly, according to God; and not for dishonest gain, but with eagerness;”
Peter uses the imagery of a shepherd to instruct the elders how to care for their people. Like a good shepherd, they are to protect the flock, feed them, guide them and care for them. Moreover, they are to do so not for the love of money, but from a place of love.
Verse 3: “nor yet as lording it over those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock.”
Peter warns against being abusive with their power over the flock and exhorts his audience to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. The elders are to live a life beyond approach and be good examples.
Verse 4: “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
Christ is the Chief Shepherd and the elders are under shepherds to Him. The word “crown” is literally wreath. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, He will make all things right and that includes a blessing to the persecuted church.
Verse 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.”
“Elders” in this verse likely means older person as opposed to a church minister. The words “God is opposed” should bring great fear on those that are prideful in the church. Think about a Sovereign Lord God of all creation and He opposes you. Let us always remember to walk in humility and know that pride goes before a fall.
Verse 6: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,”
Notice that the ones that humble themselves under God’s authority do have a time of exaltation coming. It is guaranteed, but the timing isn’t. Know that God will lift up the suffering, submissive and persecuted believers in His Divinely appointed time.
Verse 7: “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
Think of a fisherman standing on the shore casting his line with a hook out into the sea. Except, in the Biblical sense, to cast means to throw it out and cut the line so it can’t come back to you. The key to giving the Lord your anxiety and worry is to not try to take it back once you cast and cut.
Verse 8: “Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
The Greek word translated “adversary” was used for an opponent in a lawsuit, and “devil” (Greek diabolos) is the usual translation of the Hebrew Satan, which means “slanderer” or “accuser” and also serves as a proper name for the devil. The adversary was behind the persecution. In the first century, Satan liked to persecute the church to hinder its growth. However, the Satanic attacks only sifted the pretenders out to save their lives, while the true church grew stronger. Today, Satan has a different strategy. That is to make the church weak through prosperity and a focus on the individual members' blessings. The use of “lion” is a metaphor conveying the strength and destructiveness of the devil and accentuates the need for alertness on the part of believers. Remember that a roaring lion never hurt anyone, it is a biting lion that kills. Satan is just noise and we as believers need to resist him and he will flee from you.
Verse 9: “But resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished among your brethren who are in the world.”
This verse is the key to dealing with the “roaring lion” in the preceding verse. We resist him in the faith, not in our own power, but with the power of our unwavering faith. A true believer is dead to the world, sin and Satan. If you are dead, how can you be hurt from his attacks? To die is to be with our Lord Jesus Christ. When you are dead to Satan, he can’t hurt you. He can only make noise.
Verse 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 restore, strengthen, confirm, and ground you.”
Suffering is only temporary. It has an end. However, the grace of God is forever and He will bring you safely through into an eternity of peace and happiness. In the meantime, God brings help and strength sufficient for every occasion and need.
Verse 11: “To Him be might forever and ever. Amen.”
This is Peter’s benediction. The word translated “might” is the Greek kratos. It means the following: Power, Strength, Might, Force, Sovereignty, and Rule. It is a word summarizing His immense Sovereignty and Authority. This benediction is an excellent brief prayer to keep on your lips throughout the day. “Lord God,” You are Mighty, Powerful and Sovereign.”
Verse 12: “Through Silvanus, our faithful brother as I regard him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and bearing witness that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!”
Peter now begins what we call today a “P.S.” The phrase comes from the Latin word postscriptum and it means “written after.” This is probably Silas, Paul’s companion on the second missionary journey. Silas may have helped write the epistle as a secretary or carried it to the intended readers.
Verse 13: “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.”
“She” most likely refers to the church in Rome. Given their hatred for Christians, Peter’s use of “Babylon” is appropriate. “Mark” is probably John Mark who worked closely with Peter and derived much of the information for the Gospel of Mark from him.
Verse 14: “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.”
The kiss was and is a common form of greeting in the Near East. It is similar to our handshake in the West. This is Peter’s final benediction: “Peace be to you all who are in Christ.”
